To Our Patients: We are committed to providing you with the best possible care. In order to achieve these goals, we need your assistance and understanding of our office and financial policies.
After Hours: Life happens! Sometimes illness and accidents occur after hours. Our on-call physicians or nurses are available overnight and on weekends and holidays to provide you with advice. Please call our answering service (716) 827-1684, so we can help you decide if you need to take your child to the Emergency Room or provide you with advice to get you through the night. If it is necessary to go to the emergency room, we appreciate a call before you go. When you call us first, we will recommend an appropriate facility. We will call the doctors at that facility with our concerns. When we call in advance of your arrival, we request and receive direct communication at the conclusion of the visit. This ensures that we remain involved in your child’s care for improved continuity when you return to our office for follow up.
If your call has not been returned within a half hour, please call again and ask to have the doctor re-paged.
Registration: We require an updated registration form every year. If the information is outdated, it is the responsibility of the person bringing their child to the appointments to complete the form at the time of the visit-before being seen.
Appointments: Genesee-Transit Pediatrics works diligently to maintain our schedule and provide prompt care to our patients. To assist us with this we ask that you arrive 10 minutes prior to your appointment to complete any necessary paperwork. If you arrive more that 10 minutes after your appointment time, the appointment may need to be rescheduled. If you are unable to keep an appointment, please contact our office at least 24 hours in advance.
Established Patient No Show Policy- please remember that we need 24 hour notice if you need to cancel/reschedule an appointment. You will receive a warning letter after the first no-show appointment. Any no-show appointments following that for any family member will result in the release of the family from our care.
New Patient No Show Policy- please remember that we need 24 hour notice if you need to cancel/reschedule an appointment. If we do not have 24 hour notice and/or you no-show for your first appointment with us we will not reschedule the appointment and you will need to find another doctors office for care.
Forms: Health Appraisal Forms are available at the time of a physical exam. We do not charge for completing other forms, however they may not be done on the day of the appointment. Please allow up to 7 days for forms to be completed.
After Hours Charges: For the convenience of our patients and at the urging of insurance companies, Genesee-Transit Pediatrics provides evening hours Monday thru Friday 8am until 4pm and am hours on Saturdays. Urgent care visits on Saturdays carry an additional charge, which you may be responsible for depending on your insurance.
Your Insurance: We participate with most insurances-click to see the list. The requirements and coverage for services vary. It is your responsibility to understand the terms of your insurance coverage. We have contractual agreements with many insurances and are not permitted to write off co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles for services provided. All services are based on established standards of care and recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics. You should be aware that some insurances do not pay all doctors’ bills in full.
Be Prepared to Pay at the Time of Service: You may be responsible for a co-payment, co-insurance or deductible. Patients with deductible plans will be asked for $30 which will be applied to that visit. All accounts need to be kept current and a deductible balance cannot be carried over into the new plan year.
Children’s Coverage in Dual Household Situations: The parent (guardian) that the child mainly resides with is financially responsible for their account, regardless of who holds the insurance for that patient. In situations where the child comes to the office with one parent (guardian) or another adult holds the insurance, we require the payment to be paid at the time of visit.
Non-Covered Services: In the event your health insurance plan determines a service to be “not covered”, you will be responsible for the balance. Should this occur, we will bill you; and payment is due upon receipt of that statement.
We do not participate with Workers’ Compensation: You will need to contact a physician who participates if your child is injured at the workplace.
No-Fault Insurance: If you sustained injuries in a motor vehicle accident, notify us when you call for the appointment. All no-fault information should be given to us at the time you are first treated for the accident. Failure to supply us with this information will result in you being responsible for payment.
Developmental Screening: Genesee-Transit Pediatrics does routine screening for developmental delays and autism as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Some insurances may not cover these services and require you to pay a co-pay or deductible, even if done as part of a well visit.
Past Due Accounts: An account is past due if no payment is received within 30 days of the initial billing date. Patients with past due accounts must make a payment before being seen for a physical by your health care provider. Accounts that remain delinquent will be forwarded to a collection agency. If we are forced to send an account to collection or you file bankruptcy and list us, your family will be released from our practice.
Collection Policy: This office accepts payment in cash, check, VISA and MASTERCARD. We do use the services of a collection agency if necessary but try to avoid it through an understanding of open communication between the patient (or parent/guardian) and our office. If there are special circumstances, please discuss them with our account manager.
Insufficient Fund Checks: Returned checks will be charged back to the patient’s account. There will be an additional $25.00 service fee for each returned check. Future balances must be paid by cash or credit card.
Abuse of Staff: It is the goal and responsibility of Genesee-Transit Pediatrics to provide our staff with a safe and professional working environment. Just as we expect our staff to treat our patients and families in a courteous and respectful manner, we expect the same treatment for our staff in return. We will not tolerate physical or verbal abuse of our staff, including threats and profanity. Such actions will result in your discharge from the practice.
If you Decide to Leave Us: We accept patients back into our practice if you have left due to a change in insurance or having left the area.
Questions about your Bill: Please call us at 716-558-5437 and we will be glad to explain your billing statement.