About Your First Visit
On your initial visit to our office, please be prepared to give us a brief health-related history as well as a list of your medications and allergies. It is very important for us to know as much about your health as possible. All insurance information should also be presented at this time.
It is our policy to follow all federal and state laws and reporting requirements regarding identity theft. Please be informed that it is a requirement that you bring a photo ID used by a local, state or government agency (valid driver’s license, permanent resident/green card, passport, employee or student ID card, or a current utility bill) to your appointment.
If another provider has sent you to our office, be sure to inform the receptionist or the appropriate medical assistant so that a letter regarding our evaluation of your medical condition can be mailed to the referring physician.
About Office Hours & Appointments
Hours at our main office are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, although all providers do not see patients every
day. Our office is closed during the customary legal holidays.
Office hours are by appointment only. If you are unable to keep your appointment, kindly give 48 hours notice to avoid a missed-appointment charge. This allows us the opportunity to offer an appointment to another patient.
While waiting in the reception area, it may appear that some patients are being seen out of turn. Each provider has their own schedule which varies due to the variety of services scheduled.
We realize your time is valuable, and we will make every effort to see you at your scheduled appointment time. However, sometimes unforeseen problems can arise and you may have to wait longer than you expected. The fact is our practice is dedicated to giving our patients the utmost in care and service. Be assured that we will give you the same careful attention as soon as we can. So please excuse any delays.
About Telephone Calls
Our staff has been trained to handle many of your questions and concerns, but any questions our staff can’t answer are always referred to the provider. So when you call, please explain your message in detail to the receptionist, and we’ll return your call as soon as possible. If you are leaving a message in our voice mail system, please follow the instructions carefully and remember to leave your full name and telephone number.
Should an emergency occur outside our regular office hours, your call will be routed to our answering service who will contact the doctor on call.
About Prescription Refills
It is important that you call our office at least five days before you need your refill, so you will not be without necessary medications. No prescriptions will be refilled on Saturdays unless acutely urgent. During regular office hours, our staff can renew certain prescriptions with your provider’s approval. Should you require the renewal of a prescription and we have not examined you in the last 4-6 months, the receptionist or medical assistant may ask you to make a follow-up appointment, depending on your condition. New medications are being discovered all the time, and we want to be sure that you are using the best and most effective therapy available. This especially pertains to chronic medical problems such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
PLEASE NOTE:
If you have not been professionally examined in our offices within one year, no prescriptions will be renewed without a return appointment.
About Fees & Payments
Fees for each patient may vary according to the levels and types of services provided. There is an extra charge for injections, microscopic examinations and cultures. If you do not fully understand any of our fees or if they represent a hardship, please feel free to discuss the matter with our billing department.
All co-payments are due at the time of service.
For your convenience, we accept personal checks, Visa®, MasterCard®, Discover®, and cash.
Our office will file a claim with your insurance company promptly, provided you have given us all the pertinent information regarding your insurance. Of course, insurance coverage varies widely, and we cannot guarantee what services will or will not be covered by your particular plan. You are ultimately responsible for your medical expenses. You are also responsible for informing our office if your insurance coverage has changed since your last visit.
About Insurance Plans
Our office participates with various insurance plans. If you are covered by an HMO or other managed care insurance, prior authorization or referral may be necessary before you see a specialist. Please present your authorization/referral form to our office either before or at the time of your appointment. If you obtain a referral for a specific condition, the dermatologist is only authorized to treat you for that condition. If you develop a different problem, you must then obtain a new referral.
Please remember that you are responsible for obtaining all necessary referrals. If you come to our office without the proper referral, we will ask you to sign a waiver stating that you are responsible for the bill, in which case payment will be expected at the time of service.
If we do not participate in your insurance plan, payment will be collected at the time of service, and we will submit a claim to your insurance plan as a courtesy to you.
For our patients who do not carry medical insurance, we ask that you provide full payment at the time services are rendered. This may be done by personal check, credit card or cash. All elective cosmetic procedures require a deposit when scheduled with the balance payable at the time of service.
About Medicare
As participating providers, we accept assignment of benefits from Medicare, and our office will file your claim directly. Also, please provide us with all supplemental insurance information at the time of your initial visit.
About Pathology & Lab Results
When any surgery is performed, a specimen is sent to a certified laboratory to be analyzed. This results in a separate charge from other services incurred in our office. Any insurance information or questions you may have regarding charges or payments should be discussed with the laboratory.
In order for you to receive the best care possible, your provider may feel it necessary to have a specimen reviewed by a dermatopathologist. If your insurance company does not allow this, we will ask you to sign a form stating that you will be responsible for the charges incurred.
Generally, pathology and laboratory results are not available until seven days after the test has been performed, at which time your provider will review the results. You may call our office at any time after this to learn these results.
About Confidentiality
It is our policy that no person under the age of eighteen will be professionally seen in our office without a parent in attendance. Please make sure to send insurance information and co-payments along with those young adults over the age of eighteen who are still covered by a parent’s medical insurance.