We do everything we can to hold down the cost of medical care. You can help in this regard by eliminating the need for us to bill you. The following is a summary of our payment policy.
All payment is expected AT THE TIME OF SERVICE unless other prior arrangements are made with Dr. Morra.
This includes payment of applicable coinsurance and copayments for participating insurance companies. RFTS accepts cash, personal check (Illinois or Missouri addresses only), VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or debit cards.
Patients with an outstanding balance of ninety (90) days overdue must make arrangements for payment prior to scheduling appointments. If there is a significant financial hardship, you are encouraged to discuss it with Dr. Morra.
We bill insurance companies electronically as a courtesy to you. You are expected to pay your copayment(s) and/or deductible at the time of service. If we have not received payment from your insurance company within 60 days of the date of service, you will be expected to pay the balance in full. You are responsible for all charges. We may bill secondary insurance companies, but you may submit our charges to these companies if you choose. We DO NOT bill Medicaid as a secondary insurance - when an insurance company covers partial charges and/or refuses to cover a copay, Medicaid does not pick up many of those charges, so the office goes completely unpaid for some visits - this is inappropriate in our opinion, so we have the policy of NOT billing Medicaid if it is not a primary source of payment.
Your time of service receipt includes all information necessary for submitting claims to your insurance company.
We realize that there may be times when hardship may cause a concern about the payment of fees. Feel free, personally and privately, to discuss these concerns with Dr. Morra; he will understand. Any suitable arrangement will be considered. Written acknowledgement of such an arrangement will be required to include in the chart.
If you have questions or need any assistance with billing questions, please call the office during regular business hours.
Overpayments will be refunded upon written request to the responsible party within 30 days.
FEES
Fees for other services provided by our staff-
PAST DUE ACCOUNT - First statement is, of course, no extra charge, but then $5.00 is added for the second statement, $10.00 for the third statement, and $15 for the fourth statement. A collection process is begun after the fourth statement.
PHYSICAL FORM (WITH VISIT) - No Charge
PHYSICAL FORM (OTHER TIME) - $20
SPORTS OR CAMP FORM (WITH VISIT) - No Charge
SPORTS OR CAMP FORM (OTHER TIME) - $20
PRESCRIPTION REFILL (WITH OFFICE VISIT OR >24 HR NOTICE) - No Charge
PRESCRIPTION REFILL (<24 HR NOTICE or SAME DAY) - $5 per prescription
MISSED APPOINTMENT (NO CALL/NO SHOW) - $25
NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS (NSF), future payments by cash or credit card - $35
RETURNED ("BOUNCED") CHECK (AND BAD DEBIT PAYMENTS) - $25
Full payment of any balance due is required before medical records can be transferred to another medical office. Medical records will be transferred from our medical office to another medical office with no charge. Medical records transferred to an individual will be subject to charges as per state law.
As mentioned previously, there are additional charges for after-hours, Sunday, holiday, and emergency visits. There may also be charges for office triage calls, after-hours triage calls, and medical advice via e-mail. These charges are in addition to the usual charges for service and unfortunately, these are necessary due to the rising costs of health care.
Please note also that "quick looks" in a patient's sibling's ears or throat will often be counted as an additional office visit, and a copayment for that sibling will have to be paid.
Thank you for taking the time to read and understand our general and financial policies.
Dr. Morra is committed to providing the best medical care for your children. His fees are usual and customary for our area, and he believes that they are fair and reasonable. Unfortunately, some insurance companies cut back on expenses by discounting the usual and customary fees paid to us without any explanation to you or Dr. Morra. This is a cost-cutting measure for them, and not a direct implication that Dr. Morra's fees are unfairly high.
