At The Center for Advanced Pediatrics, we are committed to providing the best possible care to our patients and families. Many changes have taken place in the health insurance industry in recent years. Services once covered in full are now partially covered with lower payments, covered only under certain circumstances, or in some cases not covered at all. We want to provide the highest quality medical care that is based on our families’ needs, but unfortunately, this means providing services that are not covered by insurance companies. We have decided to charge an annual administrative fee to all our families in order that we may continue to provide comprehensive, exceptional care.
We are aware that health insurance is expensive. By charging a single annual fee and not charging you for individual services (ie each telephone call or e-mail, a “same day” appointment surcharge, access to the portal, etc) your out of pocket expenses will actually be lower. However, if you are experiencing financial hardship, we will work with you so that you can remain in our practice.
All active patients that are up to date with their yearly administrative fee are qualified to enroll in the Patient Service Plan (PSP)**. This is a comprehensive plan that combines all of the administrative needs of today’s pediatric patient and their family. There are many administrative costs and services we provide and/or are requested/required by other institutions, that are not covered by insurers. This consolidated plan allows our staff to provide consistent, efficient and timely attention to all families as well as combine all of our previous additional charges into one yearly fee.
To complement the PSP, we recommend keeping your credit on file with our off-site credit card clearinghouse – PayTrace. Having a credit card on file allows you to utilize our Express Check In and Check Out services, as well as having your account settled when your insurance company remits the explanation of benefits and payment to us. Having a credit card on file thus extends the time you have to pay. Remember, it is your insurance company that requires you to pay your co-pay, any deductible and/or co-insurance at the time of service/visit. If you do not place a credit card on file or do not own a credit card then you must check-out and settle any deductible/co-insurance charges at the end of each visit.
Our current Financial Policy reflects this mandatory payment and you will be asked to sign the policy on your next visit to the office or upon joining the practice. Payment is due immediately and will be renewable yearly on the anniversary month of your payment. Late payments will be charged an additional fee every month overdue. Health Savings Plan monies can be used for this fee. If this fee imposes a financial burden on your family or if you have Husky/Medicaid, the enrollment process is different, please contact Ryan Dobos 203-229-2000 ext 3213 or rdobos@tcfap.com.
We take pride in the quality of care we provide all our families and want to be able to continue to do so in the face of ongoing reductions in payments and increases in administrative fees and government regulations. As always, we thank you for partnering with us and allowing us the privilege of caring for your children and family.