NPR Talk of the Nation -- About Nurse Practitioners

This is a long interview but very positive for nurse practitioners, especially those in solo practice.

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/131361359/role-of-nurses-in-primary-care-may-expand

Lisa had the baby!

Kelton was born on September 28 -- mom and baby are doing great and Lisa says hubby Chad is ready to do some father-son bonding and she is ready to work Fridays and Saturdays in December. Here is a little more information about your new nurse practitioner (from the website):

"Lisa Garcia graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science from Brigham Young University. She began a Master’s degree in Pathology at Indiana University before deciding that while she loved the things she learned working in a medical laboratory, she wanted something more. She was thrilled when she learned about Nurse Practitioners and their unique role in healthcare, and immediately began a Family Nurse Practitioner program at Seattle University. Lisa enjoys the opportunity to teach her patients and enable them to improve their health. Lisa is excited to join Kristina at Village Family Clinic. She interned with Kristina during her time as a student, and enjoys the warm and caring environment that Kristina has created. She likes the opportunity to spend time with each patient, focusing on health and wellness. She also appreciates the kindness and welcome that Kristina’s patients showed her during her internship!

Lisa and her husband Chad have lived in the Seattle area for 3 years, and love the green trees, mountains, and variety of community activities. They have one son, Kelton. In her free time, Lisa enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and scrapbooking."

Fall at VFC

New Hours and New Provider!

This fall brings about some wonderful changes for the clinic starting with the addition of Lisa Garcia, ARNP. Many of you met Lisa while she did her internship for Seattle University’s nurse practitioner program. Well, she has now graduated and passed her boards, but she still has one more thing to do – have a baby! After she becomes a mommy, she will work Fridays and Saturdays, hopefully by the beginning of December. This means that the clinic hours are changing to:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday – 9am to 5pm
Wednesday and Saturday – 9am to 1pm

Flu vaccine Saturdays – October 16 and November 6
The schedules are open on AppointmentQuest for children and adults. The schedules are separate because I will give the kid vaccines, and Prevention MD will provide the adult vaccines. I will charge insurances for the kid vaccines, and just like at the pharmacies and grocery stores, Prevention MD will charge $25-30 at the time of service for the adult vaccine (with a RN administering the shots). Sign up now so there will be vaccines available for everyone.

Policy Alert
Now that Michele and I have figured out the billing (as much as possible), I wanted to focus on two policies that will effect most of you.
COPAYS -- For those of you who have a copay, we are required by contract with the insurance companies to collect the copay before submitting the remainder of the bill to the insurance company. When we do not collect your copay at the time of service, we must bill the remainder after the insurance reimbursement. Honestly, it is a book-keeping hassle, and one for which we will charge a $10 administrative fee. Now I recognize that life happens and you forget your wallet or your teenager comes in without you, so our solution is sending a PayPal bill immediately after the visit. If you pay the copay within 48 hours, you will not be charged the $10 administrative fee.
DEDUCTIBLES -- For those of you who have deductibles with your insurance, I want to offer a 25% discount off the charge if you pay at the time of service. Often this will save you about $5-10, and depending on how much you come in, that may add up quickly. By law I must charge the same amount to individuals and insurance companies, but if any of those can pay on the same day, they will get the discount (no way will an insurance company pay me same day). Examples would be – if the charge for a 15 minute appointment is $100, same day payment is $75; if the charge for a 30 minute appointment is $150, same day payment is $112.50. We will still submit it to your insurance company so your get credit for the deductible. This hopefully will save you some money and it helps the clinic’s cash flow when the deductibles reset in January.

And to all of my great patients -- HAPPY AUTUMN!