Scheduling Process
New Patients
Alaska Urology does not require a referral for new patients. Referrals are helpful to expediate your care. If you have a referral, please have your provider send our office a referral along with all medical records, notes, labs, and imaging. Once we have received this information it will take approximately three business days to properly triage your referral and assign an appropriate provider based on the level of care.
Please note this process may be delayed as we wait for all information from your referring provider. Signing a Release of Information (ROI) with your referring provider will help our office obtain all appropriate medical records.
Patients without a referral will be seen by one of our Nationally Certified-Physician Assistants and if needed expediated to our Board-Certified urologist for care.
Established Patients
Patients that have been seen at Alaska Urology in the past three years are welcome to contact our office and schedule. You will be scheduled within your Care Team (Physician Assistant or Physician) based off of emergent or non-emergent symptoms and provider availability.
Established New Patients
Patients that have not been seen in past three years at Alaska Urology are considered new patients. You will be scheduled with the same process as if you were a new patient. We will attempt to schedule with the Care Team seen previously.
eRegistration
Five days prior to your appointment you will start receiving communication from our office to complete eRegistration. This is a HIPPA compliant, secured, and encrypted service to provide needed information prior to your visit. eRegistration will allow you to securely enter your personal information, insurance, medical history, current and past symptoms, medications, allergies, and other pertinent material.
Please take the time and accurately fill out these forms prior to the appointment. This allows us to develop a treatment plan to meet your needs and coordinate with your healthcare providers. Further, it makes the development of your customized treatment plan more effective.
If you do not receive an email five days in advance of your visit, please contact our office.
If You Need to Cancel or Reschedule Your Appointment
Please cancel at least 48 hours in advance. You will receive appointment reminders from Alaska Urology prior to your appointment. To cancel, call 907-563-3103 in Anchorage or 907-745-9300 in Palmer and we will do our best to reschedule your appointment in a timely manner.
Late Arrivals: We will make every effort to see you, but your appointment may need to be rescheduled.
No-Show Policy
If you no-show for your appointment you will receive and automated message to reschedule. If you no-show for your appointment it is your responsibility to contact the office and reschedule.
Patients who no-show for three or more appointments may be discharged from Alaska Urology and will be asked to seek care from other providers.
No-showing an appointment is a disservice to our other patients and providers.
Before You Arrive
Below are some helpful tips to ensure you are prepared for your visit. Knowing what to do before you arrive is an important step. Please use the following information to get started.
Be Prepared by Putting Your Concerns on Paper
Jot down the reason(s) for your visit and bring these notes to your appointment along with your recent health history. This way, you will have a visual cue to remind you once you are at the office, and you won’t forget to mention anything important.
What to Bring to Your Appointment
Please bring your insurance card and photo identification (driver’s license, passport, military ID, non-driver ID), to each visit. Your insurance company may also require you to pay a co-payment at the time of your appointment. If you are a self-pay patient, you will be required to pay a $200 deposit towards your initial visit and each visit succeeding. You are fully responsible for payment of the co-pay, or self-pay deposit before any services are rendered.
Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to complete the facility screening and update necessary patient paperwork. If you haven’t prefilled out your forms arrive 45 to 60 minutes prior to the scheduled visit and be prepared to share your medical history including your current list of medications (prescribed, over-the-counter and supplements including herbs), allergies you may have to any medications and a history of any medical issues and surgical procedures. We recommend you complete the patient forms in advance to ensure they are completed thoroughly and accurately.
Costs
Your healthcare costs depend on many factors such as your insurance plan and its cost-sharing features, where you are cared for and the type of services you receive. We have resources available to help you estimate your cost of care, understand the billing process, get the full benefit of your insurance coverage and find contact information.
There are ways to prepare for your financial responsibilities before, during and after your medical care. From knowing your insurance coverage ahead of time to reading your explanation of benefits to understanding your bill, we want to help you know how best to manage your financial responsibilities.
Financial Policy
As Alaska’s partner in care, we are committed to providing you the best urological healthcare available. You will be required to read and sign our financial policy prior to any treatment.
The financial policies are not intended to alarm you; we understand the intimidating complexity of insurance and the burden of unplanned medical bills. We will do our best to discuss all charges upfront with you prior to treatment; our primary goal is to build a care plan that is in your best interest, not focused on reimbursement, no unnecessary add on services, we only want to provide high-quality care when you need it the most. We strongly encouraged patients to talk to their insurance company and if possible, discuss financial help before receiving medical treatment.
Insurance
We are participating providers for Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna, MultiPlan, Beech Street, Meritain, Moda Health, United Health Care, VA, and Cigna. It is your responsibility to know your insurance benefits. If you are unsure of your benefits, please contact your insurance carrier with questions. All patients with insurance coverage of any type must show their insurance card for us to bill your insurance. If you do not provide proof of insurance, you will be expected to pay in full at the time of service and will be considered a self-pay patient until the appropriate billing information is provided to our office. If you are not insured, payment in full is expected at the time service is rendered.
Proof of Insurance
All patients must complete our patient information forms and sign where indicated before being seen. We must obtain a copy of your insurance card(s) and a copy of a photo ID for billing. Failure to provide us with correct information will result in you being responsible for the balance of your claim.
Read our full financial policy and assistance information.
Get the Most Out of Your Appointment
- Create a list of questions and ask them at your visit. We are here to help. With our combined Urological experience, we collaborate to build care plans that are in your best interest. We do ask that you share information openly, your privacy at Alaska Urology is important to us and we will protect it.
- Write down the names of your care team members (Physician, PA, Nurse, MA, surgery scheduler, etc.). Don’t be afraid to contact them; ask for medication refills if you will run out before your next appointment, updates on your health, or general questions.
- If you do not understand the instructions in your customized plan of care repeat back the things you have discussed with your care team in your own words. The plan is only good if it is followed.
If You Need to Cancel or Reschedule
Please cancel at least 24 hours in advance. You will receive appointment reminders from Alaska Urology in advance of your appointment. To cancel call 907-563-3103 and we will do our best to reschedule your appointment in a timely manner.
Late Arrivals: We will make every effort to see you, but your appointment may need to be rescheduled if you do not arrive on time to your appointment.
No-Show Policy
If you no-show for your appointment you will receive and automated message to reschedule. If you no-show for your appointment it is your responsibility to contact the office and reschedule.
Patients who no-show for three or more appointments may be discharged from Alaska Urology and will be asked to seek care from other providers.
No-showing an appointment is a disservice to our other patients and providers.
We’re Committed to Your Privacy
Parents can make appointments or inquire about appointment times for their children who are under the age of 18.
If you would like to give your care team permission to talk with your family members or other care providers about your medical information when you are not present, you will be asked to sign a form that allows us to do to.