Thank you for choosing Orange County SkinLab, as a healthcare provider. We are committed to your treatment being a successful experience. Our Medical and office staff will work very hard to make sure that your paperwork is filed accurately and promptly. Because most of the data we have comes from you, please help us maintain accurate records by letting us know whenever important data changes (your address, telephone number, any changes to your name, your medical insurance, etc when paying for services, supplies, etc. We are able to accept all major credit cards, checks and cash.
Insurance and Insurance Collection
We will attempt to bill whichever insurance you have advised us of as a courtesy. Please understand that insurance reimbursement can be a long and difficult process for medical providers AND patients. There are instances when insurers will stall,deny, pend, spend weeks and months reviewing claims, and then reduce or deny any reimbursement officered. Our billing company has undergone extensive training to maximize your insurance reimbursement while reducing the time in which they
Non-Contracted indemnity insurance plans/No insurance card
If you are unable to present an insurance card at the time of service, or if you are covered by an insurance company with which we are not contracted, we require that you pay for services in advance. If we are able to collect from your insurance company after you have fully paid your account, we will issue you a refund. We will attempt to bill your insurance company using the information you have supplied to us as a courtesy. Our office, as a convenience and a service to you, will absorb all costs incurred for this billing. Please note that not all insurers agree to contract with us. In the event that your insurance does not reimburse us within ninety (90) days, we will transfer this balance to you as your responsibility and send you a statement. We are NOT Medi-Cal providers, and do not accept Medi-Cal. We do not accept any other State's Medicaid programs. At the current time, we are not within the network for Covered California or Affordable Care Act coverage.
Know Your Plan Benefits - Non Covered Services are Your Responsibility
Each and every insurance company and plan, including Medicare, has different plans, each with different benefits. Because your health insurance is an arrangement between you and your insurer, you should understand what services are covered under your specific plan. Your insurer can assist you with any questions you have relative to your own benefits with them. Co-payments are due at the time of service. You should ask your insurer what the amount is and have it ready at the time of your visit. We may decline to see patients for non-emergent visits if co-payments and/or balances are not paid at the time of the visit. Orange County SkinLab may provide services that may not be covered as a benefit of your specific plan with your insurer. Patients or Guarantors are financially responsible for any and all services provided that may not be covered by your insurance plan. While we do our due diligence to check network status with your plan, all patients must check with their insurer to verify if we are in network. It is your responsibility to know and understand your specific insurance plan, what benefits are provided, and if we are "in-network" with your plan. Some procedures you may undergo will involve removing tissue. The charges for this process are known as Laboratory/Pathology charges and will appear on your bill if performed. The physician who looks at the slide and provides her opinion based on those slides is known as the Dermatopathologist (Dr. Hure). There is a charge for her professional opinion, which is independent of the charge for preparing the actual slide or taking the biopsy.
PPO Plans
As a contracted provider, Orange County SkinLab has agreed to accept a discounted rate from your plan for covered services, however all co-payments, co-insurance and/or deductibles are your responsibility and will be collected on the day of service.
Medicare
As a participating provider, we will bill your Medicare carrier. You are responsible for your annual deductible and 20% of the co-insurance portion. We must collect this. We will be happy to bill any secondary (or Tertiary) insurance you may have once we have been informed that you have such coverage in effect. If any balance remains once Medicare and these insurers have processed our claims, we will transfer responsibility for payment to you, and send you a statement.
Important reminder for Medicare enrollees: If you qualified for Medicare coverage and decided to enroll in a managed Medicare+Choice/Medicare Advantage plan (e.g. MemorialCare, Monarch, Aetna Advantage, Blue Cross Senior Secure, SCAN, etc.) you are not eligible to be seen at Orange County SkinLab unless you choose to be a cash patient.
Secondary Insurers
Having more than one insurance does NOT necessarily mean that your services are covered 100%. Depending on your plan's benefits, the secondary insurers will pay as a function of what your primary insurer pays. We will bill your secondary insurer as a courtesy. You are responsible for any balances after your insurers have processed our claims.
Divorce Decrees
Orange County SkinLab is NOT a party to any divorce decree. Adult patients are responsible for their bill at the time of service. The responsibility for minors rests with the accompanying adult.
Minor Patients
The adult accompanying a minor and the parents (guardians) of the minor are responsible for full payment for services rendered to the minor patient. For unaccompanied minors, non-emergent or treatments unrelated to an ongoing care plan, will be denied unless charges have been pre-authorized to an approved credit plan, credit card, or payment by cash or check at the time of service has been obtained or verified.
Return Check Fees
There is a $25.00 banking fee for all returned checks. This sum is used to offset the fees incurred by OC SkinLab from our financial institution. If your check is returned from the bank, we may NOT ACCEPT an additional check as payment on your account. Future payments must be made with cash, money order or credit card.
Collections/Pre-Collections
Orange County SkinLab will send you a statement after your insurers have been billed and your insurers have considered your charges. We will charge interest of 1.5% (18% annually) on all outstanding balances after 30 days. If no payment is received after 120 days, your account may be turned over to a collections agency and a $25.00 late payment/pre-collection fee will be added to your account to offset the administrative costs incurred when accounts are assigned for collection. A holder of this medical debt contract is prohibited by Section 1785.27 of the Civil Code from furnishing any information related to this debt to a consumer credit reporting agency. In addition to any other penalties allowed by law, if a person knowingly violates that section by furnishing information regarding this debt to a consumer credit reporting agency, the debt shall be void and unenforceable.
Forms
Completion of all forms will require a Telemedicine visit and incur the appropriate visit fee.
Records and Copying
(First complete and sign a Release of Records from authorizing us to release your records. We cannot begin the process without this documentation.)
There is no charge for electronic faxing of records. If paper copies are requested, a charge for copying medical records will be incurred. There is a fee of .25 cents per page printed, plus, reasonable clerical fees of $24.00/hour (charged in quarter hour increments), which includes the time spent in locating the records plus postage fees. The records will not be sent until the fee is paid. These fees are set by the State of California (Health & Safety Code section 123110), not Orange County SkinLab.
No-Shows and Cancellations
Patients who fail to show ("no-show") at their initial office or telemedicine visits without appropriate notice will not be allowed to rebook for future appointments. Patients who cancel within 24 business hours of the scheduled appointment will not be allowed to rebook after the third occurrence. All patients who fail to show or cancel within 24 business hours of their appointment time will be subject to a late cancellation/"no-show" fee of $75.