Patient Info
Existing and New Patients
Everyone has a role in making healthcare safe. Our physicians, Nurses and technicians are working to make your health care safety a priority. You, as a patient, can play a vital role in making your care safe by becoming an active, involved and informed member of your healthcare team.
New Patient Paperwork
Appointment Setting
Your specific wellness needs will be determined by the frequency of your office visits. Once you and VMAC determine your wellness needs, all medications will be prescribed according to the next scheduled office visit. Our hours are listed below.
24-hour on-call service everyday of the week.
Monday - Friday:
8:00am - 4:30pm
Saturday:
8:00am - 11:30am
Night Clinic:
Hours available by appointment only. Appointments Sign-ups begin at 5:00pm Monday– Friday
Appointment Cancellations
Failures to fulfill office appointments (“No-Shows”) will be recorded in patients’ charts. To cancel an appointment with your doctor, we require 24 hours notice. This policy makes it possible for us to see other patients who might not otherwise be treated.
We at Valley Medical Arts McAllen realize circumstances might cause you to arrive late or miss an appointment. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please call the office 24 hours in advance to cancel.
Parking
We have a spacious front and side parking lot that will give you ease of access and convenience for those visiting our facility. Please use our wheel chair accessible ramps if needed.
Medications Reconciliation
Please bring with you all of your medications to all your office visits, if not a complete list of all medications will be acceptable. The list should include over the counter medications when appropriate, doses and frequencies and any natural remedies or herbal products being taken.
Refills
During your office visit, Dr. Jordan, Dr. Ramirez or Dr. Solis will refill your medications if necessary. Follow-up appointments are to monitor your progress on these medications, which are very important. If for any reason you cannot attend to your office visit, please contact our office for arrangements.
Patient Rights
- You have the right to be treated with respect, consideration and dignity.
- You have the right to high-quality medical care delivered in a safe, timely, efficient and cost effective manner.
- You have the right to be assured that the expected results can be reasonably anticipated.
- You have the right to privacy to the extent possible.
- You have the right to have our disclosures and records treated confidentially and expect when required by law, those disclosures and records will not be released without your approval Please refer to our Notices of Privacy Practices for further details on how we safeguard your medical records. You can find the privacy notices posted in the front waiting area.
- You have the right to be provided, to the degree known, complete information concerning your diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and prognosis.
- You have the right to copies of your medical records at nominal cost and, if you request it, those records will be transferred to another practitioner in a timely manner.
- You have the right to be informed of all reasonable options or alternatives to care and or treatments and of the potential advantages and the alternatives to having the procedure performed in an office or another outpatient facility.
- You have the right to participate in decisions regarding al aspects of your care.
Patient Privacy
Our records remain confidential. We do not compromise your personal information for any reason. If you have any questions about your records, please call us directly.
Patient Responsibilities
- You have the responsibility to accurately and completely provide all clinical personnel with the health information they need including any medications that you are taking.
- You have the responsibility to follow the directions of the nurse or physician with regards to diet and or medications.
- You have the responsibility to abstain from using any drugs that have not been prescribed for you and that you have not revealed to our nurse or physician.
- You have the responsibility to abstain from the use of alcohol as directed by your nurse or physician.
- You have the responsibility to inform the nurse or physician if you do not understand any directions or if you do not understand the course of treatment planned for you.
- You have the responsibility to timely pay all medical bills which are not in dispute and to forward to us any monies you receive from any insurance company for our services.
Complaint Resolutions
We at Valley Medical Arts Clinic strive to provide you with excellent quality care. We highly believe in changes to improve and welcome an opportunity to listen to your suggestions and complaints. Please contact our office manager, Rick Jordan, at 956-631-5411.
Medical & Legal Forms Completion
Our office charges $25 for the completion of forms. These charges are the patient’s responsibility.
Office Policies
Complete Annual Physical Exams Policy
We highly recommend that ALL our patients have regular Complete Physical Exams (Annual Screening/Preventative Visits, etc.) every 1-2 years. It is your responsibility to verify that your insurance will reimburse preventative visits if you are scheduled for such. Be advised that some insurance companies routinely do not cover preventative visits (Medicare & some Blue Cross plans especially). For more information contact our billing department.
Patient Financial Policy
If you have health insurance, your insurance package makes you responsible for copays, coinsurance,
deductibles and other charges that they don’t cover. We expect payment toward these patient responsibilities
at the time of service. Our providers cannot waive copays, deductibles or other patient responsibilities.
If you do not have health insurance, we offer a discount for our services. Payment is expected in full at the
time of service.
We accept cash, checks and all major credit cards for payment. If you cannot pay for your services at the
time of visit, we may ask you to reschedule your visit. If you have any further questions regarding this policy,
please ask to speak with our Billing Department or the Office Manager.
Except in very limited circumstances, we do not expect patients to carry balances on their account. All
payments are due at the time of service. We send monthly statements for balances due. If you have a pastdue
balance, you must pay it at your next visit. After two statements are sent to you without a payment from
you, we will send a letter to warn you that you may be discharged from the practice for failure to pay. After 30
more days, if we don’t receive a payment from you, we will send you a final letter discharging you from the
practice. If we must discharge you, we will notify you by regular and certified mail that you have 30 days to find
alternative medical care. During that 30-day period, our providers will only be able to treat you on an
emergency basis.
There are a large number of insurance companies and benefit plans and their benefits and policies are very
different from each other (even within the same insurance company). We want to simplify the process for you
and our staff. Thus, we collect an estimated payment towards deductibles and co-insurances at the time of
service. After your insurance pays us, they may make you responsible for more than what we collected at the
time of service. In this case, you will receive a statement from us detailing what you previously paid, what the
insurance paid and what your responsibility is. When you receive a statement, this means that we have
already received payment from your insurance plan, made all appropriate adjustments and the balance due is
your responsibility. We expect you to pay these amounts promptly. If the balance is unpaid at your next visit,
we will ask you to pay these amounts at the time of the visit. In the rare case that we charged you too much,
you will have a credit on your account which you can use towards future visits. You can also request a refund
of any credits on your account.
It is your responsibility to fully understand your insurance plan . Keep in mind that your insurance plan and
associated benefits are a contract between you and your insurance company; we do not have any control over
what your insurance does or does not pay for. Therefore, if you have questions about your coverage or your
responsibilities under your insurance plan, you should first call your insurance company. If you feel that the
amount we have billed you for is in error, you can speak with our billing department who can research the issue
and make any corrections, if appropriate. Once that has been done, we expect prompt payment.
Insurance plans require us to collect copays/coinsurance/deductibles for all visits to the office, even if you
come in to get lab work, blood pressure checks and other services.
You must keep us informed of any changes in your insurance coverage, address, phone number, email and
any other personal information as soon as they occur. If you do not promptly notify us of these changes and it
results in a delay in filing a complete and accurate claim, you will be responsible for the charges involved.
Additionally, we may need to contact you regarding important medical information so it is vital that we have upto-
date contact information from you.
Your insurance company may need to contact you by phone or mail if they require additional information from
you to pay us. Please respond to them promptly. If you do not, the insurance will deny payment and all
charges will be your responsibility.
If your plan requires you to choose a Primary Care Provider (PCP), you must call your insurance company to
change your PCP to one of our doctors before your visit. If you do not change your PCP to one of our
providers, the insurance will deny coverage and you will be responsible for the charges. Additionally, we will
not be able to make referrals to other providers if we are not listed as your PCP.
If you are insured with a Marketplace plan and receive help (a “subsidy”) from the government to help you pay
for it, you are responsible for making any premium payments to your insurance plan on a timely basis. If you
miss premium payments, your insurance plan will notify us that you are in a grace period. We must collect in
full at the time of service when you are in a grace period. We will refund any such payments when your
insurance company indicates that you are no longer in a grace period.
Many times, an insurance company will pay us for your services and then make a later determination that
such services should not be covered. They will then request that we refund them. In most cases, those
charges will then become your responsibility and you will receive a statement from us for the charges. You
must contact the insurance company to determine why they didn’t pay for your services.
Injuries related to a Motor Vehicle Accident, “Slip and Fall” or any other accident-related reason where an
automobile/personal injury/property insurance may be liable for coverage or where a lawsuit may be involved,
we must charge you in full for services received. We do not take auto/property types of liability insurance. We
do not take Letters of Protection from attorney’s offices. Due to the varying coverages for accidents from
regular health insurance plans, we do not bill health insurance for accident-related claims. We will offer you
our self-pay discount for these services.
If we receive a returned check from you, we must charge a $25 returned check fee. After 2 returned checks
from you, we will no longer be able to accept a check payment on your account.
By signing this form, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it and that you have had the
opportunity to have any questions answered. Further, you agree to abide by the terms of this policy.
No Show/Cancelation Policy
Failures to fulfill office appointments (“No-Shows”) will be recorded in patients’ charts. To cancel an appointment with your doctor, we require 24 hours notice. This policy makes it possible for us to see other patients who might not otherwise be treated.
We at Valley Medical Arts McAllen realize circumstances might cause you to arrive late or miss an appointment. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please call the office 24 hours in advance to cancel.
Phone and Medical Records Policy
Telephone are answered throughout our open office hours. Valley Medical Arts Clinic's staff is happy to answer your questions about office policy, billing and insurance, and scheduling appointments. For questions, please call 956-631-5411
Insurance and Payment
Before your first office visit, it is essential to verify your insurance coverage. If you changed insurance since your last visit, please call your insurance provider to confirm that Valley Medical Arts Clinic or our associates are accepted under your insurance.
If your insurance company requires you to pick a Primary Care Physician (PCP), one of the VMAC providers name must be the PCP listed on your insurance card.
Valley Medical Arts Clinic employs a friendly staff is here to assist you; your health insurance contract is between you and your insurance company. Any questions or complaints regarding your coverage should be directed to your insurance carrier.
Each time you arrive for your appointment, you will be asked to present your insurance card and verify your home address, email address and all phone numbers. While this may seem like an inconvenience, we have found that often the insurance companies make slight changes to coverage that are important for us to know. Please be prepared to present this information when checking in for your appointment.
Co-Pay, Co-Insurance and Deductible Payments
The Doctors at VMAC are contracted with most insurance plans. However, if we do not carry your plan, payment is necessary at the time of service. If you do not have an up-to-date insurance card, self-pay fees for each visit is required until we can verify your coverage. You will have to file with your insurance company for reimbursement of payment to our office.
If the Doctors and associates at VMAC is a participating provider for your insurance company, we will file the office visit charges. You must pay your co-pay and/or deductible amounts when you check out from your appointment. If we cannot reach your insurance company to verify your coverage, payment in full is required at the time of your visit.
In the event of an emergency procedure during your office visit, you must pay any co-insurance before you leave the clinic. Self-pay patients must provide 100% payment at the time of service.
Non-Covered Services
Please be aware that some services might not be covered by your particular insurance plan. Some, or even all, of the services you receive may be non-covered or considered unnecessary by the insurer. It is very important to verify your coverage – non-covered services must be paid for in full at the time of the service.
Claims Submission
Your insurance company might need you to supply certain information directly. It is your sole responsibility to comply with their request.
Billing Office Contact
If you have questions or concerns about your statement or need to set up past-due balance payment arrangements, please feel free to contact our billing office at 956-631-5411 ext. 239.
Correspondence & Medical Records
956-631-5411
Patient Financial Policy
If you have health insurance, your insurance package makes you responsible for copays, coinsurance,
deductibles and other charges that they don’t cover. We expect payment toward these patient responsibilities
at the time of service. Our providers cannot waive copays, deductibles or other patient responsibilities.
If you do not have health insurance, we offer a discount for our services. Payment is expected in full at the
time of service.
We accept cash, checks and all major credit cards for payment. If you cannot pay for your services at the
time of visit, we may ask you to reschedule your visit. If you have any further questions regarding this policy,
please ask to speak with our Billing Department or the Office Manager.
Except in very limited circumstances, we do not expect patients to carry balances on their account. All
payments are due at the time of service. We send monthly statements for balances due. If you have a pastdue
balance, you must pay it at your next visit. After two statements are sent to you without a payment from
you, we will send a letter to warn you that you may be discharged from the practice for failure to pay. After 30
more days, if we don’t receive a payment from you, we will send you a final letter discharging you from the
practice. If we must discharge you, we will notify you by regular and certified mail that you have 30 days to find
alternative medical care. During that 30-day period, our providers will only be able to treat you on an
emergency basis.
There are a large number of insurance companies and benefit plans and their benefits and policies are very
different from each other (even within the same insurance company). We want to simplify the process for you
and our staff. Thus, we collect an estimated payment towards deductibles and co-insurances at the time of
service. After your insurance pays us, they may make you responsible for more than what we collected at the
time of service. In this case, you will receive a statement from us detailing what you previously paid, what the
insurance paid and what your responsibility is. When you receive a statement, this means that we have
already received payment from your insurance plan, made all appropriate adjustments and the balance due is
your responsibility. We expect you to pay these amounts promptly. If the balance is unpaid at your next visit,
we will ask you to pay these amounts at the time of the visit. In the rare case that we charged you too much,
you will have a credit on your account which you can use towards future visits. You can also request a refund
of any credits on your account.
It is your responsibility to fully understand your insurance plan . Keep in mind that your insurance plan and
associated benefits are a contract between you and your insurance company; we do not have any control over
what your insurance does or does not pay for. Therefore, if you have questions about your coverage or your
responsibilities under your insurance plan, you should first call your insurance company. If you feel that the
amount we have billed you for is in error, you can speak with our billing department who can research the issue
and make any corrections, if appropriate. Once that has been done, we expect prompt payment.
Insurance plans require us to collect copays/coinsurance/deductibles for all visits to the office, even if you
come in to get lab work, blood pressure checks and other services.
You must keep us informed of any changes in your insurance coverage, address, phone number, email and
any other personal information as soon as they occur. If you do not promptly notify us of these changes and it
results in a delay in filing a complete and accurate claim, you will be responsible for the charges involved.
Additionally, we may need to contact you regarding important medical information so it is vital that we have upto-
date contact information from you.
Your insurance company may need to contact you by phone or mail if they require additional information from
you to pay us. Please respond to them promptly. If you do not, the insurance will deny payment and all
charges will be your responsibility.
If your plan requires you to choose a Primary Care Provider (PCP), you must call your insurance company to
change your PCP to one of our doctors before your visit. If you do not change your PCP to one of our
providers, the insurance will deny coverage and you will be responsible for the charges. Additionally, we will
not be able to make referrals to other providers if we are not listed as your PCP.
If you are insured with a Marketplace plan and receive help (a “subsidy”) from the government to help you pay
for it, you are responsible for making any premium payments to your insurance plan on a timely basis. If you
miss premium payments, your insurance plan will notify us that you are in a grace period. We must collect in
full at the time of service when you are in a grace period. We will refund any such payments when your
insurance company indicates that you are no longer in a grace period.
Many times, an insurance company will pay us for your services and then make a later determination that
such services should not be covered. They will then request that we refund them. In most cases, those
charges will then become your responsibility and you will receive a statement from us for the charges. You
must contact the insurance company to determine why they didn’t pay for your services.
Injuries related to a Motor Vehicle Accident, “Slip and Fall” or any other accident-related reason where an
automobile/personal injury/property insurance may be liable for coverage or where a lawsuit may be involved,
we must charge you in full for services received. We do not take auto/property types of liability insurance. We
do not take Letters of Protection from attorney’s offices. Due to the varying coverages for accidents from
regular health insurance plans, we do not bill health insurance for accident-related claims. We will offer you
our self-pay discount for these services.
If we receive a returned check from you, we must charge a $25 returned check fee. After 2 returned checks
from you, we will no longer be able to accept a check payment on your account.
By signing this form, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it and that you have had the
opportunity to have any questions answered. Further, you agree to abide by the terms of this policy.
No Show/Cancelation Policy
Failures to fulfill office appointments (“No-Shows”) will be recorded in patients’ charts. To cancel an appointment with your doctor, we require 24 hours notice. This policy makes it possible for us to see other patients who might not otherwise be treated.
We at Valley Medical Arts McAllen realize circumstances might cause you to arrive late or miss an appointment. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please call the office 24 hours in advance to cancel.
Phone and Medical Records Policy
Telephone are answered throughout our open office hours. Valley Medical Arts Clinic's staff is happy to answer your questions about office policy, billing and insurance, and scheduling appointments. For questions, please call 956-638-5411
Lab Results
Your lab results will be posted in your patient portal when they are ready for review. It is your responsibility to make an appointment to sit with your VMAC Physician to discuss your laboratory results.
Results from Other Studies
An office visit will automatically be required to review ECG/MRI/CAT Scan studies with the doctors at VMAC.
Abnormal Results
Abnormal results (blood test, x-ray or any other test) are preferably reported in person by the physician. Please call to make an appointment or to speak with your provider.
Phone and Medical Records Policy
Telephones are answered throughout our open office hours. Valley Medical Arts Clinic’s staff is happy to answer your questions about office policy, billing and insurance, and scheduling appointments. For questions, please call 956-631-5411.
Release/Transfer of Medical Records
We require an administrative fee for the duplication, transfer and release of a patient’s medical chart. This fee covers the cost of duplication and any applicable postage to forward those medical records. Prior authorization from the patient is required before any copies are released. VMAC’s fee policy for the transfer of records is in accordance as required by the Texas Medical Board.
Records Release
Medical Record releases will be completed within fifteen (14) business days. As a courtesy, records will be released to any physician upon your written request and authorization. Please complete the following Permission to release PHI (release of medical record) form.
There is a charge for personal records release requests. The usual fee is $25.00 for the first twenty pages, $0.50 each additional page. If an affidavit is requested, a reasonable fee of $15.00 will be charged for execution.