Do you payment plans?
Yes, payment plans are offered for established patients. Contact our Billing Department (703) 280-2841 Option 6 to set up a monthly payment plan: A credit card will need to be provided to set up the payment plan. Currently our payment plans are interest free.
Why am I being charged a finance fee? How can I avoid the finance fee?
A 5% finance charge will be applied to your account 28 days after the statement date. To avoid finance fees, payment must be made within the first 28 days of the statement. If you are unable to pay the full balance within those 28 days please contact our office to set up a payment plan. Once your account is on a monthly credit card auto-pay payment plan your account will not be subject to finance fees.
I’m on a payment plan why am I still receiving a monthly statement?
Once you are on a monthly payment plan you will still receive a statement from the practice each month. The statements in the system don’t reflect the agreed upon monthly amount due. As long as you see your prior payments being reflected and the statement balance going down you and disregard the mailed statements.
Please note that even though you’re on a payment plan your account is still going to age. Our statements have automatic messages that pull with each aging category. As long as you have been making your monthly payments each month you can disregard any notice listed on the bottom of your aged statement.
If there is an issue with processing your credit card, our office will reach out to you by phone or email. To avoid finance charges, please make respond to our calls ASAP.
I paid my copay when I was in your office but I don’t see my payment on the statement?
Our statements are “remaining balance” statements. Meaning that if you made a payment that completely satisfied a charge or one line of a charge, the payment posted to the charge (that now has a zero balance) will not show on the statement. It has no “remaining balance”. The patient statements will only show a remaining patient balance due.
How do I get a receipt for my Flex spending account?
Contact our Billing Department (703) 280-2841 Option 6: Once we receive the request for your account payment history. Please allow 5 business days to receive the information in the mail to the home address we have on file.
How do I receive an estimate for an initial office visit if I am considered Self-Pay (no insurance)?
Initial office visit self-pay rate can range anywhere from $75-$500. We collect $100.00 prior to being seen on the first visit and $50.00 prior to being seen for established patients. Payment is expected on the day of service BEFORE being seen. If you know in advance you will not be able to pay for services on the date of the visit, payment arrangements need to be made when scheduling your appointment or 2 days prior to the appointment.
What is an Explanation of Benefits?
For every claim submitted to an insurance carrier, the patient will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from their insurance carrier. How you receive the EOB depends on if you selected to have them come electronically or have them mailed. If you selected to have them mailed, you can still access them on your insurance company website. You will need to create a login in order to see them. If you selected to receive them electronically, normally you will receive an email from your insurance carrier stating they processed a claim and the information can be reviewed on your insurance website account. We STRONGLY recommend you review all EOB’s and cross reference the patient balance portion with your bill and any amounts already paid. This is good practice for ALL medical claims to ensure your insurance company is processing claims correctly per your policy.
I received an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) stating that my ASC Pathology claims were processed as out-of-network?
If you received an explanation of benefits in regards to your pathology stating your claim has been processed as out-of-network please contact AmeriPath at (888) 588-3280.
I came in for an office visit: My EOB stated I received “surgery” but I did not have surgery yet?
Our office may use an anoscope during a physical examination of the anus. By definition, an anoscopy is an examination using a small, rigid, tubular instrument called an anoscope (also called an anal speculum). This is inserted a few inches into the anus in order to evaluate problems of the anal canal. Anoscopy is used to diagnose hemorrhoids, anal fissures (tears in the lining of the anus), and some cancers. These are billed as a separate code from your office evaluation and management visit charge. There’s one charge for your office visit and one charge for your anoscopy. Insurance carriers consider an anoscopy as “surgical care” and process the anoscopy procedure under surgical benefits which often hold a deductible amount. This deductible amount due is in addition and separate from the co-pay amount due on your evaluation and management charge.
My policy doesn’t have a deductible, why am I receiving a bill?
Please review your insurance EOB for the claim in question. Make sure your statement and EOB patient balances match. If they don’t match please contact our office so we can review your account. If you don’t feel your policy carries a deductible or this is an incorrect insurance/copay amount, please contact your insurance company. If the insurance company made a mistake and are going to reprocess your claim for additional payment, contact our office so we can notate your account.
Is a referral required by my insurance company from my Primary Care Provider (PCP)?
Our providers are considered “specialists”. If you have an HMO insurance policy that requires a referral from your PCP, then YES you need to obtain a referral. You must contact your PCP to have them submit a referral request to your insurance company. The approved referral needs to be sent to our office PRIOR to your visit. The referral can be faxed to (703) 712-8304. If we don’t have a valid referral within 24 hours of your visit, your appointment will be cancelled. Once we have the required referral information, the appointment can then be rescheduled.
I don’t have the required referral but want to be seen anyways, can I been seen without the referral?
If you come into your appointment without the required referral and still want to be seen, you will be asked to sign a “no referral” waiver and you will be required to pay out-of-pocket for your appointment on the day of your appointment.
Please note we don’t recommend being seen without the valid insurance referral. If you’re seen in our office without a valid referral and need a surgery, not having the insurance referral for your office visit makes it difficult to obtain a referral or authorization for your surgery. Your surgery could get delayed or in some cases not approved.
When do I get estimated fees for an upcoming surgery?
Once your surgery is scheduled, you will receive an estimated patient balance due 2 weeks prior to your surgery. Doing the benefits within 2 weeks of your procedure ensures we obtain to most up-to-date benefit information on your policy. Please note this is an estimate of payment, not a guarantee.
The estimate I receive for my surgery doesn’t match what I’m now being billed, why?
There can be multiple reasons why your estimate is different. The procedure performed was different than the one estimated.An additional procedure(s) was performed. Your deductible amounts changed.Review your insurance explanation of benefits and contact our office if you have questions.
Why are there 2 claims on file by your practice for the same code?
If your procedure was done in our ASC, we submit a claim for the provider (the professional fee) and a claim for the facility (the facility fee). The claims are different but are for the same procedure.
How do I request a refund?
Contact our Billing Department (703) 280-2841 Option 6: Once we verify a refund is due, if you paid with a credit card we can refund your credit card. Standard credit card refunds range between 2-7 days depending on the bank. We can also issue a refund check, but these take between 2-3 weeks for the refund check to be processed and mailed.
Do you accept the hospital charity?
No, we are not affiliated with the hospital. If the hospital approved you for charity, it does not mean you are automatically approved by our office for charity.