Financing

At ACENT, we thank you for choosing us as your health care provider for plastic surgery and ENT services in Anchorage, AK. Our entire team is committed to providing you with the best possible medical care. Our practice believes that a good provider‐patient relationship is based on understanding and good communication. The following is a written statement of our Financial Policy, which we prefer you read before any treatment received at ACENT.

Insurance Claims Policy

As a courtesy to you, we will submit the entire bill to your insurance company. We ask that you pay the estimated deductible and/or your co‐payment at the time of service. You are responsible for any portion of your bill that your insurance company denies or does not cover. Your insurance is a contract between you (or your employer) and your insurance company; however we are available to assist you in maximizing your insurance benefits. Please be aware that few insurance companies cover all medical costs. Some insurances pay fixed allowances for each procedure while others pay only a percentage of the cost. Many insurance companies use a fee schedule derived from providers outside our region which may not be applicable for this area. You are responsible for payment regardless of any insurance company’s arbitrary determination of usual and customary rates. Insurance coverage is not a guarantee of payment. We will bill insurance as a courtesy to you. You must present insurance cards at the time of your appointment in order for us to bill your insurance for you.

Sometimes insurance companies delay payment. For this reason it is important for you to know that after 30 days from the date we bill your insurance company, the balance will become a “patient balance”. This means the any amount due for that date of service will appear on your statement that the balance is owed by you. Should this occur, we encourage our patients to contact their insurance company directly to assist in maximizing the timely payment of benefits that are rightfully due you.

Patient Payment

We accept cash, personal (local) checks and all standard credit cards. Our office does work diligently to protect your health and financial information and therefore we will not maintain your credit card on file. This means that if this is your preferred method of payment then you will need to present with the card or call with the information each time you wish to make a payment on your account.

We do ask that for all services that are not covered by insurance that you pay in full prior to services being rendered.

Returned Checks will be assessed a $35.00 processing fee.

What happens if I fall behind?

If we have not received payment from your insurance company within 45 days of the date of service, you need to contact our Financial Services Depart to discuss your account in detail.

All balances that remain delinquent, with no response to our requests for payment may be referred to a third party collection company. Once an account is referred to the collection agency, the patient or responsible party will have to settle the debt directly with the agency. Interest and penalty are often assessed by these companies to the debtor.

Medicare

Our office is committed to offering services to patients over 65 or patients who are severely disabled. If you are a patient covered by Medicare, please bring an original copy of your Medicare card as well as a referral from your Primary Care Provider indicating the services that require evaluation by an ENT Provider.

Medicaid

As a Medicaid provider our office is required to collect a $3.00 co‐payment at each visit. We are also required to collect a current month’s coupon or original certificate of coverage. We require your payment and coupon prior to your being brought to the exam room. We prefer this to occur in a private and respectful manner so we ask that you are prepared as you check in at the front desk.

Denali Kid Care

Although Denali Kid Care is administered as a part of the Medicaid program, a $3.00 co payment is not required. Current verification of coverage is required, consistently with the State of Alaska Medicaid requirements.

If you have any questions concerning our Financial Policy, or if you have some type of hardship requiring additional assistance, please contact our Financial Services Department.