In order to provide quality medical care we must receive prompt payment for our services. Our policy is outlined in our Patient Consent and Agreement Form which all patients sign as part of being a patient at Horizon Eye Care.
With more and more employers shifting to high deductible health plans for their employees, Horizon Eye Care is taking a proactive approach on how we collect unmet deductibles. When you arrive at our practice and sign-in on the kiosk, we receive an instant report from your insurance company that tells us about your benefits and financial responsibility. When we find that you have not met your deductible or have co-insurance, we require payment at the time of service. With the movement in the healthcare industry to these high deductible plans, patients have greater financial responsibility and experience this increased responsibility at our check-out counter.
In the field of eye care we also experience that many insurance companies deem either part or all of your routine eye exams as a “non-covered” service. The most common of these is the refraction. Please see our frequently asked questions page for more information on the refraction. When the insurance company deems a service as non-covered it means that you are responsible for the bill. Fortunately, we offer a prompt pay discount on this service.
By collecting these various charges at the time of service we are eliminating the need to send you an invoice at a later time, which is much more cost efficient for both Horizon and the patient. Eventually we believe that most insurance transactions will be settled at the point of check-out thereby eliminating most of the administrative hassles. In the event Horizon collects too much money from you, we will promptly process a refund check.
As of January 1st, 2008 Horizon implemented a service fee that we assess anytime we have to bill someone for their copay. In other words, our policy is to collect the copay at the time of service and in the event someone does not remit their copay at the time of service we include an extra fee on their statement.
Our mission at Horizon Eye Care is to enhance, restore, and preserve vision. An essential component in our ability to continue this mission is to keep a close eye on the financial side of our business. We sincerely appreciate your support and understanding.
