Our Patient Policies

Appointments can be made by calling our practice directly. Please bring your current insurance card, referral form if required, a list of any prescriptions currently taking or refills needed and a list of any questions you may have. If you would like to ask us any questions before your appointment, please fill out a Contact Form to help assist you during your visit.

Billing and Financial Policy

If you have insurance, we will file the claim and bill your provider. However, patients are responsible for any required co-payments or outstanding balances. Payments are expected at the time of the visit.

The financial policy set forth is to expect payment for your services at the time your services are rendered. Co-payments and balance dues are expected to be paid at the time of service. We will provide insurance claim filing for the insurance plans that we participate in. If there is a balance due after payment is rendered by the insurance company, we will expect your prompt payment of that balance. We accept all major credit cards and we can put your card on file to alleviate the collection process.

It is the patient’s responsibility to provide us with current insurance plan information prior to services rendered for accurate billing of services to be filed. As a health care provider, our relationship is with our patients and as a team; we will continuously follow up on outstanding claims. At times, we may require the patient’s intervention to assist us and we appreciate the patient working with us in this regard.

To accommodate the needs and requests of our patients and the community, we have enrolled in various managed care plans. While we gladly provide this service to our patients, the patient needs to be familiar with the guidelines of their insurance plan requirements regarding authorizations, deductibles, co-payments and other vital requirements.

Please call the office 24 hours in advance to cancel appointments, failure to do so could result in a fee of $40.00. Failing to do so could inconvenience the medical team and our other patients, therefore delaying our ability to deliver our special quality of care.

If you have an emergency, please call the office number which will be redirected to the answering service after hours. You can expect a call back within 30 minutes. If you cannot wait for a return call or have an emergency, please call 911 or visit the closest hospital emergency room.

For the most part, lab and test results will be discussed at a follow-up appointment. Upon completion of the specific test, further instructions will be given as to how and when the results will be made available.

If you are going to be more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, we request that you call our office. If the schedule allows, the appointment time will simply be shifted to accommodate the delay. However, if the tardiness can’t be handled, we may request you reschedule your appointment. We work diligently to stay on schedule and suggest that you arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your appointment time to allow time for any necessary paperwork.

First and foremost, if you received your prescription from the MCSO pharmacy, please contact your physician office directly.  If you have a prescription that was filled by a local pharmacy, please contact the local pharmacy for a refill request.

Please call the office at least three (3) days before the appointment to give us the information needed to complete the referral. That information includes your name, the physician you are being referred to, his/her phone and fax numbers, the date of the appointment, the diagnosis for the referral, your insurance, whether it is for a visit or a specific procedure (such as surgery) and where it is going to be performed (office or hospital). We do not mail referrals to specialists. Please familiarize yourself with your insurance plan, and determine if it requires you to take a referral with you.

PLEASE NOTE:

Due to insurance restrictions MCSO physicians are required to have a current referral on file at the time of your appointment. If a referral is not received by the time of your appointment we will have to reschedule your office visit.