How visits work at the Sleep Health Institute and answers to frequently asked questions:
My new practice is based on a telemedicine model and visits will be via Zoom (FaceTime or What’s APP if you cannot Zoom). I will not be participating in any insurance plans for this new practice. Initial consultations are $495 and follow-up visits are $275. I block 1.5 - 2 hours for new patient visits and 1 hour for follow-ups. Scheduling times are flexible, although I am primarily seeing patients between 2 and 6 PM, Monday thru Thursdays. We will be using the home WatchPAT One sleep system if sleep studies are required and, if further in-lab work-up is needed, I will refer you back to my former practice for the studies (or a facility of your choice, if you prefer).
Once we have completed your visit, I will send you an invoice for payment via Square (an on-line credit card processor). Once you have paid for the visit, I will provide you with a HCFA form in the shared folder on your patient portal account (or via snail mail if you prefer) for you to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Please be aware that each insurance plan is unique and may or may not have “out-of-plan” benefits. If you do have “out-of-plan” benefits then there may be a deductible applied that you may need to meet before you are reimbursed. Then the plan may reimburse you at a rate that is a percentage of your insurance company’s “usual and customary” fee schedule. You may call the number on the back of your insurance card so that you can understand your financial responsibilities in advance.
I will still be able to send prescriptions for you for medications or CPAP equipment through your insurance, even though I am not an insurance participating provider. If such prescriptions are needed, we will ask you to upload your insurance cards through the secure website upload function so that we can send prescriptions out with the appropriate insurance information.
Please note that if you are an existing patient of mine, we will not need to repeat a new patient visit with me in my new practice unless it has been more than 3 years since you were last seen. We will have a follow-up questionnaire available through the patient portal which I will invite you to once we have you registered in the new system.
If the fee schedule is prohibitive, but you feel you have a unique problem, please complete the new patient questionnaire (link is on the home page) and we can discuss a sliding scale for you.
If you would like to schedule, click here to complete the new patient questionnaire. Existing patients may call me or use our contact form and I will follow-up with you and schedule.
Stay safe and sleep well,
Helene Emsellem, MD