Financial Policy
Payment is due at time of service by cash, check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. Depending on the level of service provided there may be an additional fee that is patient responsibility to pay within 30 days of receipt of your statement.
Patients are responsible for their co-payments and/or deductibles at the time services are rendered for patients on Preferred Provider Plans (PPO’s) or Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s).
Any balance on an account that is greater than 30 days old is considered past due. I generally will address billing issues with you in person.
A statement will be mailed for any outstanding balance past due that we are unable to address at your appointment. Payment is due upon
receipt of statement.
Insurance
Your insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. I will submit your claims to your insurance company, however it is your responsibility to know your benefits, coverage, deductibles, and limitations. While our billing professionals will do all they can to help our patients in communicating and negotiating with their insurance plan or other persons, any questions regarding coverage, benefits, or payment for services provided is your responsibility to resolve.
In the event of denials, errors, or non-covered services, the patient is responsible for all services rendered. If payment from your insurance carrier is not received within forty-five (45) days, we will seek full payment from you. Balance of services that are delayed or denied by your insurance company due to Coordination of Benefits information will become your responsibility after thirty (30) days.
The Eric B. Williams, MD, PLLC and its employees do not guarantee that payment will be authorized for medical services; therefore, this office is not responsible for any adverse payment decisions or misuse of information.
Notification of any change in your insurance status (i.e. new company, deductible, co-pay amounts) must be provided to the office forty-eight (48) hours in advance of next visit, or payment in full will be required.
Communication
My office uses an automated answering service. The voice mails you leave are encrypted and HIPAA compliant. Please leave a voice mail stating the reason for the call. Non-urgent phone messages will usually be returned that day or at least by the next morning. Any messages left after 12:00 pm on Friday will be returned the following Monday.
Please note that email is not a secure means of communication, so I only use it for appointment reminders which are automatically generated. If you decide to send anything by email, you should assume it is not secure and not send any personal or protected health information.
My office also does not use text messaging. Texts sent to the office number will not be received.
Emergency Situations / After Office Hours
For urgent matters after 5:00 PM Monday through Thursday and urgent matters after 12:00 pm on Friday please call our main phone number
and press '0' for the physician on call.
In an emergency, call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room.
Appointments
Patient appointments can be scheduled by calling during regular office hours. Leave a message with your preference for time and I will call you
back and do my best to accommodate your request.
Refill Requests / Messages
You should be aware of the amount of medication you have remaining and when you will need a refill. I will generally give you enough medication to last until your next appointment. Should you miss an appointment and need a refill, please call my office rather than having your pharmacy send the refill request.
All requests for prescription refills should be made at least 48 business hours in advance.
NOTE: Medication refills are not emergencies and are only addressed during office hours.
Miscellaneous Charges
If you do not cancel your appointment 24 hours in advance, you will be charged a cancellation fee of $25 for the first two occurrences. Subsequent occurrences will be $75. These fees are payable prior to future visits. Occurrences are on a rolling annual basis.
These fees can not be billed to your insurance company.
Two consecutive No Shows without calling the office will result in termination of care.
Please help us to serve you better by keeping your scheduled appointments or canceling in advance.
Any returned checks are subject to a $30 service fee. Any returned check must be resolved before any future appointments can be arranged.
Fees for medical records are $25.00 for the first 20 pages, and $.50 for each page thereafter and may take up to 15 business days to obtain. Report preparation fees are based on the time involved.
Eric B. Williams, MD, PLLC may enlist the services of a collection agency to collect delinquent accounts. Once an account is placed with a collection agency, the patient must deal directly with said agency for payment of the account. In the event of account placement with a collection agency, the applicable collection fees will be added to that account. These additional fees could equal significant portion of the total balance owed.
Additional fees for other services should be discussed with Dr. Williams. These might include the cost of phone sessions or court appearance/preparation costs.
Prohibited recording / photo taking devices
To reduce the potential risk of a Federal HIPAA violation, audio/video recording devices are prohibited.
This includes but is not limited to: cellular devices, camcorders, digital or tape recorders.
Dr. Williams does not write letters for concealed/open carry permits or emotional support animals.