Billing and Insurance
PAYMENT
Why we require payment up-front - and why we charge for missed appointments:
The Akasha Center is a low volume office. We do not double book patients - a practice which is common in most physicians offices. Your booked appointment is reserved in advance for you so your personal physician can focus on your comprehensive care. Insurance companies expect physicians to double book an average of 4 to 6 patients per hour. That is how their contractual agreements and reimbursements are structured. These expectations limit our ability to work with most insurance companies contractual requirements,(with the exception of CIGNA),to provide our patients with the comprehensive integrative care that our center is known for. Therefore, our practitioners work as “out of network” providers. Since we do not overbook and schedule no more than two patients per hour, (initial visits vary from 1 to 1 1/2 hours), your missed appointment represents a loss for our physicians and to the center, therefore we require a 48 hour notice of cancellation for all appointments.
What happens after I pay for my visit? How do I get reimbursed?
After payment is made to our office, the bills can be submitted to PPO insurance plans as “out of network” directly by you or by a third party billing company we recommentd. You will be reimbursed dependent upon your individual insurance plan. Please contact your insurance company for information on your coverage for “out of network” providers.
Respectfully, we are not providers for any HMO insurance or Medicare. Medicare patients are also required to pay upfront and per medical regulations may NOT be eligible for reimbursements.
We accept American Express, Visa, MasterCard and personal checks. A fee will be issued in the event of insufficient funds.
INSURANCE CLAIMS/REIMBURSEMENTS
Manuel Vizcarra
Medical Billing Management
310.696.5400
PAYMENTS/BILLING
Christen Simon, Director of Operations
310. 451.8880