We strive to make office visits run smoothly for our patients. Below you will find a variety of resources for new patients, as well as our office policies.
First Visits
New Patient Coordinator
Our New Patient Coordinator will contact you prior to your first visit to discuss new patient forms, including medical information, demographics, insurance and consent forms. She will also inform you of any additional items you should bring with you to your appointment.
What to do Prior to First Visit
- Check-in online via SMS link or email that you will receive prior to your first appointment
- Complete required paperwork on our Patient Portal
- Obtain patient referral (if required for insurance purposes)
- Obtain relevant lab reports, x-rays, MRI, CT or other diagnostic reports if your physician has not sent to our office
- Write down all medications that you are currently taking
What to Bring to Your First Visit
- Valid photo identification
- Valid insurance card
- Patient referral from your physician if applicable
- Completed forms
- List of medications
- Relevant lab reports, x-rays, MRI, CT or other diagnostic reports. Please bring any imaging on a disk if available.
Follow-Up Physician Appointments
Patients can make appointments Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by calling (912) 355-6615. You may also use our patient portal to request an appointment online at any time.
If you are unable to keep an appointment, please notify us within one business day so we may offer the appointment to another patient in need of care.
We make a sincere attempt to adhere to the appointment schedule. However, our physicians may be delayed in surgery, which may cause them to run late for scheduled office appointments. Your patience and understanding in these situations is greatly appreciated.
Office Hours
Please visit our Locations page for our office hours by location.
Office Hours at our satellite locations may change. Please check with our main office for the current schedule.
Bundle Payment & Incentive Programs
For the past two years, Chatham Orthopaedic Associates has voluntarily participated in a program with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The program is known as the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced model (BPCI Advanced). Medicare anticipates requiring all providers participate in this model with an estimated start date of 2024.
You may be asking, what is a bundled payment program? A bundled payment program combines or bundles together, payments that insurance plans make to health care providers for the many different kinds of medical services patients might receive during their care. This time period could include a hospital inpatient stay or an outpatient procedure, plus 90 days.
In the bundled payment programs, hospitals, doctors, and other health care providers may benefit from providing better, more coordinated health care. Other major insurance carriers are also implementing performance programs that ultimately reward providers based on site of service, cost efficiency and patient outcomes following Medicare’s lead. In some instances, insurance plans may require certain orthopaedic procedures be accomplished in an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) rather than in a hospital setting for medically appropriate patients. No matter where the procedure takes place, the insurance plans will monitor participants closely to make sure that their patients receive efficient, high quality care.
By participating in bundled and other performance programs now, the physicians at Chatham Orthopaedic Associates are taking the necessary steps to prepare for the healthcare changes ahead. Rest assured that our number one goal will always be to provide you with the highest quality of care you expect and deserve.
For more information, please contact: Kimberly Slatkovsky at (912) 525-1299.
Insurance & Payment
Insurance claims will be submitted upon completion of your service as an “insurance assignment,” which authorizes payment to be made directly to our office.
If a patient is without insurance coverage, he / she will be asked to make financial arrangements with our Patient Account Representative before services are rendered. A portion of the payment will be due prior to the service.
Patients are responsible for any deductibles, co-insurance and non-covered services. If your insurance company does not pay the claim within 45-60 days, you may be requested to take an active part in the recovery and payment of the claim. We request that copays and patient balances are paid prior to being seen by a provider.
We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover credit cards, as well as personal checks and cash. Refunds will be issued if overpayment occurs.
If you believe that your bill is incorrect: Contact our office at 912-355-6615 and follow the prompts to our Billing office and/or your health plan for an explanation. If they are unable to resolve your concerns, you can contact the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Fire Safety, online; https://oci.georgia.gov/ or by phone at (404) 656-2070.
Referrals & Pre-Authorizations
Many insurance carriers require pre-authorization for specialized and surgical procedures and/or referrals from a primary care physician. It is important that you communicate all insurance requirements to our staff. Our staff will work to obtain all referrals and pre-authorizations for patients.