Policies

  • Important Notice for Patients – Please Review New Billing and Insurance Changes
  • What’s Changing
  • You won’t be billed for messages like:
  • Costs
  • Final Notes
  • Prescription Refill Policy

Important Notice for Patients – Please Review New Billing and Insurance Changes

We want to be open and clear with our patients about a new billing policy that may affect how some Patient portal or phone call messages are handled. Below is a simple explanation of what’s changing and what you need to know.

What’s Changing

At Buford Care, we do our best to make it easy to see our providers, whether it’s in person, by phone, or through Patient Portal. Patient Portal has become a very popular way for patients to communicate with us—especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, responding to messages often takes a lot of time and effort from our providers.

Until now, we haven’t charged for the time providers spend answering patient portal messages. But starting January 1, 2025, you may be billed for messages that require medical advice, decisions, or more of your provider’s time.

Some insurance plans will cover this cost, but not all. It’s your responsibility to check with your insurance to find out if you’re covered.

This is not unique to us—many other major healthcare organizations are doing the same thing.

You won’t be billed for messages like:

  • Messages that lead to a visit within 7 days.
  • Questions about a problem you have already seen your provider for in the last 7 days (but not new problems or things you forgot to ask).
  • Updates after a procedure.
  • Brief updates to keep your provider informed.
 

Costs

  • The cost for these billed messages is usually between $30 and $60, but more complex ones could cost closer to $100. Some insurance plans will cover it completely, and you won’t owe anything.

    The billing codes used for these services are: 99421, 99422, and 99423. You can give these to your insurance company if you want to check what they’ll cover.

     

Final Notes

We are still committed to answering Patient Portal and Phone messages within three business days. But to get the fastest and best care, we encourage you to schedule an appointment (in person or by video).

Thank you for trusting us with your care. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Prescription Refill Policy

To ensure safe and effective care, please review our medication refill guidelines:
  • Maintenance Medications (for conditions like blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, or thyroid) can be refilled if you’ve had an office visit within the last 3 months, unless your provider has given other instructions. If you’re due for a visit soon, you may receive a 30-day supply until your next appointment.
  • Controlled Medications (such as those for ADHD, anxiety, or sleep) require an in-person visit every month, unless your provider advises otherwise.
  • Antibiotics will not be prescribed without an office visit.

We process refill requests within 2 business days (not including weekends or holidays).
Requests received on Fridays will be completed by the following Tuesday.