Lancaster Orthopedic Group is pleased to comply with a new law that requires health care providers to give patients an estimate of their bills for health care items and services before patients receive them if patients do not have health insurance or they are choosing not to use their health insurance.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any health care items or services upon request or when scheduling such items or services.
If you schedule a health care item or service at least 3 business days in advance, we will provide a written Good Faith Estimate to you within 1 business day after scheduling.
If you schedule a health care item or service at least 10 business days in advance, we will give you a written Good Faith Estimate within 3 business days after scheduling.
To serve you more efficiently, each physician works with an administrative assistant. Your doctor’s assistant will always be available to answer your questions and help you to communicate with your physician. They are able to get questions to the physician very quickly while that physician is in the clinic and get an answer back to the patient. In addition to taking patient calls and answering questions regarding surgery and care, they also keep the physicians’ schedules organized.
We make every effort to see patients on time. At times, simple problems can turn into something complex that requires imaging studies and may take longer to diagnose and treat. This means that the physician has to spend more time assessing the issue which causes a delay and runs into another patient’s appointment time.
Medications cannot be prescribed or refilled after-hours or on weekends. For your own safety, medication refills are best handled during your regularly scheduled appointment. As such, please plan accordingly. If a situation arises where you will run out of medications, call the office during normal business hours from Monday through Friday. Please do not wait until you are completely out of medication to call for the refill. Call when you have a 2 – 3 day supply left, so your doctor will have ample time to re-order your medication.
PTs evaluate the patient and develop a plan of care that will need to be delivered to achieve the patient and therapist's goals. PTAs help execute the plan of care.
A certified hand therapist can be an occupational therapist or physical therapist who has a minimum of 5 years of clinical experience including 4,000 hours or more in direct practice in hand therapy. The therapist must then pass an extensive comprehensive examination of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper extremity rehabilitation to acquire the distinction as a CHT.
No, you do not need to be treated by an LOG physician to have therapy at one of our physical therapy clinics.
The FMLA gives employers the option of requiring treating physicians to complete forms verifying the need for extended absences from their employees. Contrary to popular belief, this form is not required as part of the Family Medical Leave Act. It was designed as a tool for employers who require independent medical confirmation. Although we request payment from you, the patient, we will be happy to provide you with a receipt to present your employer for reimbursement. Many employers do reimburse for this fee; however, reimbursement policies differ from company to company. Please check with your employer.
It is the policy of LOG to charge a fee for copies of X-rays to cover the cost of discs and the time spent by the technologist making the copies. Historically, X-rays that are taken out of Lancaster County to referring facilities get lost or misplaced, and are never returned to LOG. The law requires LOG to maintain records for each patient; information a physician acquires in the course of a patient’s treatment is considered confidential and physicians must be extremely careful to maintain complete medical files on individual patients.
All insurance companies require that our services are billed using a coding system known as CPT (Current Procedural Terminology). The codes used to describe the services performed are found in the surgery section of the CPT code book. This does not mean you had an operation; it’s simply the category that the healthcare industry uses for fracture care billing. Your insurance explanation of benefits (EOB) may list our services as surgery. This is appropriate based on medical billing guideline standards. According to CPT guidelines, fracture care is billed as a package or global service. Meaning, at the time of initial care, a bill is generated including:
- Treatment of the fracture.
- First cast or splint application
- 90 days of normal, uncomplicated, follow-up care. It does not include x-rays, anesthesia, additional cast materials, or any braces or splints that may be required during your fracture treatment.
These services may be billed in addition to the fracture care code:
- Initial evaluation by Lancaster Orthopedic Group physician or physician’s assistant
- X-rays
- Casting supplies and/or support/braces applied
Water proof casting materials may not be covered by your insurance. Many health plans consider the application of this material a patient convenience rather than medically necessary. If your insurance denies this coverage, you will be responsible for paying this portion of the bill.
If you have any questions regarding your bill, feel free to contact our insurance department at 717.560.4140.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our fracture care fees, please contact our insurance personnel at 717.560.4140.
Even though we attempt to make your cast as comfortable as possible, you may still have discomfort. Some pain and swelling immediately after your cast is applied is common. Remember to elevate your cast to help reduce swelling. While in the cast, you should not be in any pain, but swelling may cause pressure in your cast for the first 48 to 72 hours. This may cause your affected limb to feel snug or tight in the cast. It should feel more comfortable within 1-2 days. Humidity or weather in general can cause fluctuation in swelling. It is completely normal for the cast to be somewhat loose after the swelling resolves. However, being able to easily move your foot and ankle around within the cast is counterproductive in trying to stabilize the fracture during the healing period.
You may tape some fabric softener sheets over the outside of the cast. If you develop a rash from the fabric softener, stop using immediately. Click here for cast care instructions.
You may use a hairdryer on a cool setting to blow air into the cast, which may help stop the itching. If the itching becomes severe, call the office. Never place a coat hanger or ballpoint pen inside the cast, and never use powder or cornstarch to stop the itching. Click here for cast care instructions.
If you have not received your Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company for the dates of service in question, contact your insurance company and check on the status before calling the LOG Insurance Department. If you need further assistance, call 717.560.4140.
Contact our Insurance Department at 717.560.4140 for a current list of participants.
If you have a pending appointment, bring your new card/information with you, or call 717.560.4140 to update your info.
Your Primary Care Physician submits referrals to your insurance company. Contact your Primary Care office staff for verification, and follow up with your insurance company if you feel there was a processing error. Contact the LOG Insurance Department if your claim will be re-processed.
It is important to note that LOG does NOT carry handicapped parking placards at the office. If you need to obtain a temporary handicapped parking tag for your vehicle, you will need to fill out an application. Handicapped parking applications are available on the Pennsylvania DMV website, at your local DMV office, or you can obtain one from LOG’s patient forms representative. Once you bring in the form, we will complete the application, which includes a signature from your physician. You must sign the form in the presence of a notary, and then submit the completed application to the DMV. The placard will be mailed to you from the DMV.
Call 1.866.LOG.1000 for assistance.
