What You Need to Know for Your First Visit

 

• For those patients on medications, please make a complete list of all medications that you are currently taking, and have recently taken. 

 

• Please clearly communicate with your physician about your medication experiences and needs. 

 

• Please bring a current picture identification card.

 

• Please bring your current health insurance information with you at each visit to ensure that we maintain your correct information on file. This allows us to submit your insurance claim to your insurance carrier in a timely manner.

 

•  It is very important that you please evaluate your medication supply before your office visits and try to correlate all refills with your scheduled appointments.

 

• If you have been treated by a physician or hospital for the reason you are visiting us (example: allergies, asthma, hives, anaphylaxis), then you may want to request copies of pertinent medical records in advance of your appointment. You may either have them give the records to you directly, or they can fax them to us.

 

 

 

 

 

Understanding Health Insurance Terminology

 

• Copay:  A co-pay is a set dollar amount that the patient is responsible for paying for medical services.

 

• Deductible:  A deductible is specified amount of money that the insured (patient) must pay before an insurance company will pay a claim.

 

• Co-insurance:  Co-insurance means that the insured pays a share of the payment made against a claim. For example, 20% of the allowed amount would be a co-insurance.

 

• Explanation of Benefits (EOB):   An Explanation of Benefits, (commonly referred to as an EOB) is a statement sent by a health insurance company to covered individuals explaining what medical treatments and/or services were paid for on their behalf and also explaining the amount that the insured is responsible for paying. It is not a bill it is just an explanation of payment.

   

• Allowable contract rate:  The allowable contract rate is the amount that the provider is actually paid for services billed. There is usually a discount applied depending on the contract that the provider has with the insurance company.