General Insurance Information

In the “new age” of managed care, knowing how and when to contact your insurer seems almost more important than knowing how to contact your physicians.

Know Your HMO

A doctor’s participation status may change at any time without notice, and insurers’ rules change frequently without notice. Therefore it is critically important that you:

• Check with your insurance carrier for updated provider participation information.
• Know and follow the “fine print” in your contract. Please be certain you have read and fully understand all of the material your insurer has supplied you.
• Let us know your HMO or insurance status at the time of your visit. This is because each HMO or insurance coverage has different rules about which doctors you can be referred to, which laboratories or x-ray services we can use, which tests we can do in the office, and which services are covered. Not knowing often leads to problems and upset for both you and us.

Insurance Cards & Co-Pays

The following are health plan requirements and regulations that we must legally follow:

• Your current, valid health plan identification card must be presented at the time of each and every visit. Your card serves as your “credit card” for medical services in our office.
• A co-pay generally is required for each and every patient's encounter, no matter how brief the encounter.
• Co-pays must be paid at the time of the visit. When a family insists that their co-pay be billed, a (non insurance covered) billing fee (currently $10.00) must be added to the account.