Clinic Policies
Welcome to Twin Lakes Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. Thank you for choosing our office for your care. We want to assist in making your visit easy and comfortable. Below is information that addresses questions you may have regarding our office and financial policies.
We are open Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., and Friday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. You are welcome to leave a message after hours, and the appropriate person will return your call during office hours. If you have an emergency, you will be directed to hang up and call our answering service. If you have a life-threatening emergency, you should call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room.
You will be asked to complete several forms on your first visit. Most forms also can be completed online before your visit by using our secure patient portal. The information you provide on these forms helps us provide the best possible care and makes the financial portion of your visit as smooth as possible. Also, Federal law requires that we have you complete certain forms to prove and protect your identity and privacy. These forms must be updated yearly. If you request not to complete the forms, Twin Lakes Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine will not be able to accept you as a patient. You will need to bring a copy of your insurance cards and your photo ID so that we can copy them to your chart. Twin Lakes Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine takes your privacy seriously and since 2005 has used a certified electronic medical records system.
Are we an in-network provider for your insurance?
The best way to answer this question is for you to call the customer service number on your insurance card. You have a contract with your insurance company and they are best qualified to help you with your coverage questions. Several companies have links online which are helpful. We are a provider for several companies. If we are not a provider for your company, we will still file your insurance for you, but benefits and coverage are different for an out-of-network provider.
Medicare (Insurance) Assignment:
We accept Medicare assignment. This means we agree to write-off any amount above Medicare's allowable charge. Therefore, Medicare pays 80% of the allowable charge and the patient is responsible for 20% of the allowable charge (co-insurance). If you have a supplemental policy, Medicare or our office will file the remaining 20% to them. Depending on your supplement, they may or may not pay the remaining balance. Any unpaid balance will be billed to you.
What is an ABN form?
An ABN (advance beneficiary notice) is a form that lets you know that you may have to pay a service/test that the doctor has ordered if your insurance company refuses to pay it. If that occurs you will be billed for the service/test.
Prescription Requests/Refills:
If you call our office to request a prescription, please allow 48 hours for this to be completed. For a prescription refill, please call your pharmacy and have them fax us a request. Our providers take care of these calls in-between patient appointments and in the order they are received. Please call your pharmacy to see whether the prescription/refill has been received and processed.
Disability, Employment or Insurance Forms/Reports:
Forms and reports will not be completed at the time of service or the same day they are left with our office. Certain days are reserved for the doctors and staff to complete these requests. We may be waiting on transcriptions or records. We will call you when the forms are available to be picked up or mailed. There is a $20.00 charge for completing forms, and this must be paid before records are released to you.
If you request copies of your medical records, please allow 72 hours to fulfill the request. There is a charge depending on the type of format requested or required.
X-rays or MRI: $10.00
Paper copies: $1.00 for the first 5 pages and $0.25 for each additional page, with a minimum charge of $5.00.
If you have an appointment with another doctor, we will be happy to forward a copy of your medical records to them at no cost to you.
