Appointment Policy

When we make an appointment for you, we reserve a certain amount of time to provide you with the highest quality care based on your needs and type of appointment required.  Should you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please contact our office at CMA Primary Care & MedSpa as soon as possible, and no later than 24 hours before your scheduled appointment.  This will enable another patient who is waiting for an appointment to be scheduled in that appointment slot.

Sick Visits

Please call for sick visit appointments as soon as possible after 8:00 am.  If you know, you would like to get checked up, calling prior to reaching CMA Primary Care & MedSpa will give you more options for appointment times.  We try our best to see all our sick patients on the same day.

Late Arrival Policy

Dr. Tallapureddy and staff aim to make your visit a pleasurable one. In our efforts to minimize every patient’s wait time, we have implemented a late arrival policy at CMA Primary Care & MedSpa. If a patient is more than 15 minutes late for an appointment, the appointment may need to be rescheduled. This is to ensure that the patients who arrive on time do not wait longer than necessary. We will make every attempt to work in late appointments as the schedule allows.

Prescription Refill Policy

Prescription refills may take up to 24 hours to approve and may take longer if your insurance company needs prior authorization. Please request your prescription before 4 pm, or else they will be deemed next day requests. Weekends and holidays can also delay requests. Staff at CMA Primary Care & MedSpa makes sure to avoid any inconveniences caused by any delay.

Chronic Pain Management Policy

PCP of CMA Primary Care & MedSpa will perform a biopsychosocial pain assessment, will check your history of prior pain and substance use, and will prescribe therapeutic modalities.

Insurance Coverage

If you have health insurance, it should be understood that it is an agreement between you and your insurance company to pay certain amounts for medical care. Your doctor’s bill, on the other hand, is an agreement between you and your doctor. You are responsible for the payment of your doctor’s bill regardless of the status of your insurance claim.   Our practice participates in most local insurance plans; however, it is your responsibility to determine whether we are a participating provider for your insurance carrier. If we participate in your insurance plan, we will, as a courtesy, verify your coverage, bill your insurance carrier, and assist you in getting the claim paid. You are, however, ultimately responsible for payment of your bill.  You are also responsible for payment of any deductible and co-payments as determined by your contract with your insurance carrier. We expect these payments at the time of service. We attempt to accurately verify the amounts due from you; however, we are not liable for false or outdated information that your insurance provides to us.  Many insurance companies have additional stipulations that may affect your coverage. In addition, please be aware that some of the services you receive may be non-covered or not considered reasonable or necessary by your insurer. You are responsible for any amount not covered by your insurer. If your insurance carrier denies any part of your claim, or if your treatment continues past your approved period, you will be responsible for your balance.  

Being educated about your individual policy is your responsibility, and if you have any questions regarding coverage, please contact the insurance carrier directly. We simply follow the guideline set forth by your insurance company. 

Financial Policy

Please familiarize yourself with CMA Primary Care’s financial policies:

• Methods of Payment
  • We accept payment by cash, check, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover.  
• Co-payments
  • We are contractually required by insurance carriers to collect co-payments at the time of services are rendered. The patient’s appointment may be rescheduled if he/she is not prepared to make this payment. 
• High Deductibles Health Plans (HDHP)
  • IRS defines a high deductible health plan as any plan with a deductible of at least $1,400 for an individual or $2,800 for a family. When you need preventive/non-preventive health care, you pay the full cost of that care with funds from your HSA or out-of-pocket, up to your plan’s high deductible. Health plans negotiate discounts with providers who participate in their health plan network.  HDHPs have no co-payments and all covered services are applied towards your deductible, until it has been satisfied. If we participate in your insurance carrier’s provider network, you will be asked to pay $90.00 deposit towards your total charges at the time of service as we are unable to determine total charge amount at the time of service. A $90.00 deposit will be applied to his/her charges. If the deposit exceeds actual charges, then a refund will be issued. 
  • You will also be asked to authorize reimbursement of the remaining balance from your health savings account once your insurance company has processed your claim. If we are not part of your insurance carrier’s provider network, your entire balance must be paid at the time of service.  
  • As stated earlier, it is your responsibility to understand and comply with the terms of the insurance agreement you (or you and your employer) have purchased. You contract an insurance company to help you pay your healthcare bills, and insurance companies contract with us to provide quality healthcare and to file claims for you we are not contracted to act as fiscal intermediaries between you and your insurance company to ensure payment. 
• Non-Covered Services
  • “Non covered” means that a service will not be paid for under a patient’s insurance contract. If a patient is unsure whether a service is covered by his/her plan, it Is ultimately the patient’s responsibility to call his/her insurance carrier to determine what the schedule of benefits allows. If non-covered services are provided, the patient will be expected to pay for the services at the time of service.  
• Coverage Changes
  • If your insurance changes, please notify us immediately so we can make the appropriate changes to help you receive your maximum benefits. Most insurance carriers have very short filing limits. If you fail to provide us with the correct insurance information in a timely manner, you may be responsible for the full charge. Claims outside of your carrier’s filing limits will not be submitted on your behalf. 
• Claims Submission
  • We will submit your claims and assist you in any way we reasonably can to expedite claims processing. Your insurance company may need you to supply certain information directly. It is your responsibility to comply with their request. Please be aware that the balance of your claim is your responsibility whether your insurance company pays your claim. Your insurance benefit is a contract between you and your insurance company; We are NOT a party to that contract. 
• Refunds and Overpayments
  • Should you feel you have made an overpayment to our office or are awaiting a refund based on insurance reimbursement, please contact our Billing Office with questions. If you are entitled to a refund, our office will issue a refund check to the responsible party listed on the account, upon request. Due to the frequency of visits in primary care, if we do not receive a specific request for a refund, overpayments may be applied as a credit to the patient’s account and applied to future visits in our office. 
• OutStanding Balances
  • Any outstanding balance that is due from the patient is payable in full upon receipt of the statement. In the event a patient presents for an office visit and has an outstanding balance, a request for payment will be made.  
  • Statements are generated on a twenty-eight (28) day cycle. Patients who fail to respond to statements will be placed into collection status. Patients with an outstanding balance for more than (90) days may be referred to an outside collection agency and will be charged a $20 collection fee in addition to the balance owed.  
  • A patient with unpaid delinquent accounts or accounts which have been written off to bad debt may not receive additional scheduled services unless special arrangements have been made. The patient may be discharged from the practice; however, in all situations the urgency of treatment will be taken into consideration. 
• Non-Payment
  • We understand that, at times, you may have situations that make payment in full difficult. Please contact your provider’s office upon receipt of your statement to make payment arrangements. Please be aware that if a balance remains unpaid, we may refer your account to a collection agency, and you may be discharged from the practice. 
• Returned Check Fee
  • There is a fee of$25.00 for any checks returned by the bank.
• Self-Pay
  • Payment for all services rendered is due at the time of service. Patients paying the total charges for that day’s visit will be given a prompt discount. If the total charge amount is not available at the time of checkout, the patient will be required to pay a deposit that will be applied to his/her charges. If the deposit exceeds actual charges, then a refund will be issued. 
    • New Patients: Total Charge or a minimum of $250 deposit.  
    • Established Patients: Total Charge or a minimum $150 deposit. 
• Medical Record Copies
  • You must submit your request in writing. You may be charged a reasonable copying fee. Currently, 0.65 per page plus postage costs if the records are to be mailed. We will comply with the request within 30 days, or 60 days if the information requested is not on site.  
• Worker’s Compensation
  • We require written approval/ authorization by your employer and/ or worker’s compensation carrier prior to your visit. If your claim is denied, you will be responsible for payment in full. 
• Motor Vechicle Accident
  • We require verification from your motor vehicle carrier that your policy has medical payment coverage. If you do not have Med Pay, your private insurance will be billed. We cannot bill your attorney for charges incurred due to personal injury. 
• Divorce
  • In case of divorce or separation, the party responsible for the account is the parent authorizing treatment for the child. If the divorce decree requires the other parent to pay all or part of the treatment costs, it is the authorizing parent’s responsibility to collect from the other parent. 

Privacy Policy

Before collection of personal or medical information, we will inform you of the purpose of its collection. We will collect the information only through lawful means and will protect the information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, modification, copying, and disclosure.

Emergency Services

Dr. Tallapureddy does not admit patients to hospitals or make hospital rounds. We recommend that you have an ongoing relationship with a general practitioner outside of CMA Primary Care & MedSpa who is available for emergencies, urgent care, and hospital admission.

On Call Coverage / Emergency

A health care provider is on call 24 hours a day. Dial the main number to connect with the answering service. Calls should only be for urgent medical concerns after business hours. If you have a life-threatening emergency at any time, please call 911.

Note: Calls are not checked between 5 pm, and 8 am.

Request for Medical Records

To request a copy of your medical record, you will need to sign a release of information and indicate the specific information you are requesting. Payment is due at the time of request: $20 for 1-50 pages, $40 for 51-100 pages, and $60 for 101-150. The turnaround time is a maximum of 30 days. We will contact you when the records are ready to pick up. You can request a copy of your medical records without any charges at CMA Primary Care & MedSpa.

Billing and Insurance Information

Tallapureddy and staff at CMA Primary Care & MedSpa strive to serve our patients efficiently and effectively. For us to achieve our goals, we ask that each one of our patients do their part in cooperating and respecting our policies regarding insurance and payment. Full payment for co-pays, deductibles, and non-covered services are expected at the time of service. We accept cash, checks, and all major credit cards.