Financial Policy

Thank you for choosing Pulmonary Associates of Brandon/Florida Sleep Disorder Center to participate in your medical care. We are committed to providing the best possible medical care to our patients while also minimizing administrative costs. This financial policy has been established with these objectives in mind, and to prevent any misunderstanding or disagreement concerning payment for professional services.

All Patients are financially responsible for services provided by Pulmonary Associates of Brandon/Florida Sleep Disorder Center

• Pulmonary Associates of Brandon/Florida Sleep Disorder Center requires that you provide a copy of your current insurance card and photo ID at every visit.
• Pulmonary Associates of Brandon/Florida Sleep Disorder Center participates with numerous insurance plans. For patients who are covered by one of these insurance plans, our billing office will submit a claim for our services on your behalf, directly to your insurance company.
• Co-Payments are due at the time of the service. If you are coming in for a sleep study at night and you have a co-payment due, we will bill this to your account. Payment for the sleep study is due within 30 days of your study or your next appointment, whichever comes first.
• Payment of Co-Insurance or any charges not covered by your plan is required at the time of service.
• Payment is required in full at the time of services from uninsured patients, unless arrangements have been made with the Business Office in advance.
• Payment for services can be made with cash, check, or credit card.
• It is the patient’s responsibility to ensure that any required referrals for treatment are provided to the practice prior to the visit. Visits may be rescheduled due to lack of referral or authorization.
• Our providers may order tests, including radiology exams, labs, sleep studies, and other procedures to assist them with their medical decision making about your health. These tests may or may not be covered by your insurance. It is imperative that you check with your insurance prior to having these tests to ensure that the cost of the test is covered. You are responsible for the cost of these tests and this cost is determined through your insurance provider. If our provider orders a test and/or procedure and your insurance does not cover it or requires a prior authorization, please call our office at (813) 681-4413 before you complete the test.
• You will be charged for the administrative costs of copying medical records as per State guidelines. This includes all requests for medical records, including the patient’s personal request. There is no charge for requests from another Doctor’s Office. Page 9 of 11
• There is a usually a charge for the provider to complete forms such as FMLA, Disability, etc. Please allow the office at least 10 business days in which to review your records for the information requested to be completed, copied, and/or mailed or faxed.
• Missed appointment fee is $50. After three missed appointments, you may be discharged from the practice at the physician’s discretion.
• Patients with outstanding balances (90 days or more) are required to pay the bill in full prior to Pulmonary Associates of Brandon/Florida Sleep Disorder Center providing additional services.
• Our staff members are happy to answer insurance questions relating to how a claim was filed, or regarding any additional information the payer might need to process the claim. However, specific coverage issues can only be addressed by the insurance company member services department. You can find this phone number on your insurance card.

Pulmonary Associates of Brandon/Florida Sleep Disorder Center firmly believes that a good physician-patient relationship is based upon mutual understanding and good communication. All questions and communication about financial arrangement should be directed to the Business Office at 813-681-4413. We are happy to help you.

Our Office Policies: 

Same Day/Next Day Appointments

We will do our best to work with you when we schedule your appointments. If you have an urgent need to see one of our physicians, please ask to speak with the nurse or the office manager. Based on the severity of your need, you may be scheduled for any of our physicians who are working in the office. This physician will have access to your medical records via our electronic health record.

Medication Refills

To request prescription medication refills, please contact your pharmacist.

We are happy to order appropriate medication refills for patients who have been seen by our providers within the past twelve (12) months upon receiving a refill request from your pharmacist. Only refill requests for medications originally ordered by our provider will be refilled by our office.

Pulmonary Associates of Brandon/Florida Sleep Disorder Center orders the vast majority of medications for our patients electronically. This state-of-the-art system will expedite your requests and ensure that you have the medications you need, when you need them. There are some prescriptions that cannot be processed electronically. For these medications, we will receive a refill request from your pharmacist, and you will need to come to the office to pick up a handwritten prescription.

We encourage you to anticipate your medication needs and call your pharmacy BEFORE you run out of your medications.

Current Medications

For your safety, we are required to reconcile your medications at each visit. You will be asked to verify a list of your medications based on what we have in our electronic health record. If the information is not correct, please inform the medical assistant who takes your vitals and he/she will enter the correct information in your electronic health record.

Release of Information If you would like for us to provide a copy of your medical record to another person or organization, we will ask you to complete an Authorization to Release Medical Records.

Cancellation and Rescheduling

Please be courteous to other patients in need of care: if you must cancel an appointment, please do so as far in advance as possible. At least 24 hours notice is expected. We will make appointment reminder calls two days prior to your appointment. This is an automated call and you will have the option to confirm or cancel your appointment.