Which insurances do you accept?
We accept most insurances! To be absolutely sure that your insurance provider will pay any claims for service at our locations, we suggest that you contact your insurance company directly to confirm coverage. This is important, because you may be liable for any unpaid claims.
Simply call the number on the back of your insurance card, or if available login on their website to confirm coverage.
NOTE: We do not currently accept Ambetter insurance. Dr. Balcacer is listed as a Primary Care provider in their online provider directory in error.
I have insurance. Why did I receive a bill from you?
If you received a statement from us, this could mean there is a portion of charges that your insurance did not cover. This could include copays, coinsurance, or denied claims. Insurance also does not cover some types of fees, such as no-show fees.
Your statement will include a note informing you of the reason(s) for the remaining balance, as told to us by your insurance provider. If you have questions about what your insurance covers, or why they did not pay what you were expecting, please contact your insurance provider directly.
If you have updated insurance information, such as a new insurance provider or corrected insurance information, please contact our Billing team at 727-384-2479, or update your information online via the Patient Portal.
Who do I contact to add/update the insurance on my account?
Give our billing department a call at 727-384-2479. You can also send your updated information to us as a secure message through our Patient Portal or email a copy of your new insurance cards (front and back) to billing@abamamd.com.
It has been a while since I was seen by a provider. Why am I just now getting a bill?
With few exceptions, patients are ultimately responsible for ensuring that payment is made for services rendered.
For many people, this means that they pay a copay and we send the rest to their insurance provider on their behalf via a claim for payment. The insurance company will respond by either paying the claim, denying part or all of the claim, or indicating what amount, if any, the patient is still responsible for paying in the form of deductibles or co-insurance.
We will work with your insurance provider to ensure, to the best of our ability, that claims are processed timely and accurately. After submitting and processing claims, if your insurance company tells us that the patient is responsible for any portion of the charges still owed we will take their word and send you a bill, accordingly. If you disagree with any amounts billed to you by us, please contact your insurance provider directly with any questions.
Can I pay my statement balance online?
Yes! We do accept online payments through our secure payment processor. There is no extra cost to make a payment online, and all major credit/debit cards are accepted. Payments made online will generally post to your account within 1-2 business days.
Our payment system will not show you any patient information, including the balance due on your account. You must know how much of a payment you want to make before initiating the payment. We will also need you to provide the patient’s account number and the patient’s name and DOB when making your payment. For these reasons, we suggest you have your most recent statement ready (either in hand or on the Patient Portal) before you click on “Pay Online” on the top right of our webpage.
Steps to Pay Online:
- Have your most recent statement in front of you. (You can also login to the Patient Portal to view your most recent statement.)
- Make note of the statement balance and patient account number.
- Click on the “Pay Online” button at the top right of this webpage.
- Enter the dollar amount of your payment, then click on the “Checkout” button.
- Enter the patient’s account number (as seen on the statement), last name and date of birth.
- Enter your contact information and payment card information.
- Click Pay.
Office Visits
I was referred to you by another doctor. How do I make an appointment?
Before we can schedule any appointments with you for your Infectious Disease referral, we must first receive all of your medical records pertaining to the reason for your visit and an official referral from your primary care provider. We will then review your records and contact you to schedule an appointment. We cannot schedule any appointments until full/complete information is received from the referring doctor.
To avoid any delays in scheduling, please ensure that you have given your referring physician’s office written permission to release all medical records to us.
Please note that it is your responsibility to work with your other provider to ensure that all required information is sent to us. If we do not receive everything, you will need to contact them directly for assistance.
To save on time and paperwork, you can also pre-register for your patient account online. To do so, click on the Patient Portal link (top right of this page), and follow the on-screen instructions to Pre Register with the practice. Your registration will be routed to our staff for review, and a Patient Portal account will be created for you once you have been registered in our system.
How do I request a prescription refill?
Depending on the medication and how long it has been since you’ve seen the doctor, we might be able to process prescription refill requests online or over the phone.
To request a refill securely online, visit your Patient Portal (link above on the top right of this page), then click on View Your Health Record. The system will then prompt you to login. Once logged in, you will see a list of your current medications on the main page of the portal. Click the button to request a refill, select the medications you need refilled, and click Submit. That’s all there is to it. Our office will then process your request and contact you if there are any issues.
To request a refill via phone, give us a call at 727-384-2479 and choose option 4. Leave a voicemail including your name, DOB, medications requested, and a contact number. If we are able to process your request, we will send it directly to your pharmacy of record. Otherwise, we will contact you if there are any issues with the request.
Note: We do not process refill requests on Fridays, or during non-business hours such as nights, weekends and holidays. Additionally, once you submit a request for a refill, it may take up to 2-3 business days to process. If you have a medically urgent need and cannot work within these timelines, please visit your nearest walk-in clinic or urgent care facility.
I need to cancel or change an appointment. What should I do?
No worries. We understand that things happen and plans can change. We are more than happy to help reschedule your appointment for you. We require at least 24 hours advanced notice for any changes or cancellations, or a $50 no-show fee will be billed to your account.
You can request to cancel or reschedule your appointment in our online Patient Portal or over the phone with our staff.
I am new to the practice. What do I do?
Welcome to our practice! There’s a bit of information that we will need to gather in order to ensure the best possible health outcomes. Please review our New Patient Process for an overview of what we will need to know and how you can submit your answers to us ahead of your first appointment.
Patient Portal
How do I register for access to the patient portal?
If you are an existing patient or the practice, click on the Patient Portal link at the top of this page. On the following screen, there will be an “Enroll Now” button near the bottom of the screen. Click that button and answer all questions. The system will match you to our records and create your Patient Portal account.
If you are not yet a patient of our practice, you can pre-register with us. To do so, click on the Patient Portal link (top right of this page), and follow the on-screen instructions to Pre Register with the practice. You registration will be routed to our staff for review, and a Patient Portal account will be created for you.
If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to call us at 727-384-2479.
How do I access the patient portal?
You can access the secure patient portal any time of day, 24 x 7, from any computer or mobile device. Simply click the “Patient Portal” link at the top of this page. Then, on the next window, click on “View Your Health Record” and enter your login credentials. If you do not remember your login, you can enter your mobile number and log in that way.
For assistance with common login issues, click on the “Trouble Logging In?” link, or call us at 727-384-2479.
You can also login via the Healow App, which is available for both Android and Apple devices. See Healow App for more information.
What can I do in the patient portal?
Our Patient Portal is designed to give you full visibility to your patient profile, including medical history, lab reports/results, medications, visit summaries, billing invoices, account balance, and more.
You can also submit requests directly to our practice, skipping phone calls and emails. In our portal, you can update your personal information (such as address, phone numbers, and desired pharmacy), request prescription refills, send questions to providers/staff, request appointments, request referrals, request labs, check-in for appointments, fill out medical questionnaires, and more.
We encourage our patients to use patient portal to more securely facilitate the exchange of information with us.
NOTE: If you need to update the insurance information on your account, please send us a direct message in the portal with the Insurance plan name, insured name, subscriber ID, and group number.
How do I view my statements in the patient portal?
The patient portal will show you electronic copies of all statements mailed to you. You can view the most recent information we sent by clicking on My Account > Current Statement. To view a history of previous statements, click on My Account > Past Statement.
Please note that the system will only show you copies of statements just as they were when they were sent. The patient portal does not offer a full accounting of payments or adjustments. This means that statement balances shown on the portal will not update after a payment has been made. If you think you might have already paid a statement or have questions about your current balance, please call our Billing team at 727-384-2479.
Is the patient portal secure?
Yes. We have partnered with one of the leading providers or practice management technology, and the information on the portal is completely secure. It is protected with a username and password / PIN number of your choice and through SSL encryption.
I'm having trouble logging in. What do I do?
If you are having trouble logging in to the patient portal, click on the “Trouble Logging In?” link at the bottom right of the login page. You will be prompted to provide your email address to reset your password. The email address you provide must match the email address we have on file.
Not receiving password reset emails:
If you have previously unsubscribed from any email sent by our practice, including appointment confirmations, statement alerts, or lab result alerts, then you will not receive the password reset email. You will need to login to the patient portal using the Mobile Phone method. Once in the portal, you will see a widget where you can re-subscribe to emails, including password reset emails.
Not receiving Text Verification codes:
Similarly, if you have texted “STOP” to any text message notification from our practice to unsubscribe from text alerts, you will not receive text message with the login verification code. This will impair your ability to reset your portal password or login using the Mobile Method. You will need to re-enable text alerts by texting the word “START” to the numbers 69684 and 329674. These two numbers are the shortcodes used by patient portal for sending text message notifications. (For more information on shortcodes, or to confirm that your mobile number is shortcode enabled, please contact your cell phone company for assistance.)
Patient Portal is not finding an account with my Name/DOB/Phone Number:
Your details must match what we have in our system. Make sure you are entering your name as it is printed on your statements. For example, if your name is Billy Smith and your statement says William Smith, use William Smith to login to the portal. If you are still having trouble, please call us for assistance.