Appointments, Policies & Insurance

Two Business Day Prior Notification Policy

As mentioned above, both Dr. Bernstein and Kirsten Hamilton RDN, LDN, FMNS spend a generous amount of time with each patient and do not double book.  People are often on a waiting list for an earlier time slot.  Therefore, we appreciate as much advance notice as possible if you need to reschedule an appointment.  We require at least 2 business days prior notice to changing an appointment.  If you reschedule after that time, you will be subject to a change fee which is equal to the fee for service rate for your visit unless the appointment time is able to be rescheduled.  If another patient is able to fill the spot, a twenty-five-dollar fee will be charged for administrative time required to fill the appointment.  We will do our best to confirm your appointment, but it is the responsibility of the patient to keep appointments.

Current Insurance Coverage for Dr. Bernstein:

Dr. Bernstein currently accepts many insurances. She is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Horizon plans, AmeriHealth PPO, Independence Administrators and Personal Choice. She is a Medicare provider and accepts Tricare as well. She doesn’t accept Medicaid. She is out of Network with United HealthCare, Aetna and Cigna and will currently submit a superbill for the patient’s visits if they have a reasonably low out of network deductible. For patients that have Managed Medicare plans with which the Doctor is out of network i.e., Aetna Medicare, United Health Care Medicare or Cigna Medicare, we cannot submit because these plans do not have out of network benefits.

She is not participating with either Keystone or AmeriHealth HMO or POS and cannot submit for those plans. For those who have plans we are not participating in, we are happy to give you a superbill you can submit if you have out of network benefits.

We cannot submit for patients that have Keystone Medicare or AmeriHealth Medicare.

Copays are expected to be paid at the time of the visit. Cash, check, credit cards and debit cards, including HSA or Flex Accounts, are accepted for payment. Patients for whom she does not accept insurance or are out of network are responsible for their fee at the time of their visit.  The fee for the visits is based on time at a rate of $5 a minute.

For initial visits, although the time can vary, 90 minutes is the average time spent with the Doctor. Follow-ups are shorter and there is a wider range of time spent, depending on the number of issues being discussed.  We are happy to create a receipt for the amount that can be applied towards an HSA or FSA account.

Acceptance of various insurance plans and fees are subject to change.

Current Insurance Coverage and Fee for Service Information for Kirsten Hamilton RDN LDN FMNS:

Kirsten Hamilton RDN, LDN, FMNS, is in network with Independence Blue Cross, BCBS Highmark plans, Aetna, United Healthcare and Cigna.  She soon will be in-network with Medicare but they offer limited coverage for nutritional counseling.  She doesn’t accept Medicaid.

Copays are expected to be paid at the time of the visit.  Cash, check, credit cards and debit cards are accepted for payment.  Patients for whom she does not accept insurance or are out of network are responsible for their fee at the time of their visit.  The fee is based on the time involved of the visit.  Her current rate is at 2 dollars per minute. Initial visits usually require 90 minutes approximately and follow-ups are usually about 45 minutes.  Acceptance of various insurance plans and fees are subject to change.

*We need to remind you that each insurance company and each plan within that insurance provider has different benefits and eligibility requirements for their coverage of Nutrition.  When we call to verify benefits and eligibility, we are dealing with a different department than when the claim is being processed.  Therefore, there can be discrepancies when the claims are processed.  Understand that ultimately you are responsible for payment of uncovered diagnoses, unmet deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance and are also responsible if the insurance rejects or denies all or a portion of the claim.  We will submit the claim on your behalf and follow up if necessary.

For those that do not have good coverage or are not eligible, we offer affordable packages for visits with Kirsten!

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Cash, check, Visa and MasterCard are accepted at the time of the visit for copays, office visits, and nutritional supplements. We are happy to take your HSA debit or credit card as well. All payments are due at the time of service.