Please bring your completed paperwork if you have not completed the required forms on the patient portal. Plan to present a photo ID and your insurance card; please prepare to pay any applicable co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles prior to being seen. We take most major credit/debit cards, checks, money orders and cash.
You should arrive approximately 15 minutes before your appointment time. Please arrive 30 min prior only IF no new patient paperwork has been completed via the patient portal or by paper.
While preventative care visits are typically covered fully, some require a co-pay. If in doubt of whether a procedure or service is covered or not, please contact your insurance company or our billing department prior to your visit.
Depending on your insurance company, some visits and services require a co-pay and some plans are deductible. Co pays, coinsurance and / or deductibles are collected prior to being seen.
Generally, women should schedule their first exam when they turn 21 or when they first become sexually active. However, they can come sooner if they have any gynecological concerns.
Yes, however it is recommended to avoid if at all possible. The blood may cover up the cells, which need to be examined. Try to schedule your Pap test when you are off your period or when you do not have a heavy flow.
- Women with a healthy, normal immune system between the ages of 21 and 29 need a Pap smear every two years.
- Between the ages of 30 and 64, a Pap test should be given every three to five years based on the patient’s HPV status and past medical history.
- After 65 you may not need a Pap test anymore.
- Women with certain medical conditions or who are pregnant may require additional Pap testing.
Birth control pills should be taken at the same time every day. If you realize that you have forgotten to take your pill that day, take it as soon as possible. If you do not realize until the next day, take two pills at your normal time. Birth control loses its effect when it is not taken every day, it is recommended to use a backup form of contraception after missing a day.
Starting at age 30, women should have an HPV test along with their Pap test.
Some home pregnancy test can detect a pregnancy as early as a few days before your missed period. However, for the most accurate results, you should wait until a day after your missed period.
Gyn Women’s Centre of Lakewood Ranch, LLC are is committed to reducing waste and
inefficiency by making our billing process as simple and easy as possible. Starting August 1,
2024, we now are requiring that you provide a credit card on file with our office. We run our
payments through our HIPAA- compliant, card reader. Your payment information is stored on
Athena’s secure servers for future transactions. Office personnel will not have access to your
card. For your protection, only the last 4 digits of your card will show in our system.
Credit card on file will be used to pay account balances after insurance adjudication.
Once your insurance has processed your claims, they will send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to both you and our office showing what your total patient responsibility is. You typically receive the EOB before we do, so if you disagree with the patient responsibility amount owed, it is your responsibility to contact your insurance carrier immediately.
Notes:
• During the time you leave a credit card on file, if it expires or otherwise becomes
uncollectible, we will expect you to promptly provide a new means of payment.
• Credits on your account after your insurance claim has been adjusted will be returned
to the credit card on file.
• Ultimately, you are responsible for knowing what services are covered, how often, and
how much of the cost is your responsibility. You will be responsible for any portion of
services that your insurance does not cover.
• To avoid any issues of discrimination or favoritism; all patients will be required to have
a credit card on file regardless of insurance or visit type.
FAQs
I’ve never heard of a Credit Card On File policy before.
While this may be surprising to some, it is becoming the norm for most areas. Credit
Card On File (CCOF) is the new standard in healthcare industry nationwide, and soon
all of the high quality medical practices will adopt it. We are definitely not the first to do
this, and it is advised by Florida Woman Care for practices to begin implementing. I
nsurance reimbursements are declining and the expectation is that health care
providers find ways to become more efficient. With the Affordable Care Act and the
Health Exchange Marketplace plans, we are seeing a large increase in patient
deductibles and even these plans rescinding payment due to patient’s not maintaining
their policy premiums during the federal mandated grace period. These factors are
driving many doctors’ offices to either squeeze more patients into shorter periods of
time or to stop accepting insurance. We have decided to focus on becoming more
efficient instead.
How does CCOF work?
I’m nervous about giving up my sensitive financial information.
Your card information is securely protected by the credit-card processing component of
our HIPAA- compliant practice management system. This system stores the card
information for future transactions using the same sort of technology that credit card
company’s use. We cannot access the entire card number- we can only see the last 4
digits. There is no way to export the card information out of our system. We can only use it to process a payment in our practice management system, which creates an indelible records (one that cannot be deleted).
How does the credit card on file system work to drive down administrative costs?
Our staff will now spend less time entering credit card information for each transaction.
We also don’t have to send out as many statements, which saves paper, money and
time. Once your CCOF is in our system, check-in and check-out time is much shorter
for you as well.
I always pay my bills on time. Why do I have to do this?
While many patients do pay on time, there are some that we have to bill multiple times
or even send to a collections agency which does cost us a lot of time and extra
expense. Reducing unnecessary costs is essential for us to continue providing high
quality care at an affordable cost. This new process dramatically cuts down on the
administrative costs associate with billing. Nothing is changing about how much you pay. When you come into our office and receive a service, you do so with the understanding that you are ultimately responsible for the cost of your care. We bill your insurance company for you, and we have contracts with most insurance companies that help to get the best possible coverage for your care. CCOF will only cover your responsibility after your insurance pays it’s
contracted share.
How the CCOF process benefits patients
First and foremost, it is far more convenient for you- you don’t have to call the office or
remember to pay the bill. It takes the hassle out of the process, especially for patients
who have HSA cards to pay for their medical care.
Our system will automatically email you 5 days before the charges occur. You
may also click the “pay now with any card” link in the email if you want to pay
with an alternative card. Additionally, there is a one year maximum your card will
stay on file and a limit of $1500 per agreement.
What if there is a problem with my bill and I don’t notice it until after the payment
processes?
We hope this doesn’t happen, but if you find a problem give us a call to review the
claim. If we owe you money, we will refund it promptly to the same card.
Thank you for choosing GYN Womens Centre of Lakewood Ranch for your healthcare needs.In order for us to provide you with the best possible service, please read our financial policy listed below.
If at any time you have questions or would like assistance, please contact our Billing Department at (941) 907-3008 ext. 306.
Registration Form:
We require complete, accurate and up-to-date information on your registration form in order to bill your insurance company. We will ask you to update this form annually or when changes need to be made (address, coverage, phone number, name, etc.) If we do not have current phone numbers we will not be able to contact you in the event of any schedule changes. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience.
Insurance Cards:
New patients as well as established patients must supply us with a current copy of your insurance card. If you don’t have a card and prior arrangements haven't been made, payment in full is expected at the time of service. You will be asked to show the receptionist your current insurance card annually. This allows us to assist you in collecting the benefits from your insurance company to which you are entitled.
Lab Charges:
It is important that you verify with your insurance company your benefits before your visit or if
your insurance changes, where your labs are to be sent. You will be responsible for any lab
charges that were sent out of network.
Insurance Policies:
For insurance companies that we participate with:
We are pleased to bill your insurance company for you. If your insurance company requires you to make a co-payment, co-insurance and/or deductible we require this payment at the time of service. For your convenience we accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, and Care Credit. You are also responsible for any amounts the insurance plan deems not covered, up to the entire amount. Health plan coverage varies significantly by carrier, by employer, and/or by contract.We cannot know the benefits and exclusions of each patient’s health plan. It is the patient’s responsibility to know and understand her plan coverage benefits.
If we do not hear from your insurance company:
If we have not received payment or rejection from your insurance company in a timely manner, we will transfer the balance to your responsibility. We request your assistance in following up with your insurance company to resolve any non-payment issue.
For insurance companies that we do not participate with:
You are responsible for payment of charges at the time of service. We can assist you by
submitting a claim for you. This does not guarantee payment from the insurance company.
Medicare Patients:
Medicare and Medicare replacement insurance plans require us to have you sign an Advanced Beneficiary Form. This form is for care that might not be covered by Medicare. This will be supplied to you at your appointment.
No Show
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please call the in advance. We are now implementing a $25.00 fee to those patients who do not call ahead of time to cancel or reschedule their appointment.
Self Pay:
If you do not have insurance or are seeking care outside of your insurance plan benefits, payment in full is requested at the time of service. Our staff will gladly give you an estimate of your visit prior to your appointment. If you are interested in making arrangements, please contact our Billing Office at (941)907-3008 x 306.
Disability, FMLA and Other Forms:
We realize that special forms are sometimes necessary to provide documentation of medical
conditions. Completing forms is time consuming and generally falls outside the contractual
relationship between you and your insurance company. We will be happy to complete the forms for our patients. The fee for this is $25.00 per form. Please allow appropriate time for
completion of up to a 2 week maximum.
Medical Records:
Medical records can be released upon your completion of a Records Release form. The fee for copying records is $1.00 per page up to 25 pages then $0.25 per page over 25 pages.
There is no fee if they are released to another medical provider. Payment must be received prior to the release of records.
Returned Checks:
A fee of $35.00 for checks returned to us for insufficient funds will be charged to your account. Future services will require payment by cash, money order, or a credit card for your payment obligations.
Statements:
You will receive a statement once per month if there is an outstanding balance. The billing
statement will itemize your services and amounts applied by your carrier. If you do not
understand your statement or have additional questions regarding your balance, please contact our billing office at (941)907-3008 ext. 306. If your insurance delays processing your claim,you will have to contact them directly. If you cannot meet your financial obligations, please call our billing office. Every effort will be made to work out an acceptable payment plan.
Past Due Accounts:
In the event that a balance becomes past due, the account will be considered delinquent. These accounts are subject to further collection action, including placement with a collection agency.
Refunds:
In some cases our office might owe you a refund. Refunds are issued from our corporate office in the form of a check if you paid by a check or cash. Otherwise, your refund will show on the debit or credit card you paid with. Please note that refunds are not given until all outstanding charges are cleared.