Insurance

Urgent Care & Family Practice Carriers

• Aetna (PPO)
• Friday Health Plans
• United Healthcare (PPO)
• Anthem (PPO)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield (PPO)
• Cigna (PPO)
• GEHA
• Anthem
• MultiPlan/PHCS
• Healthsmart
• Imagine Health Network
• Caprock
• Medicare

Urgent Care Only Carriers

• Christus Health Plan
• ChoiceCare (Humana)
• Tricare
• Humana (PPO/HMO)
• Superior Health Plans
• Kaiser-Permanente
• Wellcare
• Wellmed

Credit Card On File Policy

Innovative Urgent Care and Family Health Clinics are committed to reducing waste and inefficiency and making our billing process as simple and easy as possible. Starting January 1, 2023, we now are requiring that you provide a credit card on file (CCOF) with our office. We run our payments through our HIPAA-compliant, secure practice management software Athena. When you come in, we will scan your card with a 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. Co-pays will still be collected at each visit (if applicable). We will submit all patient claim to insurance as usual.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 uncollectable, 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:

When I booked my appointment, the receptionist told me I have to keep a credit card on file with the office. I’ve never heard of that before.

• This is not surprising that this is new to you, as it is not yet the norm in this area. Credit Card On File (CCOF) is the new standard in the healthcare industry nationwide, and soon all of the high-quality medical practices will adopt it.  We are definitely not the first to do this. Insurance 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 Exchanges, we are seeing a massive increase in patient deductibles.  These factors are driving many mediacl offices and clinics 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 only can 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 record (one that cannot be deleted).

How the credit card on file system works 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 trees, 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?

• The entire billing process is wasteful but the few patients that we have to bill multiple times or even send to a collections agency do cost us a lot of time and expense.  Reducing unnecessary costs is essential for us to continue to accept insurance and Medicare.  This new process dramatically cuts down on the administrative costs associated with billing. We have already dropped Medicaid due to the billing inefficiencies and administrative burdens.

• 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 you 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 buy a stamp or worry about getting around to paying the bill. It takes the hassle out of the process, especially for patients who have HSA cards to pay for their medical care. If you get your statement and want to use a different card, pay by check, or discuss a payment plan, you may still do so as long as you do so promptly.

What if there is a problem with my bill and I don’t notice it until after the payment processes?

• We hope that this doesn’t happen.  And although we love technology in this office, we routinely review the accuracy of claims processed by insurance and will contact you if WE find a problem.  But, if you find a problem, call us and we’ll investigate it. If we owe you money, we will refund it promptly to the same card, instantaneously.

The only patients not required to provide a “Card on File” are listed. All other patients must provide a “Card on File”.

• Patients experiencing a medical emergency
• Medicare or dual coverage patients
• Self-pay-Fee For Service or DOT patients when visit is paid in full at time of service,
• Occupational Medicine and Workers Compensation patients
• Direct Primary Care (DPC) members of our sister company Sana Vida Wellness Center

What happens if I do not have a credit card?

​We also accept:

• HSA
• HRA
• FSA
• Debit Card

What is a deductible and how does it affect me?

• An annual deductible is the dollar amount you must pay out of pocket during the year for medical expenses before your insurance coverage begins. For example, if your policy has a $500 deductible, you must pay the first $500 of medical expenses before your insurance company begins to pay for any services.

How will I know if my deductible has been met?

• You may find out when your deductible is met by calling your insurance company at any time. Some insurance companies also have this information available online.

For those who refuse to follow our new policy, we will offer them a cash office visit fee to be paid prior to seeing their clinician each time. Today’s cash price for care is $159, but is subject to change with advanced notice.