FINANCIAL AND BILLING POLICIES
TWIN CITIES DERMATOLOGY CENTER FINANCIAL POLICIES SUMMARY
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT AND AS AGREED TO ON OUR FINANCIAL AGREEMENT CONSENT FORMS:
CHARGE CARD ON FILE: A Charge Card on File (HSA, FSA, debit card, credit card, charge card) is required for all patients to settle any balances owed after claims are processed through insurance and for No Show/Late Cancel fees. You may elect to not place a charge card on file by paying your balance in full for services rendered at the time of your visit and if there is no history of no shows/late cancels. For patients with a No Show/Late Cancel history, a $75 no show fee deposit is required if a charge card will not be put on file.
While Medicare and medical assistance patients may not typically owe a balance after insurance claims are processed, claims may be denied and only partially paid by the insurance carrier. Remaining approved charges would be transferred to patient responsibility and collected with the charge card on file.
You may avoid charges to a charge card on file by paying for all balances at the time of service and avoiding No Show/Late Cancel fees. The adult patient or the declared parent/guardian who signed the consent form for care and financial agreement is responsible for adhering to these policies.
Any charges made to your charge card on file will be reported to you via an emailed receipt (or text message if an email address is not available). Please ensure that your email address and phone number are up to date.
MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR PAYMENT FOR SERVICES: Medical services billable to select contracted insurance plans must be approved by the provider and are subject to scheduling approval and eligibility verification before appointments made.
Insurance eligibility verification is required prior to medical billing to insurance payors for medical services and also prior to appointments. If insurance cannot be verified before services rendered, the patient is responsible for payment at the time of service as a self pay patient or the appointment may need to be rescheduled to provide time for verification or to obtain potential referrals. Claims that are pending processing by your insurance carrier for 60 days after the date of service become your responsibility and will be charged to your charge card on file. You will receive an electronic statement and receipt for these services and you may contact your insurance company regarding possible claim processing and reimbursement if applicable.
We will file your insurance claim to the insurance company that you provide if there is a contract agreement with us. If your insurance coverage changes to a plan that we do not participate in, you will be responsible for all charges that have been billed to insurance for services rendered. Any charges that are not paid by your insurance company are your responsibility and the charge card on file will be charged immediately upon confirmation. Your insurance policy is a contract between YOU and your insurance company and we are owed payment for services rendered to you if your insurance company does not pay for those services. Any pre-certifications of procedures or testing are your responsibility and we try our best to support you with this to ensure we will receive payment for our services.
WE and YOU both receive a remittance from your insurance company called an explanation of payment (EOP) regarding the processing of your visit claim and final payment decisions, reflecting what you owe for our services. If information is missing from you regarding your visit, your insurance company may require you to contact them to perform coordination of benefits (COB) before they will process or pay your claim. Balances are collected with your charge card on file for the amount owed for services rendered as we await resolution of the COB. If insurance does reprocess your claim(s) after you perform the COB, overpayments will be refunded to you within 7 to 10 days.
We contract with specific insurance carriers to deliver care. While we attempt to verify eligibility and IN or OUT OF NETWORK status before billing all patients’ insurance, it is your responsibility to pay for services rendered if your insurance does not pay the charges. We cannot guarantee insurance carrier payment before claims for services are submitted. The insurance status may also change over time as contractual and network agreements change.
Adults are patients 18 years of age or older without a declared legal guardian and regardless of insurance subscriber. Please ensure the phone number and email address on file are up to date for invoicing and receipts.
THIRD PARTY VENDORS: We use a third-party laboratory called Quest Diagnostics to process blood draws completed in our clinic. Dermpath Diagnostics may process your pathology specimens. You may receive an invoice from these vendors and should contact them directly regarding insurance billing and payment if payment was not provided to us. Contact us if you believe that you have received a duplicate charge in error to help resolve the issue.
If you believe that there is a billing error for services reported to your insurance carrier or have other billing concerns, please contact our clinic immediately to review the claim(s) billed for services. Mistakes may occur with procedures capture and documentation resulting in claim billing error. We will resubmit relevant corrected or canceled claims submitted in error to your insurance carrier and provide any relevant overpayment refunds warranted back to the payment source within 7-10 days of receiving the reprocessed explanation of payment for the corrected or canceled claim.
BALANCES DUE UPON RECEIPT: Your insurance company sends YOU and US an explanation of payment that details what you owe for our services. It is your responsibility to pay what you owe upon receipt for your completed office visit or it will be charged to your card on file upon receipt by us.
You may request an itemized statement demonstrating charges prior to applied payment as needed.
The Change Healthcare cyberattacks in February and March 2024 disrupted our billing processes. Changes have been made to our financial policies in response to Change Healthcare's clearinghouse shutdown of insurance eligibility verification and delayed claims processing to avoid a clinic shutdown and to continue to care for our patients. We work to verify insurance eligibility daily before office visits and at check-in to prevent surprise billing and potentially denied medical claims.
Due to the reliance on third party clearinghouses for claims that may again go offline in the future and due to delays in insurance claims processing that can take up to six to eight weeks after services rendered, owed balances will be charged to the card on file upon receipt. Please expect an email with your patient balance receipt for balances you may owe once we receive your insurance carrier's explanation of payment response.
If you are aware of insurance changes with your carriers, please provide updated insurance information to avoid denied claims and charges to your card on file for all outstanding charges for services rendered. We are unable to provide grace periods for owed balances in order to continue our center's operation due to limited insurance reimbursement and delays. Please make payments promptly once you receive an explanation of payment to avoid charges made to your card on file or contact us immediately for balances owed to make different payment arrangements. Payments can be made at TWINCITIESDERM.COM and are received daily. Balances delayed in payment or due to declined cards are subject to discharge from the Center and transfer to a collections agency.
WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR APPOINTMENT: To your visit, please bring a government-issued ID (to identify you as the patient and insurance beneficiary) and medical insurance ID card (to confirm your benefits and financial obligations). There is complimentary parking and easy access to the Center.
MEDICAL INSURANCE COPAYS (CO-PAYMENTS): Payment of insurance copays is required and due at the time of service for every office visit unless the visit is a post-operative follow-up or a specified nurse-only visit approved by the doctor. Please bring a form of payment to fulfill this benefits obligation on the day of your visit. Missed copays at the time of service will be charged to your card on file upon discovery or notice from the insurance company and collected immediately to settle your claims.
SELF-PAY PATIENT PAYMENTS: Self-pay medical and cosmetic service payments are due at the time of service and cannot be invoiced or deferred. All medically non-covered charges for services are due at the time of service unless there are approved exemptions or credits on file. We do not accept checks at the time of service; if a check is received for owed balances and is returned, you will be charged a $25 service fee for any returned checks.
Self payments for services not billed to insurance or for non-billable cosmetic or aesthetic services are due at the time of service and are final. Insurance cannot be billed at a later date for self pay services rendered after paid for per the signed care agreement.
NO SHOW AND LATE CANCELLATION POLICY: You have requested dermatology services from us and our doctor and staff prepare for your appointment in anticipation of your visit. In the event that you cannot attend your appointment, please call, text, or email us at least 24 hours before your appointment time to avoid a late cancellation or no show fee of $75. Presentation 15 minutes late or more for an appointment may result in appointment cancellation and charge of a no show fee since it delays care for other patients and impacts clinic operations. Please contact us as soon as you are aware of a scheduling conflict so that we may best serve you and reschedule your appointment. We may be unable to honor your reschedule request. The no show fee will be collected at the time of the missed appointment and must be paid before rescheduling future appointments or receiving future services. Repeated broken appointments may result in discharge from the Center.
To avoid a late cancellation or no show fee of $75, please contact us at least 24 hours before your appointment time to cancel or reschedule your appointment. We do not charge patients for unexpected illness, life-threatening emergencies, or unsafe weather conditions. However, a history of no shows and/or continued broken appointments will result in discharge from our center or declined appointment requests. No Show Fees must be paid on the day of missed appointment and will prevent rescheduling until the balance is paid.
PAYMENT SECURITY: Your charge card payment information is stored in an encrypted and HIPAA-compliant billing system, the EZ DERM electronic health record, with all mandated security measures taken. The card will be charged for patient balances owed, purchases approved by you, and any No Show/Late Cancel fees. If you believe an error in charges has occurred, please send us documentation of the error to resolve the issue.
PAST DUE PATIENT BALANCES: For insured patients with balances due after insurance submission and remittance, charges are collected with the card on file and receipt sent to you electronically. Balances are due upon receipt. Payments desired to be made with another form of payment other than the charge card on file can be arranged and funds refunded back to the charge card on file once the new payment form is received. Payments can be made at twincitiesderm.com online, via mailed check or credit card payment, via phone, via text message in Sadio, and in-person. Balances 30 days past due are subject to collections transfer and must be paid to receive continued services. Payment plans for accounts in good standing are available and can be arranged by contacting our billing office at (612) 268-5005 or billing@tcdermmn.com. Patients with past due balances or delinquent accounts are discharged from the Center. If approved for patient reinstatement after collections transfer, the paid collection fees, any amount remaining owed, and a reinstatement fee of $250 would be due before any future services rendered.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: In the event of unsafe weather conditions, your safety and the safety of our staff take priority. Please contact us regarding cancellations as soon as possible and we will reschedule your appointment to another time that is best for you. We will try our best to announce Center closures or delays as soon as they are known. Virtual Visits for those with E-Visit eligibility may be available during inclement weather. No show fees are not charged for natural events that are out of your control.