Registration Information
Notwithstanding any previous relationship with Dr. Stewart at either Pine Lake Family Medicine or at Swedish Physicians Pine Lake, all persons wishing to be seen at Sammamish Diabetes and Lipid Clinic, PLLC, will need to register as patients at the clinic, since this is a new clinic, with a new business license, a new Tax ID Number, and different insurance contracts. As of September, 2009, if you have not yet been seen as a patient at the Sammamish Diabetes and Lipid Clinic, then you will have to apply to be put on our waiting list, to establish status as a patient.Financial Policies
Patients who have health insurance with plans that we participate in are expected to pay any co-pays due at the time they are seen, and to pay any additional fees (such as deductibles or co-insurance) they might owe the first time they are billed for them. We are not in the business of extending credit to people, but we do accept payment by credit card.
For patients who do not have health insurance plans that we participate in, we offer a 35% discount off of our visit fees and procedure fees, and a 50% discount off of our in-house lab fees for payment at the time of service. We also offer a prepaid package of medical office visits for one year for $365.00 prepaid plus $15.00 for each visit, due at the time of service. Under this plan, procedures such as electrocardiograms, skin lesion removal, and cryotherapy (freezing skin lesions), are offered at a 35% discount, and in-house lab fees under this plan are offered at a 50% discount.
Yearly Subscription Fee for Enhanced Access, Technology, and Non-Covered Services
Secure internet messaging with your physician, and 24/7 web access to your chart are services that are not covered by insurance companies at this time, and, while insurance companies do require physicians to provide reasonable access for their patients, they do not require the physicians to provide all of their patients with their cell phone numbers. To cover the expense of implementing and maintaining these additional services not covered by insurance, all patients are expected to pay a yearly fee. This fee also covers access to on-line visits via Skype or Face Time, and to Virtual Visits, though an additional per-visit fee for these services may be due, if used.
Our current yearly fee for established patients is $100.00 for the first patient in each family, and $50.00 for each additional family member living in the same household. Adolescents and young adults under the age of 27 will not have to pay the fee if two adult family members have paid. As we from time to time are able to accept new patients, the new patients will be charged at $250.00, with no family discount. These fees are due yearly on the first visit of each year.
Established patients with severe financial difficulty may be granted an exemption to this charge, just as they are often seen gratis, but the expectation is that payment will be made by all who are able.
Patients who leave the practice are entitled to a pro-rated refund of the yearly fee as of the time we are notified of their departure, provided that all other financial obligations to the practice have been met.