Our fees are usual and customary for the area and are determined by the services we render and your insurance plan’s regulations. If you have any questions regarding our fees, please be sure to discuss them with our business office personnel.
Our practice is responsive to the need for health care cost containment. It is for this reason that we request that all office fees be paid at the time service is rendered. Your prompt payment reduces costly billing services. We accept your personal check, cash, Visa or Master Card.
We participate with Medicare, Cigna PPO, United Healthcare (excluding Medicare Advantage and Medicaid), and many other health plans. Please call or contact us to find out whether we participate with your health care plan. Many health plans require you to obtain a referral before being seen in our office. If your plan requires this, please be sure to bring the referral with you so that your payments may be reduced. Co-payments and deductibles are collected at the time of service as per your plan’s rules. We often see patients whose plans we do not participate with. In this case, payment is due when you check out of our office. Sometimes our fees can be reduced for our patients when their health plan does not cover them.
We require payment in full for non-covered services such as refractions and contact lenses.
One of the best ways to reduce your costs is to use a flexible spending health plan or a health savings account. Many employer health plans include flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts that allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible (healthcare-related) expenses. Depending upon your income and tax bracket, this could save you several thousand dollars.
Contributions to these plans may be made through automatic and regular deductions from your paychecks or lump sum deposits to your HSA bank account. Since the funds placed in the account are not taxed, they go much further in covering eligible medical expenses. Both Laser Vision Correction (LASIK) and Premium Intraocular Lenses with or without cataract surgery are eligible expenses. This means that your flexible benefits options can help you pay for the correction of your nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism. For more information on this type of plan, consult with your health insurance benefits administrator.
The IRS has ruled that Laser Vision Correction and Premium Intraocular Lenses with or without cataract surgery are tax-deductible medical expenses. Therefore, you may be eligible for income tax deductions associated with your surgical procedure. Please check with your accountant or the IRS for more information.
Many patients have credit ratings which qualify them for credit cards that are either interest-free or have extremely low interest rates over the course of the first year. Some patients have paid for laser vision correction, cosmetic ophthalmic plastic surgery and premium intraocular lenses with or without cataract surgery with this credit card and saved money over the course of that year to pay off the balance before they incur significant interest.
For those patients who need to pay off their medical expenses over a long period of time, financing plans of varying interest rates are available. Please contact our surgery counselors for more information: Vision Correction Center (LASIK) 301-657-5711; Cataract Surgery Counselor: 301-654-4098 or 301-657-5703; Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Counselor: 301-657-5700
The interest rate on home equity loans is generally relatively low. This is one way to borrow the money for your LASIK procedure, your ophthalmic plastic surgery procedure, or your premium intraocular lens without incurring high interest costs.
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The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider.
