• For all patients
• For new patients only
• For medicare patients

Since 11/03, we have been using "Medical Specialty Solutions", a professional billing service to manage our billing, while our staff focus on providing the best medical care for our patients. Therefore, if you have any questions regarding the bill for the service you receive, please call their office at 503-968-2885.

The co-payment required by your insurance company is made when checking in for your appointment. We will gladly bill your primary and secondary insurance, but are not able to bill any additional coverage.

If a 3rd party insurance is involved, as in a motor vehicle accident, you will be asked to pay for your visit when you arrive, and will then be sent a ledger of charges to submit to the appropriate party for reimbursement.

Each insurance company issues many different benefit packages based on employer, groups and contracts, and they can be affected by changes and cancellation without our knowledge. It is impossible for us to decide for each particular patient how a visit or procedure is to be covered. Therefore, verification of insurance coverage, as well as notification of any change or cancellation of insurance, is the your responsibility as patient and insured person. We suggest that you refer to your most recent member's handbook to find out about coverage for particular types of visits, procedures, lab studies and medications. Our doctors will provide the service, prescribe medications, order studies or refer to specialists for what is considered best for your health, and usually use facilities and specialists in the area, unless specific restrictions are made aware to us.

Also, please understand that YOU, the patient or guardian, are ultimately financially responsible for all charges, regardless of insurance coverage and/or payments.

If your insurance is an HMO: After selecting a doctor, you must first notify the insurance company that you are changing your primary care physician. When you have received your new card, and see that the information is correct, then call the GIMC to schedule an appointment. It is also helpful if at this time you can arrange with your previous doctor's office to have your records transferred.

For non-HMO insurances, once you have verified with your insurance company that we are an accepted provider, you are welcome to call us to schedule.

If our doctors are on the provider list for your insurance plan, but you are unsure whether this would be the right doctor for you, you may call our office to schedule a brief (5-10 minute) courtesy appointment to meet the doctor prior to making the decision to sign up or switch doctors and we will try to accommodate if our scheduling availability allows. During such a courtesy visit, you may find out about the doctor's general approach to areas of health care you are concerned about and his communication styles. However, no specific treatment is to be recommended during such visits.

Many physician providers choose not the accept patients with traditional MediCare coverage (with or without secondary supplemental insurance) due to inadequate reimbursement and complex regulations. Although we still accept new patients with traditional MediCare, the increasing difficulties with finding specialists sometimes do present challenge with providing optimal care for our patients. If you are eligible for MediCare, you may explore some of the commercial Medicare/HMO programs, such as First Choice 65 or Secure Horizon.

Starting 11/15/05, enrollment for the prescription drug benefit program for MediCare beneficiaries will start. Although the program may look somewhat complex and confusing, patients currently paying more than $90/month for prescriptions will definitely benefit, and even if not at the present time, chances are quite high that during the year, someone in this age group can develop a condition that would require prescription medications that are of substantial cost. Since enrollment is accepted only during the open enrollment period, opting out of a small cost at this time could mean substantially higher cost, or even compromised health care if unexpected health conditions arise. In addition, there is a penalty that might be assessed. For more information, you may visit the official Medicare website. Be sure to check to find the insurance plan that carry the main medications that you are taking (Most plans by reputable insurers would carry most common medications, but not all the brand names of the same class).