What to Ask

  • Is a referral required for your child’s visit? If the answer is yes, you will have to contact your primary care physician to obtain one and have it sent to our office prior to your visit with us. Our office will not obtain referrals for you.
  • Is our surgeon and CHKD considered in-network or out-of-network for your specific plan? This normally determines the out of pocket percentage for which you will be responsible.
  • What portion of the bill(s) are you responsible for in regards to office visits, diagnostic testing and surgery? Once you determine this percentage from your insurance company, we can help you determine the estimated cost for your visit to our office and/or surgery and ancillary testing.

As a courtesy, our office and Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters will bill your insurance company for you. To do so, we need your cooperation in obtaining current insurance information and a copy of your insurance card.

If there is a difference between what your insurance pays and the total bill, you will be responsible for that amount. You should also notify our office immediately at (757) 668-6877 if your insurance or plan changes. If this occurs, it is important you review the questions listed above with your new insurance company and/or plan.

Surgical Authorization

We will work with your insurance company to try to obtain a surgical authorization if you or your child is scheduled for surgery. Please note we can only obtain a surgical authorization once your child has been evaluated by our surgeon and a specific date for the surgery has been selected.

Many insurance companies only allow us to obtain an authorization 45 days in advance of the scheduled surgery date. This process can be very complex and often takes several days (or possibly weeks) to obtain the authorization. Should additional information be required by your insurance company, we will contact you.

We try to accommodate all their requests in a timely manner and will try to keep you updated on the status of the surgical authorization.

Obtaining a surgical authorization is not a guarantee of payment; therefore, we strongly suggest you contact your insurance carrier about your plan coverage. There are times when we are unsuccessful in obtaining a surgical authorization; this is very difficult for our office and for you. At this point, we are forced to cancel the surgery but encourage the patient to contact his/her insurance representative to appeal the denied authorization.

Self-pay Procedures

If you plan to pay out-of-pocket, you will be classified as self-pay and are required to contact our office prior to your visit at (757) 668-6877 to discuss payment options.

Prescription Information

Many of you may have prescription benefits through a separate insurance plan, which is not part of your health insurance. It is extremely important you verify with your plan the following medications are covered and do not require a pre-authorization.

Name of Medicine

  • Percocet
  • Robaxin
  • Advil
  • Valium
  • Colace
  • Zofran

If any of the medications listed above require a pre-authorization through your prescription insurance plan, it is your responsibility to notify our office of this prior to your or your child’s surgery. We will work with your prescription insurance carrier to obtain an authorization; however, if we are unable to obtain one, we will need to change the medication to a similar one that can be authorized. This is important so we can assure you or your child receive the same medications once discharged from the hospital. Medications will be prescribed to you or your child by the surgeon or physician extender upon discharge from the hospital. Questions regarding medications should be asked at this time.

* Please note that we do not have prescriptive authority to prescribe medications outside the state of Virginia.