SoFHA
Patient Forms

Patient Registration Form

Employer Information (optional)

Personal Health History

Medicare "B" Signature Authorization

I authorize any holder of medical or other information about me to release to Social Security Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or its intermediaries or carriers, or to the billing agent of this physician or supplier, any information needed for this or a related Medicare claim. I permit a copy of this authorization to be used in place of the original and request payment of medical insurance benefits either to myself or to the party who accepts assignment.

I understand this is a lifetime signature authorization.

Authorization

Patient and/or guarantor is responsible for charges incurred. It is a courtesy of our office to file your insurance; however, you are responsible for your co-pay and/or percentage, which the insurance company is not liable, on the day of your visit. If we are unable to obtain payment within a reasonable amount of time from the patient and/or guarantor, we will place your account with a collection agency, which will leave you liable for additional expenses incurred if applicable.

I have fully read and understand the above state of payment policy. I hereby request any benefits on my behalf be paid to the physicians. I also authorize the release of any information acquired in the course of my treatment to my insurance company as needed to issue benefits. I authorize the physicians to administer such treatment as they may deem advisable for my diagnosis and treatment. I certify that I have been made aware of the role and services offered by the physician, physician assistant and nurse practitioner, and I consent to care by such providers. I understand these services are voluntary and that I have the right to refuse these services.

I request payment of authorized Medigap (Medicare Supplement) benefits be made on my behalf to the provider for any services furnished me by that provider. I authorize any holder of medical information about me to release any information needed to determine the benefits payable for related services to:

Office Guidelines

Appointments that are not canceled with a 24-hour notice are considered "no shows". Patients that have three (3) "no show" appointments within an 18-month period will be considered for dismissal from the practice.

If you are requesting a medication refill, please allow 72 hours for all refills and then call your pharmacy before calling the office. If you are completely out of medication, please call 282-5611 and leave a message for your doctor. Also, no pain medications will be called in to the pharmacy; you must make an appointment to be seen by your physician prior to any refill on these type medications.

In the event your doctor has lab work performed, you should allow one to two weeks (depending on the type of lab performed) before calling the office for the results. However, please do not call the lab for these results, as they can only be given to you after the doctor has reviewed them.

Registration, Billing and Collection Payment Policy

We are participating with Medicare, Tennessee Medicaid, and most Managed Care plans in the area. We will file these claims for you. Patients are expected to pay any deductibles, coinsurance or copay amounts owed at the time of service.

If you are a Medicare patient and do not have a supplemental plan or a Medicare Advantage plan, you are responsible for payment of the annual deductible, co-insurance and non-covered services at the time of service.

Patients with a third party coverage with whom we do not contract are responsible for payment in full at the time of service. As a courtesy, we will file your charges with this third party payer upon receipt of payment in full. Otherwise, we will provide you with a completed third party payer claim form to use in filing your insurance.

Patients with a High Deductible Health Plan that have not met their annual deductible amount on the date of service will be asked to pay SoFHA’s estimate of the allowed charges at the time of service. You will be billed for any additional deductible amounts after the insurance processes the claim.

Patients without verifiable insurance will be responsible for payment of all services rendered at the time of service.

We accept cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and Care Credit. In an effort to simplify the payment process, we provide a convenient, highly secure Credit/Debit/HSA card and Bank ACH payment program. You will be asked to provide a card-on-file (card/ACH-based) assurance at the time of service. After the insurance claim has been filed (if applicable), we will send you an electronic bill of your final financial responsibility. Your card-on-file will be charged for your out-of-pocket responsibility after the notice period and an electronic receipt will be emailed to you.

Please realize, however, that:

• Your insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company. We are not a party to that contract. You are responsible to know your insurance benefits and the portion you will be liable for.
• Depending on the specifics of the agreement we have with your insurance company, any portion of our fees not covered may be the responsibility of the patient/guarantor.
• Not all services are a covered benefit in all contracts. Some insurance companies arbitrarily select certain services they will not cover. Any service not covered is the responsibility of the patient/guarantor.

Regardless of insurance payment, the patient and/or guardian remains responsible for all financial obligations incurred at the time of service. We realize that some balances may not be able to be paid in full at time of service and we will be happy to assist you in making payment arrangements.

By signing this financial policy acknowledgement of the financial responsibility is accepted. This will remain in effect until revoked in writing.

Acknowledgement of Notice of Privacy Practices

If no, what other number (i.e. cell phone, private work number) may we try to reach you to leave a message?

Emergency Contact Number other than YOUR home phone number: (Please note, you are giving permission for this emergency contact to receive your personal health information if necessary.)

I have been given the opportunity to review the Notice of Privacy Practices and understand that the Notice describes how my protected medical information may be used and disclosed and how I may get access to this information. I have also been given the opportunity to take a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices for further review.

If for some reason the facility needs to relay my protected health information, i.e. lab results or billing issues, you can either leave or discuss the information with the following individual(s):

ACCESS YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION ONLINE, 24/7 ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information

I hereby authorize State of Franklin Healthcare Associates, PLLC to request the following information:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Phone Number
• Last 4 of SSN

Person(s) or Entity Authorized to Receive the Disclosure. Name or specifically describe the persons/organizations (or the classes of persons and/or organizations), including us, (1) who you are authorizing to make use of the protected health information described below and who you are authorizing to disclose the protected health information described below, and (2) to whom you are authorizing the disclosure and subsequent use of the protected health information described below.

Protected Health Information to be used or disclosed. Specifically and meaningfully describe the protected health information you are authorizing to be used and/or disclosed:

Purpose of use or disclosure:

Authorization and Signature: I authorize the release of my confidential protected health information, as described in my directions above. I have had the opportunity to read and consider the contents of this authorization. I understand that this authorization is voluntary, that the information to be disclosed is protected by law, and the use/disclosure is to be made to conform to my directions. I further understand that refusing to sign this authorization will not affect my treatment, payment, enrollment, or eligibility for benefits. I understand that I may revoke this authorization in writing, except for any actions already taken based upon it. The information that is used and/or disclosed pursuant to this authorization may be redisclosed by the recipient unless the recipient is covered by federal or state laws that limit the use and/or disclosure of my confidential protected health information.

The following specifies your rights about this authorization under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended from time to time ("HIPAA").

1. Tell your provider if you do not understand this authorization, and the provider will explain it to you.
2. You have the right to revoke or cancel this authorization at any time, except: (a) to the extent information has already been shared based on this authorization; or (b) this authorization was obtained as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage. To revoke or cancel this authorization, you must submit your request in writing to State of Franklin Healthcare Associates at the following address: Attn: Privacy Officer, 2528 Wesley Street, Suite 2, Johnson City, TN 37601. Unless otherwise revoked, this authorization will expire as indicated on page 1 or within one year from the time the form was signed.
3. You may refuse to sign this authorization. Your refusal to sign will not affect your ability to obtain treatment, payment, enrollment or your eligibility for benefits. However, you may be required to complete this authorization form before receiving treatment if you have authorized your provider to disclose information about you to a third party. If you refuse to sign this authorization, and you have authorized your provider to disclose information about you to a third party, your provider has the right to decide not to treat you or accept you as a patient in their practice.
4. Once the information about you leaves this office according to the terms of this authorization, this office has no control over how it will be used by the recipient. You need to be aware that at that point your information may no longer be protected by HIPAA. If the person or entity receiving this information is not a healthcare provider or health plan covered by federal privacy regulations, the information described above may be disclosed to other individuals or institutions and no longer protected by these regulations.
5. You may inspect or copy the protected health information to be used or disclosed under this authorization. You do not have the right of access to the following protected health information: psychotherapy notes, information compiled for legal proceedings, laboratory results to which the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act ("CLIA") prohibits access, or information held by certain research laboratories. In addition, our provider may deny access if the provider reasonably believes access could cause harm to you or another individual in some of these circumstances, an individual has a right to have the denial reviewed by a licensed health care professional designated by the covered entity who did not participate in the original decision to deny.
6. If this office initiated this authorization, you must receive a copy of the signed authorization.
7. Special Instructions for completing this authorization for the use and disclosure of Psychotherapy Notes. HIPAA provides special protections to certain medical records known as "Psychotherapy Notes." All Psychotherapy Notes recorded on any medium by a mental health professional (such as a psychologist or psychiatrist) must be kept by the author and filed separate from the rest of the client’s medical records to maintain a higher standard of protection. "Psychotherapy Notes" are defined under HIPAA as notes recorded by a health care provider who is a mental health professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversation during a private counseling session or a group, joint or family counseling session and that are separate from the rest of the individual’s medical records. Excluded from the "Psychotherapy Notes" definition are the following: (a) medication prescription and monitoring, (b) counseling session start and stop times, (c) the modalities and frequencies of treatment furnished, (d) the results of clinical tests, and (e) any summary of: diagnosis, functional status, the treatment plan, symptoms, prognosis, and progress to date. Except for limited circumstances set forth in HIPAA, in order for a medical provider to release "Psychotherapy Notes" to a third party, the client who is the subject of the Psychotherapy Notes must sign this authorization to specifically allow for the release of Psychotherapy Notes.
8. You have a right to an accounting of the disclosures of your protected health information by the provider or its business associates. The maximum disclosure accounting period is the six years immediately preceding the accounting request. The provider is not required to provide an accounting for disclosures: (a) for treatment, payment, or health care operations; (b) to you or your personal representative; (c) for notification of or to persons involved in an individual’s health care or payment for health care, for disaster relief, or for facility directories; (d) pursuant to an authorization; (e) of a limited data set; (f) for national security or intelligence purposes; (g) to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials for certain purposes regarding inmates or individuals in lawful custody; or (h) incident to otherwise permitted or required uses or disclosures. Accounting for disclosures to health oversight agencies and law enforcement officials must be temporarily suspended on their written representation that an accounting would likely impede their activities.

Signature

By typing your name and initials in the signature fields below, you consent to all of the agreements listed in this form. You furthermore agree that your submission of this form, via the "Submit Form" button, shall constitute the execution of this document in exactly the same manner as if you had signed, by hand, a paper version of this agreement.