Annual Fee Consent and Payment Form
What is it for?
The Annual Fee is for services we provide in addition to your office visit. Your office visit fee varies depending on the type of medical problems addressed in the exam room, but does not account for the services our staff and us doctors take care of outside of the exam room. Our office staff performs many tasks when you are not in the office, or between visits. These services include faxing prescriptions, prescription changes, obtaining authorizations from insurance companies, responding to prescription refill requests, postage fees, billing and statement fees, filling out forms, communicating with “mail order” pharmacies, and technology fees. Other offices charge individually for these extra services, but some choose to lump it together in one fee. The Annual fee is also for access to the Patient Portal online communication system. Please see the Patient Portal link for further details.
Why are you charging this fee?
The Annual Fee is being charged to offset the rising cost of running a medical practice. Some doctors try to see more patients for quicker visits in order to make up the loss, but we choose to keep our number of patient visits per day the same, avoid double-booking as much as possible, and make up for some of the loss with this fee. Insurance companies essentially “tell us” what they will pay for a given service. If we do not accept that rate, then they will not “allow” us to be on their plan, or “in-network.” Unfortunately, most plans have decreased these rates over the past four years. Some insurance companies cut visit rates more than 20% in one year. Rarely, do insurance companies increase payment rates. But, our cost of doing business rises sharply each year. We started charging this fee in order to cover rising expenses. For cash-pay patient, or those without insurance, your annual fee allows us to keep the office visit and lab draw rates the same this year without an annual increase.
How much is the annual fee?
The annual fee is $45 per patient, or $90 per immediate family including children under 21 years of age. Grandparents and children over 21 are considered extended family and will need to pay separately.
When is it collected or billed?
It is collected at your first visit for the year. For instance, if you see us in February, it will be collected with your co-pay or office visit charge at that time. If you have financial difficulties, our office will work with you.
Will the fee rise each year?
We would like to say “No,” but it probably will. The cost of doing business rises each year, and income to the office stays the same, or lowers. The healthcare industry is not healthy, and small practices, like ours, are greatly affected. It is difficult for a small practice to stay financially viable. We also like to take advantage of advanced technology such as increased e-mail type communication and increased online access to your health information. See the Patient Portal link for more on this.
Are other doctors doing this?
Yes, all across the United States more and more physicians are having the same financial struggles. Stone Creek Family Medicine has the lowest annual fee that we are aware of, but some practices charge upwards of $1500 per patient per year. Some people call it “Concierge” medicine. The level of extra services varies with each practice. We hope this allows us to excel in providing more personal healthcare, with better technology and improved access to care.