APPOINTMENT POLICY

The practice is very busy, so patients are encouraged to book early. The doctors will make every attempt to accommodate the needs of your child. Emergencies can be seen on short notice, but in all cases you must call ahead. There are no walk-in appointments.

The office will book consecutive appointments for up to two siblings. We encourage you to bring one child at a time to limit distraction and give each child his/her due attention.

The office makes every attempt to run on schedule. Patients arriving over 15 minutes late may not be able to be seen that day. In most cases, the doctors try to accommodate late arrivals, but they may be subject to increased waiting time.

For the first visit, please arrive 15 minutes early in order to check in and fill out the appropriate forms including patient information,financial policy agreement, and to allow time for insurance verification.  To save time, the new patient packet can also be downloaded using Adobe Acrobat Reader by clinking on the forms tab. Please be sure to read the Notice of Privacy Practices and sign the signature page.

A copy of the latest insurance card and/or other necessary insurance information will be requested at each visit

CANCELLATION POLICY

To be fair to all parties, please provide no less than 24 hours notice in the event of cancellation or rescheduling. Missed appointments that were not cancelled in advance will be subject to a $50.00 cancellation/no show fee for each missed appointment. A missed visit is a vacant space that could have allowed another child to be seen.

INSURANCE, REFERRAL AND PAYMENT POLICY

Childrens Eye Care of Los Gatos participates in many managed care plans.  The office bills contracted insurance companies as a courtesy to our patients. Please call ahead or inquire when booking the appointment if your plan will be accepted. Payment of co-pays, deductibles and payment for any non-covered services is expected at the time of the visit. Please check your managed care plan when making the appointment and, if necessary, bring the appropriate referral form on the day of the exam. Patients without the necessary referral (forms) will be rescheduled to the next available appointment.

Our participation in your insurance plans does not necessarily mean that your specific insurance plan or coverage will pay for the visit. Each plan is different and we do not know what charges will be covered or what charges your insurance company will tell us to bill you for. You, the insured, will be responsible for payment of any charges not covered by your plan.

The office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover,  checks, and cash.

The office is contracted and accepting PPO assignment from the following insurance companies:

• AETNA US HEALTHCARE
• ANTHEM BLUE CROSS
• BEECH STREET 
• BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA
• CIGNA 
• COASTAL HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATORS
• CORVAL CORPORATION
• COVERED CALIFORNIA BLUE SHIELD
• COVENTRY HEALTH
• FIRST HEALTH NETWORK
• GALAXY HEALTH NETWORK
• HEALTH MANAGEMENT NETWORK
• HUMANA
• INTERPLAN
• MEDICARE
• MULTIPLAN
• PHCS
• PACIFIC HEALTH ALLIANCE
• PACIFICARE/ UNITED HEATLHCARE
• UNITED HEALTHCARE
• USA MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATION
• SANTA CLARA COUNTY IPA(SCCIPA) HMO

Our office is not contracted with VSP, EyeMed or Blue View.

*UPDATE* OUR OFFICE IS NOT A CONTRACTED PROVIDER WITH COVERED CALIFORNIA UNDER ANY CARRIER.  THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO ANTHEM BLUE CROSS, BLUE SHIELD AND HEALTHNET COVERED CALIFORNIA INDIVUDUAL OR FAMILY PLANS.

We will be happy to see anyone who has an insurance we do not contract with and will provide you with a private pay discount.

REFRACTION

Refraction is done to determine whether you are nearsighted, farsighted, have astigmatism and whether glasses are necessary or need to be changed. This is a very important part of the complete eye examination, especially in children who may have amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), who are less than 5 years old, or have failed a vision screening examination. Most importantly, it will determine how well you can see. If your vision cannot be corrected with glasses, you may have some form of eye disease.

Although a refraction is extremely important,many medical insurance companies do not pay for this service. Some medical insurance plans cover refractions for children under age 18; however, you should contact your plan for specific information. Our charge for a refraction is $85 for an established patient and $95 for a new patient. If you have a vision insurance plan, such as Vision Service Plan (VSP), Medical Eye Services (MES), or EyeMed, most of this charge may be covered on an out of network basis. Remember, vision insurance is designated to cover routine eye examinations for refractive errors (myopia-nearsighted, hyperopia-farsighted, astigmatism, or presbyopia-reading glasses over the age of 40). Medical insurance will cover the portion of the eye exam that is not routine and may include medical eye conditions such as amblyopia, strabismus, cataracts, glaucoma, etc.

It may be possible for us to perform an eye examination in order to be sure you have no serious eye disease without performing a refraction; however this will be up to the sole discretion of the physician at the time of service. Ideally, a complete eye examination should include a refraction, especially if you cannot see well.