Our Financial Policies

AG has a responsibility to provide quality healthcare services to you, our patients. In the interest of maintaining a good doctor-patient relationship and continuing the delivery of quality healthcare, we ask that you proactively fulfill any financial obligations to our practice.

We believe that the following policies allow the flexibility that our patients need. We encourage you to talk to our office staff if you have any payment-related questions. Discussing these issues early on in your treatment process will prevent most concerns or misunderstandings.

Insurance

You will be asked to pay your anticipated responsibility once your procedure has been scheduled. As a courtesy to our patients, we will file claims on all visits and procedures performed by AG staff at our offices, endoscopy centers, or hospitals. When we file a claim on your behalf, it is with the understanding that your insurance company will pay AG directly. You are responsible for payment of all deductibles, co-insurance, co-pays and non-covered services.

After a service has been provided, we will bill your insurance carrier. Your insurance carrier will review the bill and, in most cases, pay their portion within 90 days.

Please remember: Insurance coverage is a contract between the patient and the insurance company. The ultimate responsibility for understanding your insurance benefits — and for payment — rests with you.

For more on the insurance we accept, see our insurance page.

Referral Authorizations

For some insurance carriers — HMOs in particular — Austin Gastroenterology requires a written authorization from your insurance company. Usually this can be provided by your primary care physician.

It is the patient's responsibility to know whether your insurance requires a referral authorization. If a referral authorization is required you should obtain it before you are scheduled to see our physicians. If you do not have a current authorization on file we will be happy to see you; however, you will be responsible for payment in full at the time of service.

Our office will be happy to assist you in determining the status of any one of our doctors on your insurance plan; however, this is not a guarantee of coverage. You should take the time to call your insurance company to ask specifically about the doctor you wish to see and your covered benefits.

Referral authorizations typically have an expiration date and a limited number of visits. You should be careful to monitor the dates and visits.

Private Pay

Patients who do not have insurance are expected to pay for all services performed. We will request a payment for outpatient procedures in advance of having the procedure performed. We understand that individual situations may make it difficult to meet these financial expectations and are happy to discuss other payment arrangements as needed.

Returned Checks

Your account will be charged a $30 fee for each returned check. In addition, you will be asked to bring cash to our office to cover the returned check and the fee.

Your Bill

Looking to better understand your bill from AG? We have detailed information on our billing process and common terms. Learn more

FAQs

What are other patients asking us? Here's a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and our expert responses.

See answers to these and other common questions. Learn more