DESERT RIDGE CHILDREN'S CENTER

BILLING POLICIES

Desert Ridge Children’s Center is contracted with a most of Insurance Plans (please see the attached list). If we have a contract with your plan, we will bill the insurance company for the services we provide in the hospital or in the office. If we are not contracted with your plan, we cannot bill the insurance company for you and payment will be expected at the time of service.

Insurance Preverification :

We try to contact insurance companies prior to your appointment to facilitate the registration process. Please let us know if your insurance has changed at the time of making the appointment. This will make it possible for us to verify your insurance the previous day and will decrease your wait time.
At the time of your visit please bring the following items:
• Patient’s insurance card
• Co-Pays and/or moneys due, they will be collected upon arrival.
• Medical records from other offices. (if available)
• Patient’s vaccine records (if available)
• Parent and/or Legal Guardian must accompany the patient for initial visit. If they hold an HMO insurance or are on AHCCCS they must call their insurance company before their appointment date to make sure the patient is assigned to Dr. Agarwal. If the patient is not assigned to us upon your appointment time, your appointment WILL be automatically rescheduled. NO EXCEPTIONS MADE!
Please bring your child's insurance card with you to every visit. We make a copy of the card at each visit. This copy is used to submit an insurance claim for the visit. We need copies of the insurance cards at every visit, to go along with the insurance claim processed at that time.
It is very important that the insurance card be a current copy and that the card lists the name of the child, who is being seen for that visit. If you have recently enrolled in a new insurance plan, you may bring a copy of your enrollment form until you receive the new card.
For newborns, we are able to accept a copy of the parent's insurance card up until the four-month visit. After that time, we must a copy of the child's card will be required at the time of check in.
If you are unable to present a current insurance card for your child, you will be asked to sign an Insurance Coverage Waiver form.

Co-payments :

Most insurance plans require their enrollees to make a co-payment whenever they seek medical attention. It is a violation of your contract to refuse to make your co-payment prior to being seen at the office.
We collect all patient co-payments at the time of check-in. If a patient balance is generated after a claim is submitted to a contracted insurance plan, we expect payment in full after a bill is generated. We follow standard collection procedures for all unpaid balances.
We are pleased to accept cash, check, MasterCard or VISA for your convenience. If you need to arrange a payment plan, please contact our Office manager.
Insurance Coverage:
Insurance coverage differs from one employer to another. It is the responsibility of the patient and his family to understand the limits of their insurance coverage.
You will receive a statement for any unpaid co-pays, statement fees, coinsurance, deductibles, or charges your insurance has pended because they need a response from you in order to process the claim. You are responsible for payment of your account within twenty-eight days from the date of the statement. We will try our best to help our patients obtain what is due to them under various health insurance policies. We cannot, however, accept responsibility for collecting an insurance claim from a company we are not contracted with or negotiating a disputed claim.
Please be aware that not all health insurance plans provide the same coverage for well and sick visits. For example, some insurance companies will cover the costs of a yearly physical, well baby exams, immunizations, x-rays, vision and hearing screens and others companies may not. You are ultimately responsible for the services provided to your child.
Billing Questions:
Your families' account is worked by an outside agency. We strive to insure that all information is entered correctly. If you feel that an error has been made in your account either call the office or call the billing company at telephone number …
Payment may be made by credit card, debit card, or personal check. Writing checks with insufficient funds is illegal. There is a $15 office charge for returned checks as well as a $25 charge by the check underwriting company with which we work.

No Show Charges :

Scheduled consultations or well visits cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will be charged to you; missed appointment charges are not covered by insurance plans.