This page is an introduction for first-time patients to my practice. Here, you’ll find everything you need in preparation for your first office visit. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with my office policies (see tab at left). You may find there are some important differences between how my office runs and what you’re used to at your current medical office. In particular, please take note of my refill policy. You also need to read through a standard HIPPA privacy policy, which details how I keep your medical information confidential. If you have any questions about the policies, please ask me at the beginning of your appointment, and I’ll be happy to clarify.
If you have insurance that I participate with, please remember to bring your insurance card to your visits. Given the large number of plans each insurance company sells these days, I’ve found it’s always a good idea to double check directly with your insurance that I’m In-Network for your specific plan. I strive to keep this list as up-to-date as possible. The insurances I currently participate with are:
ODS/Moda Commercial plans only.
Pacific Source Commercial plans as well as Pacific Source Coordinated Care (the only Marketplace plan I’m currently contracted with).
Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield products including Federal (look for the suitcase icon on your card; it should say “PPO”). Regarding local Regence plans, I am only in-network with their commercial plans.
Providence. In the Portland area, I’m only contracted with their commercial plans, but even then there are restrictions. If you have Providence, my best advice is to check directly with Providence regarding specific plans.
First Choice Health. This allows me to serve those of you with Kaiser Added Choice as a tier 2 provider, along with other smaller insurers who may use the FCH network.
Bridgespan, commercial plans only.
Cigna
HMA
Liberty Health Share
MultiPlan/PHCS/Beech Street including Integra BMS
Coventry/First Health
United
MVA
Please review your insurance materials to determine if you have an office visit copay (it sometimes says this right on your card). Your copay is due with either cash or check at the time of your visit, so please come prepared. I will submit the rest of your bill to the insurance company for you. If your insurance company then tells me you’re responsible for a coinsurance, deductible, or an uncovered service, I will send you a bill for the balance via email.
If you have insurance that I do not currently participate with, I am still able to submit your bill directly to your insurance to see if they offer partial reimbursement. After receiving a statement from your insurance company, I will bill you any balance due via email. When deciding if it is financially reasonable to see me even if I’m not an in-network provider with your insurance, please keep in mind that only the medical charges I generate in my office are subject to the out-of-network reimbursement rate. In other words, these are the bills for my office visits, which are often a small portion of your overall yearly health care costs. If we decide you need labs, imaging, a pap smear, a referral to a specialist or physical therapy, medications, or if you need care in the emergency room or hospital, all of those charges can be billed in-network. Please ask me for clarification if you’re still puzzled.
Next, please print out the forms below, fill them out, and bring them to your first visit. If you have trouble accessing the forms for any reason, contact me at 888-480-1115, and I’ll help you find a solution.
* A consent form indicating you’ve read and agreed to the office policies and HIPAA privacy statement. If the patient is under 18 years old, please be sure to list all parents/guardians on the line provided.
* A new patient registration form
* A health history form
* A release authorization form if you wish to transfer records from a previous physician. After you fill out this form, you can deliver it to your previous doctor’s office so that they can begin to process the request immediately. Alternatively, you can bring the form with you to your visit and I can fax it for you. (If you do this, please come ready with your previous provider’s fax number.) If you’re unsure about if you need to do this, simply bring the form to the visit and we can decide together. Generally, I like to see records if there are complicated medical issues that need follow up, abnormal test results, or pathology reports from a breast biopsy, for example. If you’ve been healthy with only typical colds/coughs and routine care, transferring records is often unneeded.