WHAT TO EXPECT
WHAT IS YOUR NEW PATIENT PROCEDURE?
When you first enter the office, a staff member will greet you and have you fill out your New Patient paperwork. If you have scheduled in advance, you will have the option of filling this out via email.
Next, the doctor will take you to the Exam Room for a full physical and chiropractic exam. Perhaps one of the most important steps in an exam is Visualization. We are most interested in your spine, so the first place the doctor will examine is your back and neck. This serves many purposes which can be helpful in preventative health care measures. For example, the doctor will take note of things like bruises, scars, and moles in case a further referral to a different professional is needed.
The physical exam consists of many things including going over your health history and talking about your chief complaint. Blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, height, and weight are recorded. Then depending on your particular case, other exams may be administered at the doctor's discretion. These may include range of motion, orthopedic testing (these can help the doctor narrow down what the diagnosis is), neurological testing (these include things like reflexes, sensory exams, etc and help the doctor come to an accurate diagnosis as well).
The chiropractic exam is just one of the many layers to the physical described above. It is specifically interested in how a specific spinal or extremity segment is moving, if they are painful, if there is swelling or sudoriferous changes or redness, and many other criteria. The doctor will also use a tool called a Nervoscope which can help to determine if a subluxation is present. It is a tool most commonly used in the Gonstead technique and is backed by many years of research. The doctor will also motion palpate segments, which helps to confirm if the subluxation is present. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask us!
Lastly before the adjustment, the doctor may decide radiographs (x-rays) are necessary to providing the best care. We are in the process of building out a full x-ray imaging suite at our office to offer savings in time and dollars. Currently, if the doctor determines images are medically necessary, we will refer you out. The doctor is also licensed to order any other outside imaging that may be necessary including CT and MRI. There are many criteria that lead to these decisions, and it is highly dependent upon individual patient cases. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have questions or concerns.
WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING TO MY FIRST EXAM OR VISIT?
If you have already scheduled an appointment, make sure to fill out your paperwork ahead of time. Please bring your license or other valid state ID and health insurance card (if applicable). Also bring your preferred form of payment. We accept cash, debit, credit, check, HSA/FSA, ACH, Express Pay, and Cherry financing.
If you would like to bring a family member, trusted friend, or legal guardian please don't hesitate! We want you to feel comfortable and make sound decisions concerning your health care, so having a trusted second opinion with you is always a good idea. Our goal at Pace Family Chiropractic is to provide honesty and transparency in everything we do. It is part of how we provide you with the best health and chiropractic care.
DO I NEED A DOCTOR’S REFERRAL?
Doctors of Chiropractic are considered Portal of Entry/Primary Care practitioners in most states today. You do not need a referral to schedule an appointment with us. We are here to help manage your best health care options, which can include in-house care or referral to the appropriate professional.
WHAT TYPES OF HEALTH INSURANCE DO YOU ACCEPT?
Pace Family Chiropractic currently has different providers who accept different forms of payment. Dr. Arielle is a Preferred Provider in BCBS of Alabama's network. Dr. Clayton is a cash only provider. This means as a clinic we can accept any patient who is not eligible for Medicare, including personal injury cases! We accept many forms of payment including cash, debit, credit, check, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, FSA/HSA, etc.
Group or Individual Health Insurance: Your health insurance is an agreement between you and your insurance company, not between your insurance company and our office. We will call your insurance company to verify your benefits if possible; however, the benefits quoted to us by your insurance company are NOT a guarantee of payment. As a courtesy to you, we will complete all necessary insurance forms and file them in an attempt to collect payment for your care. You are responsible for knowing your insurance policy. It is important for you to know that we quote treatment plans as accurately as possible, but it is still only an estimate of your responsibility based on our conversation with your insurance representative and is not a guaranteed quote of required payments of coverage. If there is a balance due from insurance processing a claim, it will ultimately be the patient’s responsibility.
Patients Without Chiropractic Insurance Benefits: We will collect your payment for services rendered at the time you receive your care. We have teamed up with ChiroHealth USA discount membership program in an effort to make our patient’s care as affordable as possible. Please ask us for more information. You agree that in return for the services provided by the doctors at Pace Family Chiropractic you will pay your account at the time services are rendered and/or to be fully responsible for payment of charges and to submit claims to insurance at your discretion. All service balances are due and payable at the time of service.
“On The Job”: (Worker’s Compensation) Injury: If you are injured on the job, you will need to inform your employer immediately of the accident and obtain the name and address of their Workers Compensation insurance. Workers Compensation injuries require a direct referral to our office from either your employer or your Workers Compensation Case manager. If your employer does not provide us with this information and/or we do not receive an approved referral, you will have to pay for your care out of pocket. If we receive the referral and you suspend or terminate care, all fees for services rendered are due immediately and must be paid by you.
Personal Injury/Automobile Accidents: Please present your police report, driver’s license, and your insurance adjustor’s information, along with your attorney’s contact information. We have three payment options available to personal injury/automobile accident patients:
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Pay in Full (cash, credit card (3.5% processing fee), ACH (one time $5 fee), or Cherry financing) for the full estimated plan of care at the time you receive your first examination/treatment and we will give you a receipt for you to turn into the insurance company covering your accident.
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Pay as you Go (cash, credit card) at the time you receive your first examination/treatment and we will give you a receipt for you to turn into the insurance company covering your accident. See also Express Checkout.
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You can obtain an approved attorney and we will submit all bills for your care to them to handle arranging payment for your care. We require a signed Attorney Lien form in this instance. Please call for more information.
Do you provide a Good Faith Estimate?
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
•You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment and hospital fees.
•Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
•If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
•Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.