Office Policies

 

Insurance and Payment Policies

 

PAYMENT AT TIME OF SERVICE
Payment for SkinMed Institute's services is due at the time of the patient visit. This includes co-pay, co-insurance, non-covered services, and payment to meet the patient's insurance deductible.

INSURANCE
The patient will be asked to present their insurance card and ID to SkinMed Institute's team member for copying upon check-in at the office each time they are seen for medical services. This information will only be shared with SkinMed Institute's billing department to assist with filing the patient's insurance claim. The patient must make sure to bring their insurance card each time that they visit our office.

  • The patient’s health insurance is a contract between them and their insurance company. Recent shifts in the healthcare industry have resulted in insurance companies increasingly transferring costs to patients.
    It is the patient’s responsibility to know their health plan benefits, including co-payment amounts, deductibles, co-insurance, and lab contracts. It is their responsibility to inform SkinMed Institute if their insurance requires referral authorization, pre-certification or preauthorization of services prior to scheduling of such services. The patient is responsible for any charges not covered by their insurance plan.

  • Referrals: The patient’s insurance plan may require a referral to be completed before seeing a specialist. It is their responsibility to obtain the proper referral in order to be seen for their appointment. If the patient doesn’t have a referral at their appointment time, the appointment may be rescheduled and they could be charged a missed appointment fee of $50.

  • In-Network: For those patients covered by insurance plans with which SkinMed Institute is a participating provider, SkinMed Institute will determine the patient’s copay due at the time of the visit. Co-payments and co-insurance amounts, deductibles, and all non-covered items and charges are the insured/patient’s financial responsibility and are due at the time of service. SkinMed Institute will file the insurance claim to the insurance company.

  • Out of Network: In the event that the patient’s insurance coverage changes to a plan with which SkinMed Institute is not a participating provider, SkinMed Institute will require payment in full at the time of service and will file the patient’s claim to the insurance company as a courtesy. Any charges that are not paid by the patient’s insurance company is their responsibility.

  • Medicare Patients: SkinMed Institute will bill Medicare for the patient. SkinMed Institute must have the patient’s signature on file, and SkinMed Institute will also bill secondary insurance carriers for the patient. All co-payments are due at the time of service. The patient will be responsible for any balance not paid by Medicare and secondary insurance.


SELF-PAY
Self-pay or uninsured patients are responsible for payment at the time of service.

NON-COVERED SERVICE
Cosmetic services cannot be submitted to insurance and payment in full is due at the time of service. Credit card, check or cash will be accepted.

APPOINTMENT CANCELLATION & NO-SHOW POLICY
Each time a patient misses an appointment without providing proper notice, another patient is prevented from receiving care. SkinMed Institute understands that unexpected events and illnesses occur. When this happens, the patient must call SkinMed Institute’s office as soon possible to inform them of such issues. Patients who do not show up for their appointment without a call to cancel at least 24 hours before the appointment time will be considered as NO-SHOW. SkinMed Institute has the right to charge a fee of $50.00 for all missed appointments ("no shows"). "No Show" fees will be billed to the patient. This fee is not covered by insurance and must be paid in full prior to the patient’s next appointment. Surgery & Cosmetic appointments require at least 48 hours notice to be cancelled. If the patient fails to keep their surgery or cosmetic appointment, they will be charged a fee up to $200.00.

SkinMed Institute thanks their patients for their understanding and cooperation as SkinMed Institute strives to best serve the needs of all their patients.


LATE ARRIVAL POLICY
SkinMed Institute’s doctors, nurses, medical assistants and staff aim to make the patient’s visit a pleasurable one. In SkinMed Institute’s efforts to make the patient’s visit more comfortable and to minimize their wait time, SkinMed Institute’s office has implemented a late arrival policy.

If a patient is 15 minutes late or more for an appointment, the appointment may need to be rescheduled. This is to ensure that the patients who arrive on time do not wait longer than necessary to see the provider. The patient may be given the option to wait for another appointment time on the same day if one is available. SkinMed Institute will try to accommodate late-comers the best way possible, but cannot compromise on the quality and timely care provided to their other patients.

New patients need to arrive at the office at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment to complete the paperwork. If a new patient's paperwork in not completed in a timely fashion upon arrival, SkinMed Institute may need to accommodate other patients who arrive on time.

The doctors and staff at SkinMed Institute truly appreciate their patients compliance and understanding with this policy so that SkinMed Institute can continue to provide excellent medical care as well as excellent customer service.


CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION (CREDIT CARD ON FILE) POLICY
As part of SkinMed Institute's Financial Policy , SkinMed Institute requires that the patient keeps a credit/debit/HSA card on file to be used for any unpaid balances. Due to the high number of deductible plans, and higher patient coinsurance benefits, this has become necessary at our organization. The patient must keep in mind that SkinMed Institute will not charge their card if they do not owe anything and SkinMed Institute will refund the patient’s card if an over-collection takes place or credit their account. Circumstances when the patient’s card would be charged include but are not limited to missed co-payments, deductibles and co-insurance, and non-covered services and/or denial of services. If the credit card SkinMed Institute has on file for the patient changes, the patient must notify SkinMed Institute immediately by calling the office at (720) 381-2600.

**Once the patient’s credit card information is entered, it is encrypted with bank level security and cannot be viewed or accessed by SkinMed Institute. **

Click here for Q&A about Credit Card on File

PATHOLOGY/LABORATORY SERVICES
SkinMed Institute uses LabCorp/Dianon for their laboratory work and pathology services. The patient/their insurance will receive an additional bill from the lab service provider LabCorp/Dianon. SkinMed Institute is unable to adjust these charges as they are provided by a separate entity.

PRESCRIPTION POLICY
Refills: The patient must call for refills during regular office hours and leave the patient’s name, date of birth, phone number, medication, and the pharmacy requested. They must allow SkinMed Institute’s office 48 business hours to complete the request.

  • For oral medications, biologics, and some topical medications, the patient needs to be evaluated at minimum every 6 months. SkinMed Institute cannot refill any prescription if the patient has not been evaluated within 12 months.

  • Prior Authorization (PA): Some prescriptions may be delayed due to completing a PRIOR AUTHORIZATION (PA) required by the patient’s insurance company. SkinMed Institute will do their best to submit the patient’s PA within 48 hours. The patient must note, that it can take their insurance company 7-14 business days to process the PA and to notify SkinMed Institute and the patient’s pharmacy of their decision.