Policies
Patient Code of Conduct
It is our priority to provide a safe and healthy environment for our staff, providers, patients, and accompanying family members. Apple Ridge Family Medicine will not tolerate the following behavior:
• Threats of violence of any type.
• Physical assault or threat to cause bodily harm.
• Inappropriate language or screaming at staff through phone calls, voicemail, e mail, or any other messaging system.
• Threats to destroy or physically destroy equipment or property.
• Menacing or derogatory gestures.
Our staff will not engage in such behaviors, and violators will be discharged from the practice immediately. It is our goal to put a stop to such behavior and allow us to provide great quality care to the community.
After hours/On call service/portal messages
If you choose to reach out to a provider during non-business hours or anytime via your patient portal, your insurance will be billed as appropriate for utilizing this service. Co pays, Coinsurance, and deductible may apply. If the patient is self-pay, the patient will be billed. We encourage this service to only be used for emergent services that cannot wait for normal business hours.
Patients should not contact our providers on their personal e mail, social media, or home or cell phone.
New Patients
Our office is closed to new patients except for patients with Medicare primary insurance.
Allergy Injections
We no longer have the additional staff to accommodate allergy injections. Our last day for performing allergy injections will be April 28th. We will not be accepting any new allergy injection patients.
Payments
Payment is expected at the time services are rendered. We accept cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa.
A $3.00 late fee will be added to your account if your statement balance is not paid in full upon receipt of the first statement. We always offer payment option on our website www.appleridgefamilymedicine.com. If we need to send an additional 2nd or 3rd statement, the $3.00 fee will be added to your account for each statement sent.
In closing we want to thank all our dedicated patients that we have had the privilege to treat over the years. We thoroughly enjoy caring for many of the families of Adams County and hope to continue to provide personal experience in your healthcare journey.
Medication Refills
Check your bottle first. Often times, you already have a refill and need to call the pharmacy for obtain that fill. If there is no refill, please call and leave a detailed message on our nurse line or request the refill through your patient portal. Refill requests can take anywhere from 24-48 business days.
Prior Authorization
If your medication requires prior authorization, your pharmacist must send the office the rejection notice from your insurance. This will ensure we have proper information to complete authorization. Prior authorization can take 24-72 business days. We will alert the pharmacy with approval.
Medication denials are handled with the patient.
****Due to the Adderall shortage, prior authorizations will not be completed for a temporary replacement medication. Please proceed to www.goodrx.com and select your medication coupon for your temporary replacement medication.****
Referrals
An office visit must be scheduled in order to be referred to a specialist. If your insurance requires a referral, you are responsible to notify our office regarding your appointment. Please give us two (2) business days for completion. We will then fax the referral to the number you provide to us.
Form Fee
There is a $10.00 fee for all medical forms including medical leave. Most FMLA and disability require additional documentation so an appointment will be required. Please allow 7-10 business days for completion. All paperwork must be picked up at our office upon completion. It is your responsibility to deliver the paperwork to your employer.
Late arrival
We reserve the right to reschedule appointments if a patient arrives greater than 10 min late for their appointment. All attempts will be made to give a same day appointment if room in the schedule.
Cancellation or No Show
We You must give our office 24 hour notice prior to cancelling your appointment. If you do not give proper notification (24 hours) your cancellation will be considered a no show. The first no show is a warning, the second no show has a $50.00 charge associated with it, and the third no show in one consecutive year is a dismissal from our practice.
Transfer of Records
We require two weeks' notice to copy and prepare all medical records. A fee will be charged for this service.
Discharge
The practice reserves the right to discharge a patient at any time for noncompliance or inappropriate behavior.