INTAKE FORM

How to Have a Successful Medical Visit

Medicine in general is experiencing many growing pains and our office is no exception. In our effort to continue to offer enough time and quality care to each and every patient we have had to examine some of our policy and procedures and make some changes that affect all of us. We want to be able to stay on time as much as possible, while meeting patient needs.

  1. Please read all the paper work you receive. You are responsible for the information contained within it. We write as clearly as possible so it is easy to understand. We do not have the extra time to explain policies etc. that are already written.
  2. Well visits are scheduled for 15-20 minutes. They are a time to discuss growth and development and have a preset agenda of information. Please make a separate visit to discuss any major health concerns like depression, ADD, asthma, behavior problems, or chronic issues.
  3. Appointment times are for the patient who is present. Please do not ask questions about a child who is not present.
  4. We do our best to stay on time. We often fall behind as we provide the care each child needs at the time. We have many challenged and challenging patients who require extra attention. We often have children come in who are sicker than anyone realized. We hope you never need the extra time for a serious illness, but if you do you will appreciate the time and care your child needs and deserves. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
  5. We understand how difficult it is to arrive on time and then have to wait for your visit…unfortunately you cannot arrive late if we are running behind. Our policy is that patients arriving late for well appointments may be rescheduled. Sick patients arriving late will be seen and will be worked in. Patients on time will be seen first.
  6. Patients with 30-minute appointments who arrive late will be seen for the time remaining in their appointment. It is important that you confirm your appointment when we call because if you do not the time will be decreased to 15 minutes instead of 30.
  7. We really do not like for anyone to wait, and we appreciate your patience and understanding when you do have to wait. If waiting is unacceptable for you, you may want to consider another practice.

 

Thank you

The Franz Center

Practice Information

Dear Parent,

Welcome to the Franz Center. We thank you for trusting us with your children and your family’s healthcare. We are pleased to be able to offer a blend of alternative and traditional medicine in the primary care setting. The Franz Center treats children form birth to 21 years of age.

Dr. Franz started her practice in 1985 and founded the Franz Center in 1997. Board certified in Pediatrics and Homeopathy, she is an advocate for children and preventative health care.

This practice and all practitioners offer integrative medicine, a combination of conventional pediatric care and holistic/whole body approach to health. We provide this combination through a variety of holistic healing methods including and not limited to Homeopathy, Chinese Medicine, herbal supplementation, mind/body medicine, and nutrition as medicine. We offer a limited variety of supplements in the office as well including but not limited to Cod liver oil, Vitamin D3, Brain Sustain, Chinese Herbal decoctions, and homeopathic remedies.

We offer these products because we find them to be of consistent high quality.

The homeopathic and nutritional products can also be found on their manufacturers’ websites and in quality health food stores.

Health Care Providers Serving you at the Franz Center:

  • S. Cornelia Franz MD
  • Angela Venezia ARNP
  • Debi Wills ARNP
  • Lynsdey Sutherland ARNP

Our support staff is dedicated to your health care needs and work as a vital extension to our providers for the total care of your children. It is important to direct your questions to them in the office, on the phone, or email your questions to www.answers@drcorneliafranz.com since providers are unable to answer phone calls during office hours.

Important medical concerns are best handles with an appointment.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to our office workload, The Franz Center does not have staff available to confirm appointments by making reminder calls in advance of your office visit. Please mark your appointments in your calendars and plan for your appointment times to avoid missed visits and charges for missed visits.

Non Holiday Office hours:

We are open Monday- Thursday 800 am -600 pm and Fridays 800 am -300 pm. Patient Health Insurance Plans and Hospital Privileges.

It is very important to check with your health insurance representative to verify that you are eligible to receive medical services from the Franz Center.

Although we accept major insurance plans, some plans have restrictions and make frequent changes.

Dr. Franz has privileges only at Arnold Palmer Hospital and Winnie Palmer Hospital

Please know your insurance plan coverage for the following:

  1. Insurance Copay
  2. Covered Hospital
  3. Covered Lab
  4. Emergency services coverage
  5. If you have a health savings plan, know what you need.

Payment Polices

Office Visit Copay: The person who accompanies the child for the office visit must pay for the copay at that time. This policy extends to any office visit where a parent, nanny, grandparent, or other authorized person may accompany the child. ALL copays must be paid at the time of the visit.

Reimbursement Assistance: It is understood that in some cases the above policy may cause the accompanying parent to personally seek any reimbursement for the charges pai to the Franz Center from the noncustodial parent or other individual who may be responsible for the payment of the child’s medical services. We will be happy to provide receipts for paid services to assist you with this activity.

Insurance Billing: Our billing is in accordance with participating insurance policies. We will bill your insurance, and you are responsible for prompt payment of your balance that is denied, not covered, or applied to your deductible.

Balance Due: Balances are due immediately upon notification. It is a priority for us to resolve any payment questions that you may have. All balances must be reconciled within 120 days. We will help you resolve any persistent billing issues, and resolution must be obtained within 120 days to avoid being dismissed form the practice and being reported as bad debt.

Service charges and Fees.

After Hours Calls: There is charge for this service covered by TeleCare. It is $18.00 to speak with the nurse and $25.00 to speak with the provider on call.

Copying records fee: When you transfer your child’s records to another physician we will send the problem list, the growth curve, and vaccine record free of charge. Any other records are copied for a charge of $1.00 per page for 25 pages and 50cents a page thereafter.

Appointment No Show Fee: Please call to cancel or reschedule any appointment you cannot make to avoid a charge for a missed visit. It we are not notified 24 hours in advance the “no-show” fee is the same as the visit. Another patient can use that visit time when we know in advance. No show fees are not covered by insurance and are an out of pocket expense.

Non Emergency Walk in Fee: Is an additional $25.00. We see patients by appointment.

Well Visit Questions: For well visits please email us in advance when you have a lot of questions. Our email is www.answers@drcorneliafranz.com. This improves our quality of care and our ability to support your needs and address your needs. Well visits are for prevention and for addressing developmental issues. We do not have the time to address chronic issues and those are addressed in a separate visit where we can give them the appropriate time they need.

Medical Information: Dr Franz offers information at scheduled presentations and has published Common Sense Pediatrics to assist parents. This book provides valuable insights into growth and development as well as information on treating common problems both traditionally and alternatively. Zit is an excellent resource for parents.

Family Communication Responsibility: During each office visit we address the immediate needs of the child and provide specific information to the parent (or accompanying adult). The accompanying adult has a very important responsibility to communicate effectively with the other parent or guardian about the contents of the visit and the welfare of the child. We often provide written instructions that are clear and specific. We communicate with the adult at the visit and are unable to call any additional parents or guardians after the scheduled visit to explain what was done.

Vaccine Policy: This practice and all providers support the parents right to choose to vaccinate or not. Our policy is to begin between 6 months and 12 months of age and to give only one vaccine at a time. Questions are best addressed with your provider.

Your completion of this form signifies that you have read and understand the information and policies noted above.

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