We wanted to take a moment to inform you that as of January 1, 2021, some changes have been made to the national guidelines for billing of medical office visits. One change in particular that we wish to describe to you is how billing for routine checkups works under the new guidelines. Under the new system, if we manage a medical problem during a checkup, we are required to document and charge for this service in addition to the usual charge for the checkup itself.
For example, if your child is found to have an ear infection during his or her routine checkup, there will be a billing charge for the diagnosis and management of the ear infection in addition to the usual charge for the checkup. Or, if your child has asthma and we discuss how your child’s asthma is doing and review the use of his/her asthma medications during a checkup, there will be a billing charge for the diagnosis and management of the asthma in addition to the usual charge for the checkup.
While routine checkups generally do not involve co-pays or deductibles, you may be charged a copay or deductible when billing for a separate medical problem occurs during a routine checkup. Whether you are charged a copay or deductible depends on the medical insurance plan you have and is determined by your insurance company, not by our office.
Please feel free to ask us any questions about these changes or contact our billing department about a bill you have received from our office.