Bestcare Internal Medicine Practice Policies

• Prescription Policy

  • ​For prescription renewals, contact your pharmacy. The turnaround time is 24 - 48 hours, so please call before you run out of your medication. For your safety, we will refuse to prescribe medications for a new problem without seeing you at the office. Depending on your medical condition we in general require that anyone on continuing medication be seen every 3 months to evaluate drug effectiveness and to detect possible adverse reactions. Prescriptions for medications are given at office appointments. If there are no refills remaining on your prescription, you will need to schedule an appointment before you run out. Before each office visit, review your medication list and make sure that you have enough refills of all your medication to last until your next office visit. For all refill requests please call your pharmacy to send us a request. If your pharmacy contacts our office for renewal authorization and no refill has been authorized it is because you need an appointment.

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• Phone Policy

  • ​Our office staff can assist with general questions. If you need to speak with a provider or a medical assistant, please clearly inform the front desk of the nature of your call. Excessive or repeated calls disrupt patient care and will not be accommodated. Except for emergencies, our priority is patients being seen in the office, and messages will be reviewed after the provider has completed appointments. If you are feeling very ill or your situation is urgent, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department immediately. For fastest response use your portal to send us a message. 

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• Referral Request Policy

  • Some insurance plans require a referral to see another physician or a pre-certification to have certain procedures done. In most instances your provider will have to see you before we can provide a referral for you. The nature of the referral needs to be addressed and documented in your chart during a face to face visit, please call our office to schedule an appointment if you need a referral or let us know during your office visit. Unless an urgent referral is required, please allow up to 14 days for your referral to be completed.

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• Results of Diagnostic/Lab Tests Policy

  • If you have a test performed, please schedule a follow-up within 10 days of the test to go over your results. While we make every effort to review and communicate results, it is the patient’s responsibility to ensure a follow-up appointment is scheduled. Please note that in some cases, our office may not automatically receive your test results, so it is important that you contact us to confirm that results have been received and reviewed by your provider.

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• Copay Policy

  • Any patient out-of-pocket expense is due on the date of service. We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Any outstanding account balances are also required to be paid at the time of service. 

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• Special Letters & Forms Policy

  • Employers, insurance companies, and others sometimes ask that we prepare letters or forms containing detailed information about the medical care we provide. There are fees for these forms and some require an appointment. Such forms include, but are not limited to, completing disability forms, health questionnaires, assisted living and composing various letters. The fee varies please call our office to ask what the fee maybe for your request and if it requires an appointment. Completion time varies by form.

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• Missed Appointments/Late Cancellation Policy

  • We appreciate your consideration of the provider's schedule. When patients do not show for an appointment it hinders our ability to efficiently manage the schedule and impacts other patients. We require 24 hour advance notice of cancellation. A $50.00 fee will be applied to your account for short-notice cancellations or missed appointments. If you have scheduled a first appointment of the day, you MUST come 20 minutes before your appointment. Patients who miss several appointments without calling may be discharged from our practice.

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• Same Day Appointment Policy

  • Our office may have available appointment times to accommodate patients with same-day urgent needs. Please call our office first before visiting an urgent care clinic or hospital, as your out-of-pocket expenses are usually much higher when using those facilities.

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• Dismissal Policy

  • If you are "dismissed" from our practice it means you can no longer schedule appointments, get medication refills or consider us your medical provider. Common reasons for dismissal are failure to keep appointments (frequent no shows, noncompliance, abusive to staff, rudeness, failure to pay your bill. WE HAVE A ZERO TOLERANCE policy for being abusive or rude to staff. Patients dismissed from the practice will be provided with emergency care for 30 days and assistance in transferring records to a new provider

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• MANDATORY Annual Exam/Wellness Visit Policy

  • We strongly recommend Annual Physical Exams for patients under 65 and Medicare Annual Wellness Visits for patients 65 and older. These visits are essential to maintaining high-quality, preventive care by allowing your provider to review your overall health, update medications, and ensure all recommended cancer screenings and preventive measures are up to date. Please note that the annual visit is dedicated specifically to preventive care and does not include evaluation or treatment of new or ongoing medical problems. If you need to discuss a specific health concern, obtain medication refills, or address chronic conditions, please inform our scheduling staff so a separate appointment can be arranged. Additional visits for problem-focused care may involve a copay or coinsurance as determined by your insurance plan.

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• Financial Policy

  • If you have no Insurance: Payment will be due at the time of service, ask the front desk for cash-pay prices. If you have insurance: Although we are contracted with several insurance companies, it is your responsibility to make sure that our provider is in your plan and if you are in an HMO plan which requires an assigned primary care provider, make sure this is done before your scheduled appointment. (Please note some plans take longer than others for this change to take effect}. It is also your responsibility to know your insurance benefits. At the time of service you will be responsible for all fees that are not covered by your insurance, including co-pays, co- insurance, deductibles and non-covered services or items received. The co-pay cannot be waived by our practice, as it is a requirement placed on you by your insurance carrier. We strive to be as accurate as possible in calculating your responsibility but, with so many variations in policies and fee schedules, we are not always exact. You may receive a statement from our office for any balance due. For your convenience we accept cash, checks, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover). Payments are also accepted by phone and at www.bestcareaz.com. For patients with high-deductible insurance plans, a valid credit card may be required to be kept on file to ensure timely payment of patient responsibilities.

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• Auto Accident

  • If your injury is a result of an auto accident, you are required to pay for services and then collect from the auto carrier. We will not file your insurance but will provide you with a receipt to do so.  Liability Injury: If your injury is a result from another party's negligence, you are required to pay for services and then collect from the responsible party. We will not file your insurance but will provide you with a receipt to do so.                                                                                                    

• Worker's Compensation

  • ​If your injury is due to an accident in your work place, please inform the front desk immediately. You will need to contact your supervisor for instructions on how to file a worker's compensation claim. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.                                                                                                                        

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• Billing

  • If you receive a bill from us, it is because we believe the balance is your responsibility. If you think there is an error, please contact our billing department. If you cannot pay your entire balance, please call to make payment arrangements. Do not call the main office regarding billing questions — the front office team can only assist with taking payments. For all billing inquiries, please email billing@bestcareaz.com.                                                                                                               

• Collections

  • ​ Accounts that are not paid within 30 days begin our in house collection process. If your balance becomes 90 days old, your provider will be notified and you may be subject to dismissal from the practice.

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• HIPAA

  • In accordance with HIPAA privacy regulations, all patients are responsible for keeping their information up to date. This includes address, phone number, insurance, and emergency contact details. Please notify our office immediately of any changes to ensure proper communication, accurate billing, and protection of your private health information. You can request a HIPAA form to be sent to your patient portal to easily make updates. 

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