Office Visits & Policies
Insurance
Insurance
- It is your responsibility to keep us updated with your correct insurance information. Upon arrival we ask that you present your insurance card at every visit to verify that our office has the most updated card on file.
- If the insurance card/plan you present is incorrect, you will be responsible for payment of the visit and to submit the charges to the correct plan for reimbursement.
- If we are your primary care provider, make sure our name/phone number appears on your most up to date card. If your insurance has not been informed that we are your primary care provider, you may be financially responsible for your current visit.
- It is your responsibility to understand your plan benefits. Not all plans cover well child visits, vision/hearing screenings, or physicals. If these services are not covered, you will be responsible for payment.
- If your insurance plan allows a certain number of visits per year and those visits have been exceeded, you will be responsible for payment.
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Many of the insurance plans that we are contracted with have network specific plans which we may not be a part of. We strongly suggest that you contact your insurance plan prior to scheduling an appointment to verify that your doctor is in network in order to incur the lowest possible cost to your family.
- AetnaExcept HMO plans
- Alabama Medicaid
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama
- CignaExcept HMO plans
- First Health
- Health Choice
- Humana
- Multiplan
- PHCS
- TricareStandard only
- United HealthcareExcept HMO plans
- Viva
Financial Responsibility
Financial Responsibility
- According to your insurance plan, you are responsible for all co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurances.
- Co-pays are due at the time of service.
- Self-pay patients are expected to pay for services in full at the time of visit. This includes patients with out of network insurance plans. Our office will be happy to provide the necessary documentation for you to file the claim for reimbursement with your insurance company.
- Patient balances are billed monthly. We ask that you pay your statement balance after receiving your first statement. A 20% surcharge will be assessed on all balances over 60 days old.
- If previous arrangements have not been made with our finance office, any account balances over 90 days old will be forwarded to a collection agency and all collections expenses will become your responsibility.
- Any accounts that have been transferred to collections will need to provide a credit card on file to continue a relationship with Fairhope Pediatrics.
- For scheduled appointments, any outstanding balances must be paid prior to the visit or you will be asked to reschedule.
- We accept cash, check, and all major credit cards.
- A 3% processing fee will be applied to all credit card payments. This fee does not apply to debit cards or HSA/FSA cards.
- A $25.00 fee will be charged for after-hours nurse advice calls placed outside of regular business hours.
- A $30.00 fee will be charged for any checks returned for insufficient funds and checks will no longer be permitted as a method of payment.
- A $25.00 fee will be charged for any declined credit cards and credit card chargebacks.
- You are financially responsible for any vaccine that you have consented to for your child once that vaccine has been prepared by Fairhope Pediatrics staff, whether the vaccine dose is completed. Refusal or failure to cooperate with the vaccine will result in a charge to your child’s account equal to the CDC Private Sector price (available on request) plus a 20% service fee.
Credit Card on File
Credit Card on File
Thank you for choosing Fairhope Pediatrics as your child’s medical home. We are committed to providing you with exceptional service. Each year, insurance companies are shifting more costs to families. We are adding a new service to help families manage these health care expenses.
Just like your telephone or cable bill, you can now put a credit card on file to pay your Fairhope Pediatrics balance automatically after all insurance payments and adjustments have been made. We will bill your insurance company first and upon their determination of benefits, we will only charge your credit card on file when they inform us of your responsibility. Circumstances when your card would be charged include but are not limited to uncollected copays, coinsurance, deductible, any non-covered services, and/or denial of services.
- Once your insurance has processed your claims, an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) will be available to both you and our office showing the amount of your responsibility. You will typically receive the EOB before we do, so if you disagree with the patient responsibility, please contact your insurance carrier immediately.
- When we receive the EOB, we will apply any payment/adjustment information to your account. At that time, any remaining balance owed by you will be charged to your credit card on file and a receipt will be emailed to you for your records.
- A 3% processing fee will be applied to all credit card payments. This fee does not apply to debit cards or HSA/FSA cards.
If the credit card on file becomes invalid, please notify Fairhope Pediatrics immediately. If for some reason we are not notified of any changes and the credit card on file is declined, we will attempt to reach you to update the information. If we are unable to reach you, a surcharge of $25.00 may be applied to your account. This information will need to be updated prior to scheduling any future appointments.
Should there be an adjustment regarding a claim, we will promptly reimburse you the portion that is due back to you.
To streamline our billing and payment system and to provide a seamless, convenient way for families to pay their bills, effective 09/01/2019, any account that has a history of a collections status will be required to keep a credit card on file.
Credit card authorization form »Appointments
Appointments
- We value the time we have set aside to see and treat your child. If you are not able to keep an appointment, we require a 24-hour notice. Multiple failures to give appropriate notice may result in dismissal from the office.
- A $50.00 fee will be charged for any missed appointment or appointment not cancelled with at least 24-hour notice.
- If you are late for your appointment (>15 minutes), we will do our best to accommodate you. However, on certain days it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.
- All children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
After-Hours & Urgent Care
After-Hours & Urgent Care
If your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.
Otherwise, call our office at any time to speak with a nurse. If immediate attention is needed, we will help you determine the best place for care.
A $25.00 fee will be charged for after-hours nurse advice calls placed outside of regular business hours.
After-Hours Nurse
(251) 928-5568
Poison Control Hotline
1 (800) 222-1222
Wellness Care
Wellness Care
Wellness care is an essential part of keeping your child healthy and regular check-ups are required by Fairhope Pediatrics. Patients who do not have preventative coverage can receive this service at a discounted rate if paid at the time of service.
What is wellness care?
Wellness care helps detect or prevent serious diseases and medical problems before they can become a major issue. Some people call these visits check-ups. It includes your periodic wellness exam (check-up), specific tests, certain health screenings, and immunizations. Most of these services typically can take place during the same visit. Your health care provider will decide which preventative services are right for you, based on your:
- Age
- Gender
- Personal health history
- Current health
Why do I need wellness care?
Wellness care can help detect problems at early stages, when they may be easier to treat and manage. It can also help you prevent certain illnesses and health conditions from happening. Even though you may feel fine, getting your preventative care at the right time can help you better manage your health.
What’s not considered wellness care?
Once you have a symptom or your health care provider diagnoses a health issue, additional tests are not considered wellness care. Also, you may receive other medically appropriate services during a periodic wellness exam that are not considered preventative. These services may be covered under your plan’s health benefits, not your wellness care benefits. This means you may be responsible for paying a share or all of the cost. This may include your plan’s deductible, copay, or coinsurance amounts, depending on your plan.
This is a short sample list of concerns that would not be included in a preventative care visit:
- ADHD
- Ear pain
- Headache
- Abdominal pain
- Anxiety and depression
- Acne or eczema
- Sore throat
- Warts
Have questions about your wellness care visit? Talk to one of our friendly staff members today!
CHADIS Questionnaires
Most insurance companies cover most CHADIS questionnaires; however, it is the patient’s responsibility to verify coverage with their insurance company. If any questionnaires are denied by insurance, the cost will be the patients responsibility.
All CHADIS questionnaires will need to be completed 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time. Failure to do so will result in having to reschedule the appointment.
ADHD Appointments
ADHD Appointments
Initial Appointment Checklist
- Parent logs into CHADIS and completes ADHD Initial Questionnaires.
- Parent sends an email invite within CHADIS to teacher to complete their portion of questionnaire.
- Teacher completes assigned CHADIS questionnaire.
- Once parent AND teacher have completed CHADIS, call Fairhope Pediatrics to schedule Initial ADHD Appointment.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations
As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and adolescents.
Because we firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent illness and to save lives, Fairhope Pediatrics follows the recommended vaccination schedule of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
If despite our recommendations, you feel you cannot follow the AAP recommendations for these vaccines, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views.
Read our complete vaccine policy »Referrals
Referrals
Most pediatric concerns can be diagnosed and treated at our office. However, should your child need a consultation from the specialist, our physicians will discuss the proposed referral with you and then initiate the process.
- Advance notice is needed for all non-emergency referrals, typically 2 business days.
- It is your responsibility to know if a selected specialist participates with your insurance.
Medical Records & Forms
Medical Records
- Copying of medical records is available with a $5.00 flat fee plus $1.00 for pages 1-25 and $0.50 for pages 26 and over. Records will not be available for pick-up in the office.
- We provide records of your child’s visits with Fairhope Pediatrics, Inc. only. All records for outside facilities or providers should be obtained from them directly.
Forms
- There is no charge for a certificate of immunization given at the time of your child’s visit. There is no charge for 1-2 page physical or medication forms presented at the time of visit.
- Any additional school, camp, sports forms, or forms exceeding 2 pages are subject to a $7.00 flat fee plus $3.00 per page for filling out the form. We require a 72-hour turnaround time.
- For the fastest service, these requests should be submitted through your child’s patient portal account. Alternatively, you may also submit your request via detailed voice message on the Fairhope Pediatrics Nurse Line.
Prescription Refills
Prescription Refills
For monthly medication refills, we require 48-hour notice, during regular business hours. Please plan accordingly.
We require regular medication follow-ups for chronic conditions such as ADHD and asthma, scheduled every 3 months.
For the fastest service, these requests should be submitted through your child’s patient portal account. Alternatively, you may also submit your request via detailed voice message on the Fairhope Pediatrics Nurse Line.
Connect With Us
Use the Patient Portal to message the clinic staff, schedule appointments, and request medication refills. You can also view your upcoming appointments, medications, lab results, health history, and more.
Fairhope Pediatrics
Office Hours
Call us to schedule an appointment.
Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Closed for lunch 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Saturday
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
We are required to report visits outside of normal business hours to your insurance provider. Appointments scheduled before 8am, after 5pm, and on Saturdays will incur an additional fee, which may be applied to your copay, coinsurance, or annual deductible.
By Appointment Only
To help us keep your children and other patients healthy, we are not accepting walk-ins at this time.
After-hours Care
If your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.
Otherwise, call our office at any time to speak with a nurse.
After-Hours Nurse
(251) 928-5568
Poison Control Hotline
1 (800) 222-1222
Newsletter
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