My practice runs by appointment. The advantages of this are:
1. I don’t run late
2. My clients get the full benefit of their time with me, either 25 minutes or 50 minutes depending on the duration of the appointment.
Missed appointments
Regarding missing an appointment, please note that I reserve a particular time for a particular person. So, if the person doesn’t come, I have to charge the full fee for that time slot anyway. I hope you will understand.
Canceling an appointment
I reserve a particular time for a particular person, I request at least 48 hours notice for cancellations. Otherwise, I have to charge the full fee for that time slot. I hope you will understand.
Prior authorizations
You may think that obtaining a prior authorization for a medication, if needed, from your health insurance requires just a quick phone call. Nothing could be further from the truth! Typically, it requires a long wait on the phone, then answering a lot of questions about the doctor and the patient that should be unnecessary, then transfer to someone else, then having to fill out a form. After one or two days, they will then fax their decision to us. Frequently, they will ask for “additional information” or deny the medication on some technicality. This then requires a repeat phone call. Because of all this, I have hired a person who deals with the insurance companies for me. As a result, we have to charge a small fee of $50 for working on obtaining a prior authorization.
Important! Please note that I charge based on my time. So, if any additional time is needed for reviewing records, filling out forms, contacting other doctors, and so on, I have to charge for that time as well at the rate of $150 per 15 minutes.