OFFICE POLICIES
FINANCIAL POLICY
We are committed to providing you with
the best possible care, and will help you receive your maximum allowable
insurance benefits. However, we need your assistance and your understanding
of our payment policy. Your insurance contract is between you, your employer
and the insurance company. Not all services are covered by all contracts.
We participate and accept assignment from
most major payors, which means covered charges, will be paid directly to
us. If we do not participate in your insurance plan, you may still choose
to be seen by the practice. As a courtesy to you, we will file a claim
with your insurance carrier on your behalf. Any portion not paid
by the insurance carrier balance will be billed to you once we have received
payment or notification from your insurance carrier.
Due to current federal and insurance regulations,
all co-payments and co-insurance are collected at time of service. We accept
cash or checks, and for your convenience, Visa or MasterCard. Additional
fees, which typically are not covered by insurance plans, will be charged
for services such as copying of medical records, and completion of disability
forms. We encourage you to contact us promptly for assistance in the management
of your account; we will work with you to develop a payment plan when appropriate.
We are here to help you and will be happy to answer any questions you may
have about your treatment or insurance coverage.
FEES
A sincere effort is made to keep down
the cost of your medical care. Payment of co-payments and self–pay
balances are requested at the time of visit. An estimate of the charge
for any surgery will be provided upon request by the patient. However,
it is often impossible to quote an exact figure because of unforeseen complications
which arise. A specified period of post-operative care will be included
in the charge for each operation. This includes routine post-operative
treatment directly related to the surgery but not unexpected complications
or unrelated conditions which might arise. All patient
balances are due within 30 days unless special arrangements have been made
with the Collections Officer.
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Of necessity, the physician must work
by appointments. This provides them an opportunity to allocate his
time and is more convenient for the patient. Unfortunately, patients
do not become ill on an appointment schedule, and emergencies at the hospital
and office occur, hence, delays in a schedule are at times inevitable.
A sincere attempt is made to adhere to
the schedule as closely as possible. Should a situation arise that
you feel requires immediate examination and treatment, every effort will
be made to see you the same day. If your physician (in the case of
established patients) is not available, you may see the physician in the
office that day or you have the option of waiting to see your physician
during his next office day. If you cannot keep an appointment please
notify the office as soon as possible.
Please provide complete information at
the time you schedule your appointment; this will assist our office staff
in scheduling the appropriate amount of time for your visit.
INSURANCE
If your insurance requires a co-payment,
it must be made at the time of visit. We will be happy to assist
you in completing your insurance form. Up to three insurance forms
will be filed free of charge. Forms for elective surgery are due
in the office prior to surgery with the patient’s portion completed and
signed. We wish to help you receive maximum reimbursement from your
insurance company according to your policy. We feel our responsibility
is to the patient and do not consider ourselves agents for the insurance
company; therefore, the bill is considered your responsibility. Should
you have any difficulty meeting your financial obligations, please ask
to speak to our bookkeeper. When sending payments by mail, please
be sure to designate the name of the person for whom the payment is being
made.
INSURANCE PARTICIPATION
We participate with Medicare, Anthem,
Aetna, Cigna, Medicaid, United Healthcare, Southern Health, and other commercial
carriers. As participating physicians, we accept the fee allowance
that these companies establish as their allowable amounts. In many
instances, carriers only pay 80% of the allowable amount. Therefore,
the patient is responsible for all deductibles, co-pays, and any balance
after insurance payment up to the allowed amount.
PRE-CERTIFICATION
Many insurance companies require pre-certification
for any procedure or hospital admission. If this is required by your
policy, please let us know so we can assist you in obtaining this pre-certification.
Failure to do so may result in your insurance company refusing to pay part
or all of your bill.
REFERRALS
Many insurance carriers may require a
“referral” from your primary care physician to the specialist before the
specialist can provide care to you. In the event your carrier requires
a referral for specialist care, you and the primary care physician are
responsible to ensure our office receives the referral authorization prior
to the office visit.
SECOND OPINION
Some insurance companies require a second
surgical opinion prior to elective surgical procedures. Should your
policy require this, please let us know so we can assist with arrangements
for appropriate consultation. If your insurance company does not
require a second opinion, but for any reason you would like a second opinion,
we encourage you to do so. We want you to be comfortable with your
decision to have your surgery.
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCIES
The office phone number is (540) 373-2244.
After office hours and on weekends this number will be answered by our
answering service who will relay your message to the physician on call.
We will return your call as promptly as possible. If you have an
issue related to your surgery, please contact our office or after-hours
physician on call. Should you have an unrelated emergency, it is
not necessary to contact us first—please go directly to the hospital emergency
room and ask that they contact us on your behalf.
TELEPHONE CALLS
Please attempt to have routine questions
and prescription refill requests handled during your office visit when
your record and history will be immediately available. Our office
staff will be able to answer many of your inquiries; in the event they
cannot answer your question, the physician will return your call or relay
an answer to you as soon as possible.
PATIENT PRIVACY
The physician-patient relationship is
privileged and confidential. We will not and cannot provide
information about you to anyone else unless you have provided us written
authorization to do so. A copy of our patient privacy policy may
be printed on our Online Forms page.
