Office Policies

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The more you know, the more we can be of service.

To enhance communication we would like to review our policies and procedures. The information included here is designed to answer frequently asked questions. The more you know, the more we can be of service. We encourage you to ask questions.

Immunization Policy

Immunizations are one of the most important ways parents can protect their children against serious infectious diseases. Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to these diseases. While there are small risks associated with every immunization, children are far more likely to be harmed by the disease than by the immunization.

The doctors at Stamford Pediatric Associates strongly believe in immunizations. We never want to experience a child dying or becoming permanently disabled from a vaccine preventable disease. Stamford Pediatrics strongly recommends following the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control. In support of this belief, the doctors have come to a decision that parents who disagree with these guidelines need to find care elsewhere.

For further information, you can go to the following websites:

www.cdc.gov (Center for Disease Control)
www.aap.org (American Academy of Pediatrics)
www.fda.gov (Food and Drug Administration)

Fees & Payments

The goal of Stamford Pediatric Associates is to provide high quality medical care to our patients. The following information is provided to avoid any misunderstanding or disagreement concerning payment for professional services.

If we do not participate with your insurance carrier, payment in full is expected at the time of your visit. You will receive a detailed bill to submit to your insurance company. Copays are due at each visit. Please remember that insurance is considered a method of reimbursing the patient for fees paid to the doctor and is not a substitute for payment. It is the parents’ responsibility to be knowledgeable about their insurance coverage and limitations.

The following services are not charged to your insurance company and are your responsibility.

Charge Fee – A charge fee is an administrative fee of $10 charged to your account when your copay is not paid on the date of visit.

Missed Fee – A missed fee is charged if a physical exam appointment is missed and not canceled within 24 hours. Your account will be charged $50 per child, per occurrence. Effective April 1, 2015, the fee will be increased to $75 per child, per occurrence.

Form Fee – Form Fee – Effective January 1, 2020 we will be updating our form procedure.  You will still be entitled to one school/camp/daycare form per child per calendar year.  Additional forms will require a $10.00 fee payable when the form is given to us or asked for over the phone.  Forms will NOT be completed unless payment has been made.

Our office requires 3 – 5 business days for forms to be completed from October through April.  During heavy form season (May – September) the turnaround time required for forms to be completed is 7 – 10 business days.  

Our office staff spends a lot of time completing forms that never get picked up or that parents decide they don’t need.  Please be sure to make several copies of the original form when it’s completed.  This way if you should need it again throughout the year you can use the copy.  We DO NOT keep copies of the forms we complete.

Urgent Form Fee - Occasionally, we have forms dropped off which the parent wants to have completed immediately. Due to the high volume of forms we receive, it is difficult to accommodate these requests. If you need a form completed in less than 48 hours (whether or not it’s the first form) the fee to expedite your request will be $50 per form (eff. 6/15/2019).

PAL Calls – Each time you use Pediatric Advice Line, a $25 charge will be added to your account and will appear on your monthly statement.

Returned checks will be charged a $30 fee.

Our practice firmly believes that a good doctor/patient relationship is based upon understanding and open communication. Our staff has been instructed to make every effort to clarify any concerns you may have about your account. We realize families experience financial difficulties at times. Parents may make special arrangements with the Business Office for partial payments of larger medical bills. If you have any questions concerning our policy or need assistance, please contact us. We are here to help you.

Payment for service is due at the time services are rendered unless payment arrangements have been approved in advance by our Business Manager. We accept cash, checks, debit cards, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, or American Express.

If you have medical insurance, you must realize that:

  1. Your insurance is a contract between you, your employer and the insurance company. We are not a party to the contract.
  2. Not all services are a covered benefit in all contracts. Some insurance companies arbitrarily select certain services they will not cover. You are responsible for knowing what is and is not covered under your insurance plan.
  3. It is your responsibility to pay for deductibles, co-insurance, copays, lapse in coverage, and any other balance not paid by your insurance company.
  4. We do not submit to secondary insurance.
  5. We would like to remind everyone whose insurance plan requires selection of a Primary Care Physician (PCP) to please select your physician. If one of the physicians of Stamford Pediatrics is not chosen as your PCP, your insurance plan may deny claims or process claims as out of network, making you financially responsible.
  6. You need to supply your insurance carrier with any information they request. Claims are held from processing while your insurance carrier waits to hear from you.
  7. You must add your newborn to your insurance policy within the 30-day period required by most insurance carriers. If the child is not added within that timeframe, you may have to wait for open enrollment, thereby leaving your child uninsured until that time.

 

Prescriptions for OTC Medications Policy

In 2010 the FSA rules changed to require that over the counter medications require a prescription in order to be reimbursed from an FSA account.

As a reminder, our office policy does not allow providers to write prescriptions for over the counter medications. This policy was enacted due to the undue burden of writing multiple prescriptions for our patients. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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