Paperwork
Click HERE for Initial Intake Form.
All new patients must fill out the Initial Intake Form for all treatment modalities offered at VIM. After completing the Initial Intake Form, please click on the link or links below to give consent(s) for the service(s) you are seeking. The forms can all be completed online. No need to print, simply fill in the fields and click the submit button at the bottom of the page.
Insurance
Vital Integrative Medicine is out-of-network with all insurance companies. We do, however, bill your insurance company on your behalf for acupuncture treatments provided you have out-of-network acupuncture coverage as part of your plan. There is a section in the Initial Intake Form where insurance information can be shared with our staff. We would be happy to check your coverages for you.
When billing insurance, we utilize industry standard CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes and pricing. We itemize everything that is done during the treatment. When you receive correspondence from your insurance company regarding the date of service in the form of an EOB (Explanation of Benefits), the amount you are responsible for paying may be much higher than the cash rate you paid in office. Please do not be alarmed, we do not balance bill. This means we do not bill you the difference of what we billed insurance and what they reimbursed. You are only ever responsible for paying up to the cash rate out of your own pocket.
Once coverage is verified, the cash price is still due at the time of service until the insurance reimburses for the treatment. Reimbursement can go a couple of different ways. Here are some examples of how the process goes:
1) Insurance sends a check to VIM. In this case, VIM reimburses up to the amount the patient paid at the time of service. If the amount paid by insurance is less than the cash rate paid, the patient will be reimbursed that portion of the amount they paid. If the reimbursement amount is the same or more than the cash price for the treatment, the patient will be reimbursed the full amount they paid VIM.
2) Insurance sends a check to the patient. The patient is then responsible for paying the entire amount of the payment to VIM within 7 calendar days of receiving it. Once received, VIM will reimburse the patient that amount (if less that the cash rate) or up to the cash rate they paid at the time of service.
One thing to be aware of if you are planning to use insurance is your out-of-network deductible. If it is a high deductible plan, it may make more sense to forego using your insurance and pay out-of-pocket to get access to the cash pay packages. If you are anticipating high medical bills in a given year, high deductibles may easily be met and billing for acupuncture can help you reach them. Another common limitation set by insurance companies are the number of visits you can get reimbursement for in a year.
Please note: Reimbursements can be made to VIM by credit card or Venmo. All reimbursements to the patient from VIM will incur a 10% administrative processing fee. HMO plans do not cover out-of-network practices. We also do not bill American Specialty Health (ASH) which is commonly the 3rd party handler of acupuncture claims for Blue Shield of California. Not all Blue Shield plans use ASH but the majority do.