Policies and Procedures for Patients
Cancellation Policy
Our providers are scheduled out for 9+ months. Late cancellations or no-show appointments take the time of another patient who might be in critical need. This revised policy, which applies to all services, promotes fair access to services and allows us to offer sessions to families waiting for them when cancellations occur.
Please note the following:
Confirmation of appointments
We do require confirmation of all new patient appointments, one week prior to the scheduled appointment. Cancellations must be made 72 hours in advance. You will be charged if the reserved appointment is not cancelled within 72 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time. (If you have further questions about the cancellation fees please contact our office.)
Records
Since your relationship with the Melmed Center is confidential, you must provide us with a signed release to send records to any other agency. You may sign a release form through our (patient forms page) titled Authorization to Release Medical Information. You can also have the agency requesting the records send us your signed release form to [email protected] or fax 480-443-4018. There is no charge for records being sent to Health Care Providers, state agencies and/or schools for continuity of care. There is a $30.00 fee for records sent to the parents, attorneys, non-contracted insurance companies or any other agency that does not provide direct medical treatment for the patient.
Insurance
Our Developmental Pediatricians, Nurse Practitioners and Occupational Therapists are contracted with several insurance companies. Our ABA Program is contracted with United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield. We are not directly contracted with any State Insurance Companies, however, we do offer other options such as a private pay discounts. Our team is happy to answer questions about your insurance plan. Psychological, Coaching, and Educational services at Melmed Center are not contracted with any insurances.
*Please Note: Each insurance plan is different and you may not have a covered plan under the "contracted" insurance company.
Contracted with: BCBS, Cigna, Humana, United Health Care, Tricare, Health Net, Banner Health.
Not contracted with: AHCCCS and Medicare
Payment
As a reminder, we have switched to a convenient online medical billing platform, Collectly. Now, instead of being billed for services up front, you will be billed for any amounts due via Collectly within 60-90 days after receiving ABA services.
If you have not already signed up for Collectly, you will be prompted to sign up when you receive your next statement. After signing up, you will be able to:
Divorced/Separated Families
Our providers are NOT responsible to communicate information regarding a visit to a non-attending parent/guardian. Our providers will NOT be calling the non-attending parent/guardian. If it is imperative the non-attending parent/guardian speak to the provider a phone consultation must be made and the fee is NOT covered by insurance. We cannot act as a mediator between parents under contentious circumstances. We strive to avoid being “side-barred” by parents, lawyers or other professionals; and we hope that is respected. Both parents are always welcome, explicitly and implicitly, at all visits; indeed that is preferred. Parents are responsible for ensuring that coordination of each of their own schedules allows for both to be present. This of course requires a degree of cooperation, that if absent, will preclude the most optimal evaluation. If communication challenges exist which preclude that, it is unfortunate, especially for the child. Melmed Center will work with both parents.
Scheduling different services recommended for myself/child
After you complete your first visit and check out at the front desk, the receptionist will assist you with questions, referral information and registration. Approximately four to six weeks after your visit, we will mail you a report with a summary of our findings and recommendations. You may review these recommendations, consult with your primary care physician regarding referrals, or telephone our office for follow-up appointments and any additional questions. You may contact your insurance company to check what services and which providers are covered under your plan. Remember, some plans cover “out of network providers” at a percentage of reimbursement. Melmed Center wants to facilitate proper recommendations that best meet your needs, so do not hesitate to ask us for assistance.
Reports
Our reports are sent out for transcription. The reports are quite extensive in order to supply comprehensive information of your evaluation. We advise you to expect a minimum of a four to six week wait. Corrections and additional information is sometimes added after reports are reviewed in draft form. The clinician signs final copies before they are mailed.
Refills
Please be sure to contact our office seven (7) days prior to needing a refill prescription in order to ensure that we mail it to you in a timely manner. We recommend that your pharmacy contact our office directly for refills. Again, please call us seven (7) days prior to running out of medication to allow enough time to review the chart and call in the prescription, or mail the prescription.
Phone Calls
Our Clinicians are dedicated to returning messages within 24-72 hours. Please be patient! Do not call several times if you have not heard from your clinician immediately. Our Clinicians see patients back-to-back every day and WILL return your call within the allotted time stated above. For emergencies, call 9-1-1.
F.A.Q.'s
Q: What if we are not contracted with your insurance?
A: We do offer a private fee scale and we will provide you with an encounter form that you may send to your insurance company that may assist you in the reimbursement process. We always recommend that you contact your plan in advance to see if your visit might be reimbursed. Please contact the office for the particular codes that might be used for your visit to our center. Your insurance can then verify for you whether or not you will be reimbursed. Occasionally upon review of our final report the insurance company makes exceptions for reimbursement.
Q: Does my child need to be present at all of the appointments with me?
A: Yes. Your child should attend all scheduled appointments. On occasion you may want to meet with the doctor without your child in attendance. That can be scheduled but please be aware that insurance plans do not cover appointments when the child is not in attendance, and your appointment would be considered private pay.
Q: How often does my child need to be seen?
A: This depends on individual needs. In some cases your child may need to be seen weekly, for example, if counseling or therapy is needed or in order to closely monitor a medication. It is our goal that your child receive the most benefit from the prescribed medication or treatment regimen. In most cases, follow up visits are scheduled every two to three months especially if medication is being monitored. Prescriptions cannot be filled outside of this time frame.
Q: What is a T.O.V.A. test and why has my doctor recommended it?
A: Test Of Variable Attention or T.O.V.A. is a helpful adjunctive tool in diagnosing and monitoring the treatment of ADHD in some situations.
Q: What is an ADOS test?
A: The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule or ADOS is a test administered to help in the diagnosing and delineating of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Q: What is a Psycho-educational Evaluation?
A: This is a series of tests that is recommended when an individual is having challenges with academic achievement. The tests are chosen specifically to address each individual’s needs and typically include measure of intellectual and cognitive ability, tests of achievement in basic subjects (such as reading, written language, and math) and tests of memory and attention.
Q: What does a Developmental Pediatrician do when evaluating a child?
A: A developmental pediatrician will typically spend at least an hour or two with a child to conduct an initial evaluation. They will interview parents about a child's developmental history, habits, abilities and challenges. Once the evaluation is completed a developmental pediatrician will provide a full report and a specific diagnosis when appropriate. Families may also receive recommendations for treatment, help finding therapists, and guidance in choosing educational settings.
Q: Is a Psycho-educational Evaluation something that my insurance will be billed for?
A: Psychological testing is usually not covered by insurance contracts. We will provide you with an encounter form to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. We advise you to contact your insurance company prior to your appointment to determine whether psychological testing services are part of your out-of-network benefits.
Q: What is a Psychological Assessment?
A: When behavior or emotional issues are of concern, a psychological assessment of a child’s social/emotional status is helpful. This most often involves a detailed background history, an interview with the parent and child, the completion of behavior checklists relating to the individual’s performance at school and at home. Tests that explore thoughts, feelings, and moods may be used.
Q: Why am I being charged for a missed appointment when it wasn't my fault?
A: Melmed Center values your time and we appreciate you valuing ours. We have waiting lists for appointments for all our providers and thus all missed appointments will be charged. Our cancellation policy is 48 hours. The fee is anywhere from $75.00-$150.00 depending on the service that is cancelled late or missed.
Q: Why am I seeing a Nurse Practitioner when I just saw the Developmental Pediatrician?
A: Our nurse practitioners are trained in behavior and developmental issues. They evaluate, diagnose treat, and follow-up the same concerns as do our physicians. You will find them a wonderful addition to your team!
Q: Why is my child seeing an Occupational Therapist...my child doesn't work!
A: Although your child does not work, his/her occupation is play and/or school. Occupational therapy is based on the philosophy of maintaining activities of daily living. By working with an occupational therapist, your child is improving his/her abilities to interact with his/her environment.
Don't see your question here? Please call us at 480-443-0050 or e-mail us on the contact us page!
*Melmed Center reserves the right to refuse/discharge a patient from treatment and/or services at any time, for any reason*
Our providers are scheduled out for 9+ months. Late cancellations or no-show appointments take the time of another patient who might be in critical need. This revised policy, which applies to all services, promotes fair access to services and allows us to offer sessions to families waiting for them when cancellations occur.
Please note the following:
- To ensure that other families can use the canceled sessions, please cancel your appointments with at least three days’ (72 hours’) notice
- If you contact us to cancel an appointment with less than three days' notice, you will be charged a $50 cancellation fee
- You will be charged a $100 cancellation fee if you fail to attend a scheduled appointment
- Two consecutive no-shows may result in removal from the regular schedule
- If you arrive more than ten minutes late for an appointment, your session may be canceled, and you will be charged a $50 service fee. Sessions that start late will end at the previously scheduled time.
- Because the above charges cannot be billed to insurance, we will charge the cancellation fee to the credit card on file for your account. Our team will offer to reschedule your child's sessions as schedules allow.
Confirmation of appointments
We do require confirmation of all new patient appointments, one week prior to the scheduled appointment. Cancellations must be made 72 hours in advance. You will be charged if the reserved appointment is not cancelled within 72 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time. (If you have further questions about the cancellation fees please contact our office.)
Records
Since your relationship with the Melmed Center is confidential, you must provide us with a signed release to send records to any other agency. You may sign a release form through our (patient forms page) titled Authorization to Release Medical Information. You can also have the agency requesting the records send us your signed release form to [email protected] or fax 480-443-4018. There is no charge for records being sent to Health Care Providers, state agencies and/or schools for continuity of care. There is a $30.00 fee for records sent to the parents, attorneys, non-contracted insurance companies or any other agency that does not provide direct medical treatment for the patient.
Insurance
Our Developmental Pediatricians, Nurse Practitioners and Occupational Therapists are contracted with several insurance companies. Our ABA Program is contracted with United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield. We are not directly contracted with any State Insurance Companies, however, we do offer other options such as a private pay discounts. Our team is happy to answer questions about your insurance plan. Psychological, Coaching, and Educational services at Melmed Center are not contracted with any insurances.
*Please Note: Each insurance plan is different and you may not have a covered plan under the "contracted" insurance company.
Contracted with: BCBS, Cigna, Humana, United Health Care, Tricare, Health Net, Banner Health.
Not contracted with: AHCCCS and Medicare
Payment
As a reminder, we have switched to a convenient online medical billing platform, Collectly. Now, instead of being billed for services up front, you will be billed for any amounts due via Collectly within 60-90 days after receiving ABA services.
If you have not already signed up for Collectly, you will be prompted to sign up when you receive your next statement. After signing up, you will be able to:
- See all billing information in one centralized location
- Access billing information for all services
- Make payments for services online
- Create a payment plan if needed
- Receive billing statements sent to you via text or email, in addition to paper statements
- Have your questions answered through a live chat system, instead of waiting for a billing response
Divorced/Separated Families
Our providers are NOT responsible to communicate information regarding a visit to a non-attending parent/guardian. Our providers will NOT be calling the non-attending parent/guardian. If it is imperative the non-attending parent/guardian speak to the provider a phone consultation must be made and the fee is NOT covered by insurance. We cannot act as a mediator between parents under contentious circumstances. We strive to avoid being “side-barred” by parents, lawyers or other professionals; and we hope that is respected. Both parents are always welcome, explicitly and implicitly, at all visits; indeed that is preferred. Parents are responsible for ensuring that coordination of each of their own schedules allows for both to be present. This of course requires a degree of cooperation, that if absent, will preclude the most optimal evaluation. If communication challenges exist which preclude that, it is unfortunate, especially for the child. Melmed Center will work with both parents.
Scheduling different services recommended for myself/child
After you complete your first visit and check out at the front desk, the receptionist will assist you with questions, referral information and registration. Approximately four to six weeks after your visit, we will mail you a report with a summary of our findings and recommendations. You may review these recommendations, consult with your primary care physician regarding referrals, or telephone our office for follow-up appointments and any additional questions. You may contact your insurance company to check what services and which providers are covered under your plan. Remember, some plans cover “out of network providers” at a percentage of reimbursement. Melmed Center wants to facilitate proper recommendations that best meet your needs, so do not hesitate to ask us for assistance.
Reports
Our reports are sent out for transcription. The reports are quite extensive in order to supply comprehensive information of your evaluation. We advise you to expect a minimum of a four to six week wait. Corrections and additional information is sometimes added after reports are reviewed in draft form. The clinician signs final copies before they are mailed.
Refills
Please be sure to contact our office seven (7) days prior to needing a refill prescription in order to ensure that we mail it to you in a timely manner. We recommend that your pharmacy contact our office directly for refills. Again, please call us seven (7) days prior to running out of medication to allow enough time to review the chart and call in the prescription, or mail the prescription.
Phone Calls
Our Clinicians are dedicated to returning messages within 24-72 hours. Please be patient! Do not call several times if you have not heard from your clinician immediately. Our Clinicians see patients back-to-back every day and WILL return your call within the allotted time stated above. For emergencies, call 9-1-1.
F.A.Q.'s
Q: What if we are not contracted with your insurance?
A: We do offer a private fee scale and we will provide you with an encounter form that you may send to your insurance company that may assist you in the reimbursement process. We always recommend that you contact your plan in advance to see if your visit might be reimbursed. Please contact the office for the particular codes that might be used for your visit to our center. Your insurance can then verify for you whether or not you will be reimbursed. Occasionally upon review of our final report the insurance company makes exceptions for reimbursement.
Q: Does my child need to be present at all of the appointments with me?
A: Yes. Your child should attend all scheduled appointments. On occasion you may want to meet with the doctor without your child in attendance. That can be scheduled but please be aware that insurance plans do not cover appointments when the child is not in attendance, and your appointment would be considered private pay.
Q: How often does my child need to be seen?
A: This depends on individual needs. In some cases your child may need to be seen weekly, for example, if counseling or therapy is needed or in order to closely monitor a medication. It is our goal that your child receive the most benefit from the prescribed medication or treatment regimen. In most cases, follow up visits are scheduled every two to three months especially if medication is being monitored. Prescriptions cannot be filled outside of this time frame.
Q: What is a T.O.V.A. test and why has my doctor recommended it?
A: Test Of Variable Attention or T.O.V.A. is a helpful adjunctive tool in diagnosing and monitoring the treatment of ADHD in some situations.
Q: What is an ADOS test?
A: The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule or ADOS is a test administered to help in the diagnosing and delineating of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Q: What is a Psycho-educational Evaluation?
A: This is a series of tests that is recommended when an individual is having challenges with academic achievement. The tests are chosen specifically to address each individual’s needs and typically include measure of intellectual and cognitive ability, tests of achievement in basic subjects (such as reading, written language, and math) and tests of memory and attention.
Q: What does a Developmental Pediatrician do when evaluating a child?
A: A developmental pediatrician will typically spend at least an hour or two with a child to conduct an initial evaluation. They will interview parents about a child's developmental history, habits, abilities and challenges. Once the evaluation is completed a developmental pediatrician will provide a full report and a specific diagnosis when appropriate. Families may also receive recommendations for treatment, help finding therapists, and guidance in choosing educational settings.
Q: Is a Psycho-educational Evaluation something that my insurance will be billed for?
A: Psychological testing is usually not covered by insurance contracts. We will provide you with an encounter form to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. We advise you to contact your insurance company prior to your appointment to determine whether psychological testing services are part of your out-of-network benefits.
Q: What is a Psychological Assessment?
A: When behavior or emotional issues are of concern, a psychological assessment of a child’s social/emotional status is helpful. This most often involves a detailed background history, an interview with the parent and child, the completion of behavior checklists relating to the individual’s performance at school and at home. Tests that explore thoughts, feelings, and moods may be used.
Q: Why am I being charged for a missed appointment when it wasn't my fault?
A: Melmed Center values your time and we appreciate you valuing ours. We have waiting lists for appointments for all our providers and thus all missed appointments will be charged. Our cancellation policy is 48 hours. The fee is anywhere from $75.00-$150.00 depending on the service that is cancelled late or missed.
Q: Why am I seeing a Nurse Practitioner when I just saw the Developmental Pediatrician?
A: Our nurse practitioners are trained in behavior and developmental issues. They evaluate, diagnose treat, and follow-up the same concerns as do our physicians. You will find them a wonderful addition to your team!
Q: Why is my child seeing an Occupational Therapist...my child doesn't work!
A: Although your child does not work, his/her occupation is play and/or school. Occupational therapy is based on the philosophy of maintaining activities of daily living. By working with an occupational therapist, your child is improving his/her abilities to interact with his/her environment.
Don't see your question here? Please call us at 480-443-0050 or e-mail us on the contact us page!
*Melmed Center reserves the right to refuse/discharge a patient from treatment and/or services at any time, for any reason*