Policies

Office and Phone Hours:
Telephones are answered by office staff Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During off hours, you may call the office and reach the answering service that will convey your message to Dr. Fagelman promptly or leave a message for the office staff.

Emergencies: If the emergency is life threatening, please call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Room.

Our practice has full-time coverage for patient emergencies that may occur after hours. If a problem arises during a time when the office is closed, simply call the office at 212.343.0080 and the answering service will contact the doctor on call. Please note that prescription refills and referrals are not considered emergencies and will not be done after hours.

Prescriptions:
All prescription refill requests should be called in to your pharmacy. Your pharmacy will then contact the office if authorization is needed. Prescriptions will not be called in after hours or on weekends.

Referrals:
Referrals to other physicians or diagnostic facilities can take up to 72 hours for our office to process. Referrals will not be done after hours or on weekends. You are required to notify us at least 72 hours in advance of an appointment requiring a referral.

Medical Records Request:
We take your confidentiality very seriously. Your medical records will only be released with your written consent. Consent forms are available for download on the patients page or online at http://www.nycourts.gov/forms/hipaa_fillable.pdf

It takes our office 7 business days to process records requests. In accordance with NYS Law, the cost is seventy-five cents ($.75) per page for paper copies and a reasonable charge for diagnostic images, plus postage.

Telephone Calls:
All non-urgent physician phone calls will be billed to the patients health insurance plan. Most insurance providers do not cover telephone care and the patients will be responsible for the charges. Physician telephone calls are billed as in accordance with CPT codes 99441, 99442 or 99443.

Medical Forms and Patient-Requested Letters:
Charges to complete medical forms (driver’s license, assisted living, insurance, school, work, etc.) and patient-requested letters are not covered by insurance and are therefore the responsibility of the patient. Our office charges $25 for the completion of forms.

Insurance and Payment Policy:
We ask that you present your insurance card to us at every visit. If you fail to provide us with the correct insurance information at each visit, you may be responsible for payment for all services provided. We are contracted with most insurance plans. If you are not insured by a plan we are contracted with, payment in full is expected at the time of service. Your health insurance contract is between you and your insurance company. Knowing your insurance benefits is your responsibility. Any questions regarding your coverage should be directed to your insurance carrier.

Co-Payments:
Your insurance company requires us to collect co-payments at the time of service. Waiver of co-payments may constitute fraud under state and federal law. Please help us in upholding the law by paying your co-payment at each visit.

Claims Submission:
We will submit your claims and assist you in any way we reasonably can to help get your claims paid. Your insurance company may need you to supply certain information directly. It is your responsibility to comply with their request.

Account Balances:
All accounts with a balance due over 30 days may be assessed a service charge. Partial payments will not be accepted unless otherwise worked out with our billing office.

Unpaid balances over 90 days will be referred to a collection agency.

Credit Card Authorization Forms:
You will be asked to provide a credit card to keep on file at the time you check in. The information will be held securely until your insurance has paid their portion and notified us of the amount of your share of the claim. At that time, any remaining balance owed by you will be charged to your credit card, and a copy of the charge mailed to you. You will have also received an explanation of medical benefits from you insurance and will have been made aware that there is a portion of the fee that is your responsibility, so the charge will not come as a surprise to you.

Missed Appointments:
Our policy is to charge $35 for missed appointments not canceled within 24 hours. These charges will be your responsibility and billed directly to you. Please help us to serve you and other patients better by keeping your regularly scheduled appointment.