Patient and Financial Policies

FINANCIAL POLICY

We accept cash, checks, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. Payments can be made online through our website. If you have a previous outstanding balance on your account, please plan to pay it before your next visit or at your next visit. For patients without insurance coverage, payment is due at the time of service.

INSURANCE INFORMATION

CO-PAYS, CO-INSURANCE AND DEDUCTIBLES
Many insurance plans require us to collect a co-pay at the time of your visit. Your insurance card may note if your plan requires a co-pay, or it may not. Please familiarize yourself with your co-pay requirements, and be ready to pay your co-pay upon arrival at our office. Additionally, many insurance plans also require co-insurance. Co-insurance is often referred to as a percentage. An example of this could be an 80/20 plan where your insurance pays 80% and you pay the remaining 20%. Finally, many insurance plans require deductibles. A deductible is a set dollar amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurance begins to pay for any health care cost. If you do not know your co-pay, co-insurance, or deductible status, check with your insurance company before your visit. Co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles vary and are specific to your particular health plan. These levels are set by your employer in combination with your health plan. Your doctor’s office has no involvement with these decisions. If you have questions about insurance, call your health plan using the number on the back of your insurance card. They can help you understand what is or is not covered by your insurance.

INSURANCE PLAN PARTICIPATION
Center for Dermatology participates in most major medical healthcare plans. Insurance plans vary in the amount of coverage and medical services provided. Please check your individual policy to confirm that Center for Dermatology is within your network and your medical services will be covered. We are currently participating with these insurers:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Health Partners
• Medicare
• Medica/Select Care
• Preferred One
• Cigna
• Aetna
• United Health Care
• Tricare
• Ucare
• Humana
• America’s PPO
• Fairview Physician Associates (FPA)

Not all providers participate with every plan. Our physician assistants do not participate with Medicaid or Humana. We will do our best to match you up with a provider that accepts your insurance.

Some insurance companies have created insurance plans with restricted networks in an effort to reduce the cost of monthly premiums. Even though Center for Dermatology participates with the health plan, and all available networks, there are some of these proprietary networks the insurance companies do not allow independent clinics and providers to participate in. If you are concerned that your health coverage falls into this category, please contact your insurance company using the phone number on the back of your insurance card to verify your specific in-network and out-of-network providers and benefits.

Please present your insurance card at your visit. If proof of active insurance is not given, you may be asked to pay for services up front until proof of insurance is provided. Insurance companies require claims to be filed within a certain amount of time after service. If we cannot file a claim because we have not received your proof of insurance, you will be responsible for the full payment. Please inform us of any changes to your billing or insurance information. If an insurance company denies payment for incomplete or wrong information, you will be responsible for the full payment. If your insurance company requires a referral form or authorization, you must obtain this from your primary care provider or insurance company prior to your visit. We may require your assistance if we are trying to resolve non-payment issues with your insurance provider. You are responsible for any portion of a bill that is denied or is not covered by your insurance provider, or if your insurer does not pay within a reasonable period. Patient account balances are due within 30 days of receipt of the billing statement.

MEDICAL RECORDS
If you would like to have your medical records transferred to Center for Dermatology from another facility, please use the Medical Record Release form available here on our website to obtain records from another provider. If you would like us to send a copy of your medical records to yourself or another facility, we will need a completed Medical Records Release form as well. Turn-around time for medical records is 7 business days.

PRESCRIPTION REFILLS
For prescription refills, please contact your pharmacy to check if you have additional refills remaining. The pharmacy will then fax a request to Center for Dermatology. We require 48 business hours to process all refill requests. Your prescription will be refilled if the proper medical criteria has been met – if not, you will need to make an appointment. An appointment is required to obtain a new prescription. If a prescription needs prior authorization from your insurance company it will be handled in a timely manner. Insurance providers vary in the time it takes to process prior authorizations. Please see the prescription medication information sheet available on our website for additional information about prescription medication.

COLLECTIONS
Call our office if you have trouble making payments on your account. If possible, we will work with you to create a payment plan. For accounts with an outstanding balance over 90 days past due that have failed to make payment arrangements, services charges will be added to your balance due and you will be turned over to a collections agency. At that time, you will be terminated from the practice and patient services from Center for Dermatology will no longer be available after an account is turned over to collections.