We welcome and thank you for choosing Pediatric Associates of Norwood and Franklin for your medical care. We are committed to providing you with the highest quality medical care possible in a cost effective manner. Our professional fees have been determined through careful consideration in addition to being reasonable and customary within our geographical area and with accuracy to our contract with Partners Healthcare.
Payment in full is due at the time services are rendered. As a courtesy to our patients, we accept cash, personal check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. We also provide our patients the ability to pay for their accounts over the phone at 781-769-5227 or online through our website at www.panfpc.com. The business office is open Monday-Friday 9 AM-5 PM.
Things to bring with you to each appointment:
Health insurance card(s)
Method of payment
Appointments
Please arrive for your appointment 10 minutes early.
If you are more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, you will be marked as a “no show” and will need to reschedule your appointment. Repeated “no shows” may result in a penalty charge equal to the amount of the office visit.
It is your responsibility to verify that the physician is currently under contract with your insurance plan.
Please inform the receptionist of any demographic changes (phone number, address, insurance information, etc.) Failure to notify us immediately of changes in demographic information, financial status, and/or insurance coverage may result in you being responsible for any services not covered by your insurance carrier.
Copayment and other fees
All copays are due at the time of service. Any copay not received at the time of services will result in a $19 processing fee. If co-pay is received within three days of the date of service, the processing fee can be waived.
There will be a fee of $30 for any returned checks to our office.
All balances are due prior to any further service provided by our office.
“In-Network” vs. “Out-of-Network” Insurance
Your insurance coverage and benefits is a contract between you and your insurance company, therefore all disputes must be handled between you and your insurance company.
We are contracted with multiple insurers to accept assignment of benefits.
If you have insurance coverage under a plan with which we do not have a contract, you will be treated as a self pay patient.
Payment in full is due at the time of service.
Copays and coinsurance amounts, deductibles, and all non-covered items and charges are the insured/patient’s financial responsibility and are due during the check-in process. Failure to produce payment may result in your appointment being rescheduled.
Any amount not covered by the insured/patient’s insurance is due within 30 days of the time of service.
Any delinquent balance may incur a $19 monthly statement processing fee, in addition to the initial balance.
As courtesy to our patients, we gladly accept cash, check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. We also provide our patients the ability to pay for their accounts over the phone at 781-769-5227 or online through our website at www.healthtracker.com. The business office is open Monday-Friday 9 AM-5 PM.
Self Pay Patients
Additional Paperwork
Minor Patients
The parent(s) or guardian(s) accompanying a minor are responsible for providing current insurance information for the minor as well as the payment in full for services provided.
Parent(s) or guardian(s) must have an Authorization for Medical Treatment form on file if a minor arrives unaccompanied for an appointment.
In compliance with HIPAA regulations, we are unable to discuss any details of services rendered or to produce an itemized bill for any parties that are the patient’s parent(s) or guardian(s), unless otherwise documented.
Both parent(s)/legal guardian(s) are responsible for payment for services rendered to the minor patient. Upon request a copy of this financial policy will be provided to each parent if living in a separate residence.
Lab/Hospital Charges
Under most insurance guidelines (excluding Medicare), you are eligible for an Annual Preventive Physical Exam. Although most annual preventative physicals no longer require a copayment, in some instances during a physical exam, your provider may need to take a deeper dive into a chronic condition, treat an illness or address an injury during your annual exam. This would be a separately billable issue; therefore, a copayment would apply.
Your provider may also order some laboratory or other tests felt to be important for your overall care. Some of these may be covered by your insurer while others may not, and could require a copayment or deductible. If you are concerned, please check with your insurer to determine what is covered prior to testing. Your medical team at Pediatric Associates of Norwood and Franklin is committed to all of your health care needs. However, we cannot know in advance what services you may or may not be responsible for according to your individual insurance plan. The billing of your visit is determined by the services and care received, not by the coverage of your insurance plan. We cannot change services billed in order to match your plan.
If you have any additional questions, we suggest that you contact your employer or health insurance carrier for additional information.
Collections and Outstanding Balances
The provider reserves the right to add a $19 monthly statement processing fee to any delinquent account over 60 days.
Any outstanding balance after 90 days of the date of service may be referred to an outside collection agency. Accounts referred to an outside collection agency or attorney may be subject to a collection fee of 35%, which will be added to the total balance due.
Patients with unpaid delinquent accounts or accounts which have been sent to collections may be discharged from our practice.
Payment Plans
Our office will be happy to work with you in order to pay any balance due our practice
Please contact our business office to work out a payment plan with our practice.
Please mail all payments to our office:115 Norwood Park South Suite 115, Norwood, MA 02062. Our business phone number is 781-769-5227. Patients can also pay bills online at our website, www.healthtracker.com.
Refunds
Medical Record Release
Your child’s/children’s complete medical record can be requested by filling out a record release form online at our website, www.panfpc.com, or the release can be completed in our office.
If you would like us to mail your records, there will be a minimum of $15 dollars charged- in the event the USPS scale records the weight of the medical record more than $15.00, the charge will then be the amount charged via the USPS scale. Our online form will bring you to our PayPal account to submit this payment, please be sure to add your PANF account number, your child’s/children’s name/s and D.O.B. Payment can also be made over the phone or in our office.
You can pick up your child’s/children’s medical records at our office, free of charge.
We do not fax medical records.
Credit Card on File (CCOF)
CCOF is a rapidly growing trend in the healthcare industry. We now require patients to keep a credit card on file at our office. Your credit card information will be safely held on a secure, encrypted site. No financial information will be available to our staff, held in our system, or at our office.
Co-pays will be due at each visit and can be paid in any manner you choose at that time. We will still submit your claim to your health insurance company, as usual. In approximately three weeks to 1 month, you should receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) from your insurer that outlines what part of your service has been covered by your insurance and reveal exactly how much remains your responsibility to pay our practice for services rendered. We will receive a copy of your EOB from your insurer shortly thereafter. If there is a balance due, a statement will be mailed to you indicating the amount due. You will have two weeks to contact the office to arrange an alternate form of payment or to set up a payment plan. If we have not heard from you, your card will be charged for the full amount due two weeks after the statement date. A copy of the receipt can be emailed to you, or you can request a printed receipt from any front desk staff. If there is no balance due, your card will not be charged.
Credit Card on File (CCOF) FAQ
Why are you implementing a CCOF policy?
Credit card on file (CCOF) is a rapidly growing trend in the healthcare industry. Its purpose is to guarantee payment for rendered services that may not be completely covered by insurance including services applied to a patient's deductible.
But I always pay my bills, why me?
We understand that most of our patients pay their balances in a timely manner. Unfortunately, this is not the case every time, and neglected balances for services already rendered affect the cost of health care for all. This system will streamline billing for our patients and help keep administrative costs low.
How will I know how much you are going to charge me?
You will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in the mail from your insurance carrier that explains how much of your office visit or service they pay and how much you pay. This EOB tells you exactly, according to your health insurance coverage, how much of your health care bill is covered by your insurance and how much you owe to the practice. We receive the same EOB that you do. As always, we look at each EOB carefully and determine what your insurance has determined as patient responsibility. If there is a balance due, a statement will be mailed to you indicating the amount due. You will have two weeks to contact the office to arrange an alternate form of payment or to set up a payment plan. If we have not heard from you, your card will be charged for the full amount due two weeks after the statement date.
How can I trust that you will keep my credit card information safe?
We do not keep any credit card information on file here in the office or on any of the computers here. We use a secure, encrypted site that is completely compliant as required by law.
What if I need to dispute my bill?
We will always work with you to understand if there has been a mistake and we will refund your card if we have made a billing error. We will only charge the amount that we are instructed to by your insurance carrier, in the EOB they send to us. If you have any questions about your coverage, please contact your insurer, upon receipt of your EOB. If you have questions about your bill, please call our billing department at 781-769-5227.
What if I don’t have a credit card?
You are welcome to leave a debit card, Health Saving Account (HSA), or Flex Plan card on file or opt out of insurance and pay for the visit in full at the time of service, however, if your debit card declined when processing it for a payment plan, a $35.00 transaction fee will be added to your account.
We appreciate your cooperation and assistance in this process!
