Charges:

• I have implemented a fee of $100 per patient every three months.  This is an administrative fee and does not change the amount of money we will charge your insurance.  This fee will be paid prior to your first office visit and then at three month intervals.
• Outside of the quarterly administrative fee of $100, you will be responsible for the fees, deductibles, and co-pays under your insurance plan.  As a patient, it is your responsibility to know and understand your insurance plan benefits and your responsibility for any deductibles, co-insurance, or co-payment amounts prior to any visit.  Not all services are covered under all insurance contracts.  If your insurance plan does not cover a service or procedure, you are responsible for payment of these charges.  Please be aware that benefit and coverage rules and policies differ among insurers and even between different plans of the same insurer.  If you do not have insurance, you will be charged $250 per hour. 
• Your first visit will be one hour and your subsequent visits 30 minutes.

Testing:

• I strive to treat people with the least possible out of pocket cost.  However, complex problems sometimes require complex tests.    I will order the tests that I think necessary.  It is up to you to negotiate with your insurance over coverage.   I do not keep track of the various contracts people have with their insurers.  You need to verify coverage before you have any testing done.  Some of the tests I order need to be sent to Quest, some to LabCorps.   If your insurance only pays for one of these labs, you will need to pay the rest out of pocket.  It is cheaper if you pay before you get the test. 
• To treat chronic health problems as I currently do requires some specialized testing.  I am guided by Dr Shoemaker’s recommendations for the initial tests I order.  Some of these tests require special tubes or special treatments such as freezing or spinning several times.  The lab around the corner from my office has learned how to do these tests for me.  You may choose to have your labs done at a different lab, but if there are problems in the way the test was done you may not be able to get your insurance to agree to pay to re-do the test.  I therefore think it may be easier for you to get your tests done in Lexington. 
• These are the tests that Dr Shoemaker recommends:  http://www.survivingmold.com/diagnosis/lab-tests. 
• My office is not equipped to get preauthorization of labs for you from your insurance provider. 

Insurance Hassles:

• I simply do not have the time and patience to argue with insurance companies.  My experience is no different from yours when conacting insurance companies.  If you need for my office to manage your insurance billing problems (ie discussing labs that were not paid for or appealing insurance denials of medicines), the person in my office who will work on this for you is Kate.  You will be billed for her time.   The rate for her to do this work is: $30 per hour.   If I need to be on the phone to an insurance company on your behalf, you will be billed at a rate of $200 per hour.

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