Financial Information
Ironwood Family Practice is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive family health care and personal service to our patients. For every commitment, there is an obligation. It is the patients’ responsibility to meet their financial obligations. As we see patients from many different insurance plans, it is impossible for us to know all the covered benefits, copays and deductibles for each individual plan. While it is our intention to assist you, it is still your responsibility to ensure that all services rendered or referred by Ironwood Family Practice on your behalf are paid in full. In order to clarify Ironwood Family Practice’s Financial Policy, we have listed below our financial requirements:
Contracted, PPO & HMO with Copays or Deductible
If we are contracted with your insurance carrier, we will bill your insurance for you. Copays are collected upon check in at the time of service, as required by your insurance company. If you do not pay your copay at the time of service, you may be subject to a $10 processing fee for us to process a statement to collect your copay. There may be situations where you may be left with a balance when unknown copays, deductibles or non-covered services exist. This balance will not be subject to a processing fee and is due 30 days from the date on the billing statement you receive. However, if you fail to pay within that 30-day period, you will be subject to a $10 processing fee unless other payment arrangements have been made. You will not receive a statement of a balance due from our office until after your insurance carrier has processed your claim, either paying their portion of the charges, applying them to your deductible, or transferring them to patient responsibility.
Patients Without Insurance Coverage
Payment at the time of service is required. We offer a 10% discount to patients paying for their services in full at the time of their visit. Short-term payment plans are available but must be requested prior to the services being performed.
Medicare Patients
We will bill Medicare for you. You will receive a statement after Medicare has processed your claim, either paying their portion of the charges, applying them to your deductible, or transferring them to the patient responsibility. If you have supplemental insurance to Medicare, we will also bill your Medicare Supplement for you. You will receive a statement from our office after Medicare and your secondary insurance have processed your claim.
Medicaid Patients
We accept children under the age of 18 years old that reside in Kootenai County on the Idaho State Medicaid program. Children on the Medicaid program are required to present a current medical card to the receptionist upon arrival at each visit. If you do not have your current medical card upon arrival and we are unable to verify your eligibility, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment or pay for your services in full at the time of service.
Laboratory and Other Ancillary Services
Although Ironwood Family Practice provides many of its services in the office, at times it is necessary to obtain services from an outside laboratory or other ancillary service. You will receive a separate statement of charges for services provided outside our office. An example of these services would include: laboratory charges for special tests ordered, specimen evaluation, radiological services, etc.
Non-Contracted or Other Insurance Carriers
As a courtesy to all our patients, we will bill your primary insurance for you. You will, however, receive a statement from our office immediately after your services are rendered. If your insurance has not paid for the services rendered within 30 days, you are responsible for paying the balance in full. If the balance is not paid in full, you will be subject to a $10 processing fee until the balance is paid in full, unless other payment arrangements have been made. We will reimburse you for any payment we receive if and when your insurance pays us directly. If you know your deductible is not met or the services rendered are not a covered benefit, we request that you pay at the time of your visit.
New Patients
If you are a new patient and you have a copay, the copay is collected at the time of service. However, if you do not have a copay, you are required to pay $30 at the time of service. Any remaining balance will be billed to your insurance. If you have a balance after your insurance carrier has processed your claim, you will receive a statement for the remaining balance. If you do not have insurance, payment at the time of service is required. The 10% discount, as noted above, will apply.
Workers Compensation Claims
If you are seeing one of our providers for an injury that occurred during the course of your employment, please be sure to notify the receptionist that your injury is “work-related”. You will be given the proper paperwork to be filed with your employer and their insurance carrier for payment of services. Please be advised that our office is obligated by law to report all work-related injuries to the Department of Labor and Industries. If your employer or their insurance carrier denies your claim, you will be held financially responsible for all charges incurred for services rendered on your behalf.
**If your injury is covered under Washington Labor and Industry, we cannot see you for this injury.
Services Provided to Minors
A “Minor” is defined as someone under the age of 18 who is not considered legally emancipated from his or her parent or guardian. We realize that there may be an arrangement regarding who is responsible when paying for medical services provided to a minor. However, it is our policy that the parent or guardian who requests medical care for the minor is the financially responsible party.
Missed or Failed Appointments
We understand that circumstances may arise causing you to cancel or reschedule your appointment. However, please be considerate to our patients that need to be seen sooner by notifying our office at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time. Patients who do not notify our office at least 24 hours in advance may be charged a $25.00 fee which is not covered by your insurance.
Nonsufficient Funds/Collection Accounts
All nonsufficient funds will be subject to a $20 fee. If your account is turned over to collection, you will be sent a termination letter indicating that you seek medical care elsewhere.
Thank you for reviewing this information carefully. If you have any questions or need to establish a payment plan, please contact our Business Office at 208-292- 3107
Policies & Procedures
We believe when it comes to things as important as your health, communication is key. We ensure to clearly communicate all our policies and procedures to the patients. Read our standard policies for your convenience. Ironwood Family Practice’s policies are ready-to-print so you can have them filled out before your next appointment with us. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding our family practice policies.
Financial Policies
Ironwood Family Practice is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive family health care and service to our patients. For every commitment, there is an obligation. It is the patient’s responsibility to meet all financial obligations.
As we see patients who have different insurance plans, it is impossible for us to know about all the covered benefits, copays, and deductibles for each plan. While it is our intention to assist you, it is still your responsibility to ensure that all services rendered or referred by Ironwood Family Practice on your behalf are paid in full. To clarify Ironwood Family Practice’s Financial Policy, we have listed our financial requirements in a downloadable pdf.
Services Provided to Minors
During your absence, your child might suffer an illness or injury that requires immediate medical attention. To ensure that your child gets the necessary attention as soon as possible, you should complete a Consent to Treatment of a Minor form, which is available on our website. This form gives Ironwood Family Practice permission to treat your child if the need arises.
Medical Records Policy
We are happy to provide each patient with one complete copy of their chart free of charge. If the patient requests additional copies, there will be a charge per page, and payment will need to be received before records are released.
Please wait for 7 to 10 working days for your medical record release request to be processed. If you need them sooner, please contact our medical records department at (208) 667-4557, and they will assist you.
Telephone Call Policy
Please be aware that the providers will not sideline their scheduled patients to return routine phone calls; these are generally answered after patient care sessions are finished.
Good medical care cannot always be attained over the phone, so we advise you to schedule an office visit to discuss your concerns, problems, or test results.
Appointment Policies
Ironwood Family Practice clinic is open Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Office visits are on an appointment basis. They should be scheduled in advance. Same-day appointments are normally available for urgent or sudden illnesses. However, we have a limited number of same-day appointments available every day. If an appointment is unavailable with your primary care physician, you will be offered an appointment with the on-call physician or a mid-level provider.
Cancellations
Emergencies/After Hours
In case of life-threatening emergencies, always call 9-1-1 or immediately go to the nearest emergency room. If you need to see a physician after regular office hours for medical emergencies, you can visit Kootenai Urgent Care, a physician-owned urgent care facility located in Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, and Post Falls. Appointments for prescription refills and long-term illnesses should be made during routine office hours.