Appointments
The office is open Monday through Friday and patients are seen by scheduled appointment only. Should you have a problem that requires immediate attention and your physician is not available, you may be asked to see the physician on call or our nurse practitioner. If the problem is not serious and you prefer to see your own physician, we will be happy to schedule an appointment at the earliest possible date. If it is necessary to cancel your appointment, please do so at least 24 hours before your appointment so someone else can schedule in that appointment time.
We require an updated registration form yearly as well as a copy of your insurance card when you arrive for your appointment to be sure our records are up-to-date. This will help us bill correctly and to avoid you being held responsible for a bill your insurance was to have paid. We urge you to contact your insurance carrier so you understand your coverage and benefits for services rendered to you and/or your dependents.
If you have secondary insurance coverage, please be sure we have all pertinent information as well. We will submit a claim to the secondary insurance after your primary insurance has paid its portion of your charges. After your secondary insurance carrier submits payment, we will bill you for any remaining balance for which you are responsible.
Billing/Payment
Co-payments or deductibles are to be paid on the day of service. For your convenience we accept cash, check, money orders and charge/debit cards.
If your insurance coverage requires you to have a written referral/pre-certification from your primary physician before seeing one of our specialists, you must present the document to us before or upon arrival for your appointment. Failure to do so will automatically make you responsible for all charges in full. You are responsible for items your insurance does not cover.
Failure to provide accurate information may result in your liability for the entire physician’s bill. You are always responsible for the balance of your bill not covered by insurance.
If you do not have insurance, we require payment in full the day of service, unless other arrangements have been made with the practice manager or billing specialist. If a payment plan is set up, it must be paid off as indicated in the plan or the account will be sent to collection. We do offer discounts on self-pay accounts when the balance is $200 or more and is paid in full at the time of service. There is a maximum number of payments permitted, depending on dollar amount, which will be explained to you upon making payment arrangements.
Disability and Worker’s Compensation
If you have a Workman's Compensation claim, be sure to notify the office staff immediately. You will need to supply us with the date of injury, type of injury with eligible codes, claim number, name and phone number of the insurance adjustor or case manager, your employer at the time of injury, worker's compensation carrier, alternate private insurance information and attorney's name and telephone number if applicable.
Worker’s Compensation and Disability Forms require additional time and personnel to complete. Please allow three to five working days for completion of this paperwork.
Telephone Calls
Our physicians have instructed their assistants and/or nurse practitioner to handle all incoming telephone calls. This allows the physician to attend to his or her patients with a minimum of interruptions. Should your call concern an emergency, the doctor will be immediately contacted.
**IN THE EVENT OF A TRUE EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL 911.**
Prescriptions and Refills
Prescriptions and refills are issued during normal office hours only. The physician does not have your medical record available during the evening and weekends which makes it difficult for him to determine if a prescription or refill is indicated. If you need to request medication, please call early in the day and at least 48 hours in advance so we can best take care of your needs. We will need your pharmacy telephone number and prescription number, so please have them available when you call.
Forms
As forms take up quite a bit of staff resources, we charge a $20 fee for each form we complete. (We do not charge for Workman’s Compensation Forms or insurance forms as long as they are needed in order for your insurance to process our payment.) Payment must accompany all forms. Please allow up to 3-5 working days so we may properly process your form(s), or you may ask the office to contact you by phone when the forms are ready for pickup.
Parking
Parking is available behind the MercyCrest Medical Arts Medical Building at no charge.
No Show/Failure to Cancel Policy.
There will be a $25 charge for No-show appointments and those appointments not cancelled within 24 hours.
Returned Checks
There is a $25 fee for all returned checks.
Should you have any questions, we welcome the opportunity to discuss any aspect of our policies with you.