Desert Cardiology of Tucson
Financial Policy

Welcome to Desert Cardiology of Tucson

Patient Responsibilities

As a courtesy to you, we will bill your insurance company. Please have your insurance cards available so that we may scan the front and back of the card for accurate information. It is your responsibility to inform Desert Cardiology of Tucson (DCOT) of any insurance changes. If accurate insurance information is not provided for timely submission of a claim, you will be held responsible for the full amount of the charges.

You are expected to sign and authorization for your insurance carrier to send payments directly to DCOT. Any payments sent directly to the patient must immediately be forwarded to DCOT with the Explanation of Benefits. Failure to do so will result in the account being subject to collection procedure and legal action. Authorization must be signed at the initial visit, upon any change in insurance and annually thereafter.

It is your responsibility as the patient to understand your insurance coverage. It is also your responsibility to verify that DCOT is a participating provider with your insurance company. All referrals to DCOT are to be obtained prior to your appointment. This will prevent your appointment from needing to be rescheduled.

Payment Policy

Insured
All co-pays and deductibles must be paid before services are rendered. If unable to pay your co-pay at the time of service, you will be billed an additional $5 processing fee. Non-contracted insurances will be filed for you as a courtesy. However, the charges remain your responsibility. If no response is received from your insurance company within 45 days, payment must be made by you.

Non Insured
DCOT requires full payment at the time of service unless prior arrangements have been made with our Business Office. These arrangements can be made with a representative of the billing department at (520) 544-5515.

Medicare
We participate in Medicare. This means that Medicare will pay 80 percent of all allowable charges and you will be required to pay the remaining 20 percent plus any annual deductible. We request you pay your required portion of the charges at the time of your visit, regardless of any secondary insurance coverage you may have.

Testing
Please refer to the insured or non-insured payment policy.

Payments
Payments can be made by cash, check, money order, debit card, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express or via the internet at desertcardiology.com

Patient balances remaining after contractual insurance payments must be paid in full within 30 days of the first statement, unless specific arrangements are made ahead of time.

Missed Appointments
Urgent or emergency situations can occur with a cardiac patient. Your physician’s ability to help prevent these emergent episodes can be compromised when you miss appointments. Desert Cardiology of Tucson accepts no liability for medical occurrences due to missed appointments.

No Show Policy
A fee will be billed to our patients who fail to show for their appointment or fail to provide us with at least a 24-hour cancellation notice.  Fees are as follows:  $200.00 for sleep study appointments, $125.00 for Nuclear Study appointments and $25.00 for all other appointments.