Welcome to Annapolis Internal Medicine, LLC
I need to request a referral to my specialist. How far in advance do I need to submit my request?
It generally takes two (2) business days for a referral to be completed. Please be advised that if you have not been seen in our office for more than six (6) months or the condition you are consulting the specialist for is new, we may require an office visit before issuing a referral.
I've been prescribed a medication that needs prior authorization. What do I need to do?
We do our very best to prescribe medications that are on your insurance company's preferred drug list, aka, "formulary", however, there are times when a prior authorization form is needed. It's important to know that it can take several days from the time you request the form to the time it is either approved or denied by your insurance company because of the multiple steps required in between. While we do our best to complete and return the required forms within two (2) business days, it can take another three (3) business days for the form to be reviewed, and a decision made, by your insurance company. Therefore, we ask that you keep this time frame in mind when a medication we've prescribed requires a prior authorization.
I submitted a question through your online patient portal. How soon can I expect a response?
First and foremost, if your message is urgent, or needs an immediate response, DO NOT submit it online. In such cases, please call our office at (410) 897-9841 and speak with one of our telephone operators so that your message can be triaged appropriately. If your call is life-threatening, please go to your nearest Emergency Room or dial 9-1-1 immediately. If you have a routine question for our physicians and/or office staff, you will generally receive a response in 1-3 business days. If you do not receive a response after three business days, please call our office to check the status of your message as we may have the wrong contact information for you. It is important that you keep your contact information current, so please verify that your phone/email/mailing address is up-to-date at all times.
My provider gave me a laboratory order. How can I get a copy of my lab slip?
The easiest way to get a copy of a lab slip or order is to log in to your Patient Portal. Click on the "My Health" link on the left side of the page, then click "Health Reminders" on the toolbar display. Any pending lab orders would be there and are printable for your convenience. *** Please note you must click on each order then click on the print button.***
I need a refill of my medication, how long will it take to get refilled?
There are several ways to submit your request, and depending on the route you choose, this can affect the turn-around time for processing. We highly recommend that you call your pharmacy to request your prescription refill. They will send us the request electronically, and our providers are able to process these requests the most quickly. We do not call or email patients to confirm that your prescription has been sent. Unless you receive a phone call or message from us, you can assume the refill was authorized and can check with your pharmacy to confirm. In general, you can expect your refills to be done within two business days. You may also speak to one of our phone operators to request your refill, but these requests take longer to process. Please allow 2-3 business days for processing these requests.(Scheduled drugs, such as Percocet, Oxycodone, etc. are handled differently and are addressed in the next section.)
I am a chronic pain patient. Will my primary care doctor manage my medications?
Patients on long-term chronic pain medications must be seen in the office regularly (usually every other month), and must sign our Opioid Use Contract. Patients must also have regular urine drug screenings. Failure to keep your follow-up appointments or refusing urine drug screens will result in immediate discontinuation issuing prescriptions. Please keep in mind that refills will not be given early, nor will they replaced if the medication is lost or stolen. When picking up your prescriptions, please be prepared to show picture ID. If you are having a friend or family member pick up a prescription for you, they must also show identification before the prescriptions will be released. On months that you are not required to have an office visit, please allow two to three business days for opioid medication refill requests to be processed. Please plan your request accordingly.
I'm a Medicare patient and I was charged for Transitional Care Management (TCM) services. What is this charge?
Medicare has excellent patient education materials that outline the TCM coding. Please use the link to open their Patient Education site here.
I'm a Medicare patient and I was charged for code G2211. What is this charge?
This is a new Medicare code for 2024 and is designed to address the complexity inherent in office and outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) services. This code was originally set to go into effect in 2021, however, Congress delayed it's implementation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services states, "a primary care clinician, as the continuing focal point for all needed health care services for a patient, often bears the cognitive load, responsibility, and an accountability for building the most effective, trusting relationship possible amidst evaluating and managing other health care problems during a visit. Building an effective longitudinal relationship, in and of itself, is a key aspect of providing reasonable and necessary medical care and will make the patient more likely to comply with treatment recommendations after the visit and during future visits. It’s the work building this important relationship between the practitioner and patient for primary and longitudinal care that has been previously unrecognized and unaccounted for during evaluation and management visits".
I just received a bill for a copay, when I was recently seen for my annual physical. My insurance covers a physical in full but they said you billed for an office visit on top of my physical. Why was I billed an office visit too?
There are a few reasons why an office visit may have been billed in addition to your physical. The most frequent reason is because a new condition or illness was treated in addition to the physical that was scheduled. For example, you are scheduled for your annual physical, but you also have a new rash on your arm that just appeared in the past couple of days. The doctor performs the physical, but he/she also evaluates the rash and treats it. Because treating that new rash is outside of what the provider would normally treat during a physical, there will be an office visit billed as well. Depending on your insurance policy, you may be charged an office visit copay for the additional service performed. Should you have additional questions, please contact our Billing Department Staff at (410) 897-9841 and select option 5 from the automated phone menu.
I have a charge on my account for an after-hours fee? What is this fee for and why am I being charged?
Please be advised that patients scheduled or seen before 8:00am or after 5:00pm Monday through Friday, as well as on Saturdays and Federal holidays, are charged an "after-hours" code, as allowed under the standard Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) definitions published by the American Medical Association (AMA). Many insurers will cover the cost, but there are some that do not. If you wish to verify your coverage, please call the Member Services number on your insurance card and inquire if they cover CPT code 99051 under your plan.
What insurance plans and forms of payment do you accept?
We participate with most major insurance carriers, such as Medicare, Aetna, CareFirst BC/BS, and CIGNA. For up to date information, we always recommend that you to call the Member Services number on your insurance card to verify that we are "in-network" for your plan. You may need to give them our Tax ID number in order to verify our participation status. Our Tax ID is 52-2128322. While not all of our providers participate with traditional Medicaid (the red and white card), we do accept the Managed Care Organization plans with Priority Partners and Amerigroup. We will accept Workers' Compensation as long as the claim has been filed by the employer and there is a valid Claim Number assigned. We will also need the Claim Adjuster's name and telephone number, along with your employer's information. We DO NOT accept Personal Injury Protection, otherwise known as PIP, for automobile accident claims. You will be required to pay for the visit in full at the time of service, and we will issue you a receipt that you can submit to your auto insurance carrier. For patients without insurance, we do offer a discount if the visit is paid for at the time of service. Please speak to our Billing Department staff for details regarding this discount. They can be reached at (410) 897-9841 and then selecting option 4 from the automated phone menu. We also accept all major credit cards.
I don't have insurance. Do you offer discounts for your services?
Yes, we offer a discount for services to patients without insurance, if the services are paid at the time service(s) are rendered. You can view and download a list of rates here.
Is there a charge to have forms completed?
Yes, there is typically a charge to have forms completed, which is outlined on our financial policy. The current fees, as of May 2024, are listed below:
- Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) form for parking permit - $30
- Family Medical Leave (FMLA) form - $40
- Childcare Clearance Form - $20
- Other forms such as college entrance, disability, etc - $30
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
