Appointment Policy

Our clinic makes every effort to help you keep your appointment with both e-mail and telephone reminders. However, we recognize that there are times when the world seems to be against us and we are going to be late or miss an appointment altogether. Unfortunately, the time you schedule is yours, and yours alone and cannot be given to another patient. We never double or triple books appointments. Nobody else will ever have an appointment that overlaps your time in any way. That is how we can provide the unique No Wait Guarantee and personal service!

To ensure that our clinic will always be able to provide the famous “No Wait Guarantee” and affordable pricing for all patients, the following conditions apply:

1. Patients who fail to keep their appointment will be considered a  “No Show” and will be charged 100% of the appointment fee.
2. Any patient who arrives late for a scheduled appointment will only be seen for the remaining time of the appointment, but will be charged 100% of the appointment fee.
3. Patients may cancel an appointment at any time. However, you must cancel at least 5 or more days in advance so that other patients may use that time. If you do not cancel your appointment 5 or more days in advance, a cancellation fee will be charged:

Advance Notice	Percentage Applied	Length of Appointment ($3/min)	Example
More than 5 business days	No Charge	N/A	N/A
Fewer than 5 business days	50%	30 minutes	$45.00
Fewer than 3 business days	75%	30 minutes	$63.00
Fewer than 1 business day	100%	30 minutes	$90.00

4. If a patient cancels less than 24 hours or is a "no-show" for two or more appointments, the client’s account will be placed on Restricted Privilege status and will be required to pre-pay in order to hold an appointment or must visit as a walk-in.
5. If a patient continues to cancel or no-show after the Restricted status, the patient will be dismissed from the clinic within 15 days and will receive written notification of the dismissal. A notice will be mailed to the latest contact information submitted by the patient.
6. It is the patient's responsibility to update their contact information in writing. Contact information includes: Name, Mailing Address, Phone Number, Cell Phone Number, Work Phone and E-mail Address.
7. Established patients are defined as patients who have completed 3 appointments with Doctor Kara, PC Nurse Practitioner Clinic and have maintained an account in good standing. Established patients with accounts in good standing will receive online 24/7 scheduling privileges.
8. Established patients in good standing for more than 6 consecutive appointments may be permitted a cancellation waiver which allows a late cancellation fee to be converted to a rescheduling fee of $35.00. Waivers will be considered on a case by case basis only as clinic volume permits and cannot be guaranteed as a routine practice.
9. New patients are required to pre-pay 100% of the fee for their first scheduled appointment.

Billing Policy

Doctor Kara, P.C. is a Cash-Only Nurse Practitioner Clinic, which means payment in full is expected at the time of service. In the event payments are not paid in full at the time of service for any reason, the following charges will apply to your account:

1. An invoicing fee in the amount of $10.00 per invoice to cover postage and time spent generating an invoice.
2. A finance change at the rate of 18% APR will be applied to the outstanding balance. (1.5% per month).
3. Once the unpaid account balance reaches 30 days maturation from the date of service, the account will be turned over to a collection agency.
4. The patient assumes all legal fees associated with collecting a delinquent balance.
5. Outstanding balances are billed weekly.
6. Account refunds will be posted to your account and mailed within 5 business days for accounts paid in cash. Accounts paid by credit card will have refunds posted to the credit card.
7. In the event the clinic is unable to obtain a valid payment the patient agrees to pay an additional administrative fee of $50.00 per occurrence.
8. All communication and inquiries to the clinic about an account must be submitted in writing by the account holder (or executor of the estate in cases of a deceased account holder). We will respond in writing within 7 calendar days, except during periods of extended absence. Extended absence dates will be posted on the clinic website and the office entrance. To facilitate communication, the patient agrees to notify the office in writing of any changes in the patient's contact information (name, address, phone number, work number, cell phone number, and e-mail address). The patient holds the clinic blameless for lost communication in the event the patient fails to maintain accurate contact information with the clinic office.
9. The patient acknowledges the fees in accordance to the terms and conditions listed here will be applied to the account in the event the patient does not pay in full at the time services are rendered.
10. Terms and conditions, privacy policy, billing policy, and cancellation/no-show policy are subject to change without notice and are always kept current on the website and in the clinic office.

Patients further acknowledge:

• Patient is the authorized card holder of the credit card listed on the Patient Registration Form page 1.
• The patient designates the credit card listed on the Patient Registration Form page 1 as the “credit card of record” for the account.
• In the event the credit card of record is reported as lost or stolen, the patient will provide the clinic with new and valid credit card information as the credit card of record to maintain an account in good standing.
• The patient authorizes the clinic to make charges against the credit card of record in accordance to the terms and conditions listed in the billing policy, appointment policy, or any other special contracts the patient holds with the clinic (i.e. VIP membership).
• The patient is responsible for maintaining accurate and valid payment information with the clinic to facilitate valid payment for medical services requested and/or received.
• In the event we are unable to obtain a valid payment, using the credit card of record, the patient agrees to pay an additional administrative fee of $50.00 per occurrence.
• Credit refunds will only be made to the credit card of record within 3 business days. Cash refunds cannot be issued against accounts paid with credit cards.
• The patient acknowledges that if he or she misrepresents personal and financial facts to the clinic in order to obtain medical services under false pretenses or to avoid paying valid charges payable to the clinic, those misrepresentations may be construed as probable fraud. In cases of probable fraud, the clinic may:
  • File a theft report with the appropriate authorities
  • Provide all appropriate supporting documents and information regarding the fraudulent activity to investigating authorities
  • Immediately refer to a collection agency for legal action on behalf of Doctor Kara, PC Nurse Practitioner Clinic