You may not know this but many of the tasks I provide are not covered by your insurance. Phone calls and emails along with many other duties are considered non-covered benefits. Many providers have chosen to have a yearly non-covered benefits fee of between $100 to $300 per patient, and others have chosen to charge fees for certain services; for now, I fall into the latter category and will post fees for extra work on my website in the next few months.
If any of the next 3 items are completed during an office visit, the fee will be waived, otherwise the fee is $30.
- Referral letters and insurance pre-authorization for specialists visits
- Letters for school, work, jury duty, etc.
- Form completion, including medication pre-authorization, FMLA / short-term disability, DOT physical, sports physical, etc.
I will offer the following services on a fee-for-service basis:
- Virtual visits -- if any email request will take longer than 10 minutes or require a treatment plan / prescription, you will be sent a virtual visit form ($30)
- Phone consult -- this is if you want to speak to me on the phone for medical advice that normally would be discussed at a proper visit ($30 per 15 minutes)
- After-hours phone calls (anytime other than 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday) -- calling after hours for medical advice and treatment, and keeping you out of Urgent Care or the ER ($40)
So why, you might ask, am I doing this? I know it is hard to believe but there are patients who consistently use the "free" services and don't come in for a visit, and that is not in my business plan. I do always reserve the right to waive the charge, but I just want the policy out there if I need to use it. Would love feedback from all of you! -- Kristina
