Insurance
Your First Visit
If you have not downloaded and completed our new patient package, please arrive 15 minutes early to sign in and complete a simple registration form that includes insurance coverage information and your health history. If another doctor has referred you, please indicate his or her name, phone number and address so a report can be sent.
Please bring with you:
- All insurance information including your card(s) with group or plan numbers
- Your ID number and mailing address for both primary and secondary insurance carriers
- A list of all prescription and non-prescription medications you currently take and any additional medications that have recently been prescribed
- All dermatologic medications you have been using for your skin condition
- A list of your current medical problems and history of surgical procedures
- All pathology reports and photos that relate to your untreated skin cancer
- Contact information for your primary care doctor and the physician who referred to you our office
Palo Alto Dermatology Institute Accepts Covered California
We are pleased to inform you that Palo Alto Dermatology Institute accepts all Covered California plans.
Insurance and Cosmetic Procedures
We are proud to be on most PPO insurance plans and many HMO plans. Some providers may not be on every HMO plan. All HMO patients require valid referrals to be seen and HMO patients without valid referrals will be responsible for their office visit fees at the time of service.
We will bill your office visit fees to your insurance company as long as we are contracted with your plan. If we are not contracted with your plan, you will be responsible for all office fees at the time of your visit. Our Itemized care slip includes all of the necessary information for you to file an insurance claim directly. We bill directly for all Medicare patients.
Please remember to bring all insurance information for primary and secondary insurers with you at the time of service.
You will be responsible for all cosmetic procedure fees at the time of your visit. This includes procedures deemed cosmetic by your insurance company and/or physician including, but not limited to, the removal of skin tags, benign moles and cysts, and seborrheic keratoses. All laser procedures are considered cosmetic unless your physician specifies otherwise. If you subsequently bill your insurance company for a cosmetic procedure and your insurance company erroneously covers the procedure, you are not entitled to reimbursement by our office and we are obligated to notify your insurance company of their error.
Cosmetic surgery procedure fees (professional, surgery center and anesthesia) are due at least 2 weeks prior to your surgery appointment and are non-refundable within 72 hours of your procedure.
If your cosmetic surgery is canceled between 2 weeks prior to surgery and 3 days prior to surgery, your fee is not refundable however the fee amount may be credited toward another procedure that must be completed within 12 months. The professional fee will remain unchanged within the 12 month period, however you will be responsible for any increases in anesthesia and surgery center fees at the time of the rescheduled procedure.
Financing options for cosmetic procedures are available by contacting our Patient Care Coordinator. You may learn more by visiting our Financing information page.