Office Policies & Procedures
Cancellations/No-Shows
We understand that emergencies arise, however, appointments are pre-arranged and it is your responsibility to keep or cancel your appointment with a minimum of 72 hours notice. Failure to cancel or or no-show for a scheduled appointment with less than 72 hours notice will result in a $35.00 charge to your account.
Late Patients
Patients are required to be on time for their appointments. If a patient is more that 20 minutes late for an appointment, the appointment may need to be rescheduled. It will be at the discretion of the provider and the front desk staff to determine if there will be enough time to see me if I am late.
Co-Pays / Billing / Insurance
Patients who have a co-pay as part of an agreement with their insurance carrier will be required to pay prior to meeting with the provider for each visit. Covered procedures vary with each insurance company. Some treatments/procedures/labs are not covered by insurance plans and may not be covered. In the event you are not aware of charges that are not covered by your plan, you will be billed for the balance after we obtain a denial from your insurance company. If you have a specific concern regarding your coverage, contacting your insurance company is the most assured way of checking coverage information. You are responsible for knowing your insurance benefits.
Self-Pay
Self-pay patients who are responsible for their medical bills are required to pay the consultation fee at the time of service. The front desk staff will not be able to quote exact prices prior to the appointment. Your bill will be determined by the physician based on the recommended course of treatment.
Prescription Refills
Medication refills will be processed during office hours only. Patients will need to contact their pharmacy when a refill is needed. The pharmacy will then forward a refill request to our office The provider may deny renewal based on the drug type or based on the fact that the patient needs to be seen in the office prior to a renewal. Refills for oral medications will not be authorized for any patient who has not been seen in this office in over 3 months.
HIPAA
According; to the Health Insurance Portability Act of 1996, we adhere to your rights of privacy and agree to NOT release any confidential medical information regarding your treatment to anyone. Only you can grant access to your chart.
Arbitration
Our goal is to provide medical care to our patients in a way that will avoid disputes. We know that most problems occur as a result of miscommunication. So, if you have concerns about your medical care, please discuss them with us. Please read the contract entitled Physician-Patient Arbitration Agreement. You may read it by clicking on this link. When you are in our office we will need you to sign this contract. By signing the contract, we are agreeing that any dispute arising out of the medical services you receive will be resolved in binding arbitration before an arbitration panel instead of by a lawsuit in a court of law. Arbitration agreements between health care providers and their patients have long been recognized and approved by the California courts. We believe that the method of resolving disputes in arbitration spares the parties some of the rigors of a court trial and the publicity which may accompany judicial proceedings.
