Guidelines and Procedures

PATIENTS WHO HAVE NOT ARRIVED WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF THEIR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT TIME WILL BE RESCHEDULED.

New Patients: We value information provided by the caretakers of the children we serve. It helps us to accurately understand the problems at hand and arrive at a correct diagnosis. Therefore, we ask that the parent or guardian complete all questionnaires and forms in their entirety.

Follow-up Appointments: Your follow-up appointment, if needed, will be offered at the completion of your visit and will be scheduled with either Dr. Ghali or the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Urgent Appointments: We make every attempt to see patients at their scheduled appointment time. If your child needs an urgent appointment, it must be scheduled through the nurse. Leave your message with the nurse or the front desk and the nurse will return your call. We will make every effort to accommodate true emergency patients; however, we do not have the capacity to see walk-in patients. Please call ahead so that we can accommodate you appropriately.

Cancellations: We understand that there are times when it will be necessary for you to cancel or reschedule your appointment. In order to accommodate all patients, we ask that you provide the office with at least a 24-hour notice of any necessary changes. There will be a charge of $35.00 for missed appointments without prior cancellation. You may leave a message after office hours.

Our goal is to help you in every way possible to utilize the insurance benefits you have for your child. To accomplish this, we must verify all insurance coverage prior to your child being seen by our providers. We will ask that you present complete and accurate insurance information at the time of your initial visit and present the insurance card at each follow-up visit thereafter. We will make a copy of your card for our records at each visit as well. Please ask to speak with the Practice Manager if you have questions or concerns about your coverage that the insurance company has not been able to explain or provide.

Benefits: You will be given a summary of benefits at your initial visit, please ask about anything you may not understand. Some visits (procedures/surgeries) with our office may NOT fall under your normal copay and may be applied to your deductible or percentage of payment. Always be sure and request the office to give you a new summary of benefits if your insurance plan changes.

Changes in insurance benefits: You must contact our office at least 48 hours before your next scheduled appointment to update us with your new information. This allows us to verify coverage and provide you with a summary of benefits at the time of your appointment. Due to time issues, we cannot verify new insurance coverage at the time of your appointment. If you present new insurance information at the time of your appointment you will be asked to reschedule your appointment to allow us time for insurance verification (and to notify you of needed referrals for HMO plans). If you choose not to reschedule and to have your child seen without verification of benefits, you will be required to pay in full for the visit.

Referrals: It is the responsibility of the patient and their primary care physician to make sure that a referral to see the specialist (pediatric dermatology) has been requested, processed and sent. The process of obtaining a referral usually takes 7-10 working days by your Primary Care Physician. We ask that you arrange this with your PCP and have the referral in our office no later than 48 hours prior to your appointment. If we do not have the referral, we will ask that you reschedule your appointment and obtain the referral before the next appointment.

Billing: This office mails statements every month. Payment is expected at the time of service for all patients. Refunds can only be made once we receive a written request.

The clinical staff supports the doctor with patient care. This includes patient phone calls, prescription requests, etc. They make every effort to handle patient calls within 24 hours. If you have an urgent matter that needs immediate attention, please call our front office and ask them to notify the nurse. All prescription refill requests require 24-hour notice to our office staff. We ask that you contact your pharmacy and they will fax a refill request to our office. These will be reviewed and faxed back with the necessary authorization. Following the 24 hour processing time, you should contact your pharmacy to see if the prescription is ready to be picked up.

We have an excellent office staff to assist you with appointments, phone calls, medical records and insurance questions. We want your experience to be seamless and pleasant; therefore, we need your help in always notifying us of any changes in your address, phone numbers or insurance.

If you call after hours please leave your message with the following information: the patient's name, date of birth, your name, a number to return the call the next business day, and a detailed message.

All medical record requests require a written release of information with a signature from the legal guardian or parent. We will require 10 to 14 days for processing from the day we receive the request. There will be a charge for copies released to family members, attorneys and insurance companies. No charge will be applied if the records are transferred to another treating physician. No medical records will be faxed from this office.

For after hour emergencies please call the office and follow the instruction on the recording. The numbers are below. The physician will return your call. We ask that you do not call after hours for any refill requests or any calls about IPledge issues, as the physician will not have your child's records.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS:

Web site: www.pediatricderm.com