Co-Pay Information

Co-pays are due in full at the time of service per your contract with your insurance company. Thank you!

Any outstanding balances greater than 90 days must be paid in full at the time of your visit.  If you cannot pay your account balance in full, you must set up a payment plan with our office manager before you can be seen at your visit.

Common insurance questions:

What is a co-pay?  A copay is a fixed amount set with your insurance plan which must be paid in full at the time of your visit before services can be rendered.  Co-pays vary according to insurance plans.

What is a deductible?  A deductible is a fixed amount that a patient must pay out of pocket at the beginning of the calendar year or plan year (which varies across insurance plans) before insurance will pay on covered services at the allowable amount.

For example, a patient with $1,000 deductible must satisfy this in full before their insurance company will pay on medical expenses.

What is co-insurance? Co-insurance is a patient’s shared financial responsibility of their medical expenses.  This is a fixed percentage and varies across insurance plans.

For example, if your plan covers your medical expenses at 80%, you have a financial responsibility of 20% of those medical expenses.

What is an out-of-pocket maximum?  Your out-of-pocket maximum is the most you will have to pay for covered medical expenses in a plan year before your insurance plan begins to pay 100 percent of covered medical expenses.

What is a referral?  A referral is a document from your primary care physician or insurance company that allows a patient to see a specialist.  Referrals have a certain number of visits and expiration date.  Please allow 1-2 weeks for your primary care physician to process referrals.

HMO plans always require a referral from the primary care physician to see a specialist.  An HMO is a pre-paid medical plan that arranges to provide specified services to enrolled members through designated doctors and hospitals for a fixed premium per person.

Thank you for choosing Podiatry 1st for all of your foot and ankle needs!