Office Policies
Office Hours
We are open to serve you, answer questions, or schedule an appointment during the following hours:
Little Rock office: Monday – Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Jacksonville office: Thursday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Our Mission
At our office, we ensure that patients receive the most advanced orthodontic care. Our office regularly attends seminars and conferences devoted to new treatments, new technologies, and excellent patient care practices. With patient care as our top priority, this is our commitment to you.
Appointment Times
We know your time is valuable, and we strive to stay on schedule. Late arrivals cause our other patients' appointments to be delayed. Therefore, if you are 10 minutes late, we will do our best to work you back in as quickly as possible. If you are 15 minutes or more late, we will need to reschedule your appointment to avoid delaying others.
Account Status During Treatment
If your account is 90 days or more past due, we will temporarily suspend your orthodontic treatment. We will only see patients on an emergency basis at this point. This will delay your progress. Once the account is made current or payment arrangements have been made, the regular schedule for care can resume.
Account Status at Completion of Treatment
Your account must be paid in full when it is time for treatment to be completed. Treatment will be limited to an emergency basis only, until it is paid in full. Once the account is paid in full, braces will be removed and retainers (if applicable) will be fabricated and placed.
Insurance
My insurance coverage is a contract between me and my insurance company. The office of Ashcraft Orthodontics, PLLC will file and process my claims according to the agreement with my particular company. As a courtesy to me, the office will be happy to file my primary and secondary insurance. If I have more than two insurance companies, I will be responsible for filing any additional insurance. My signature below authorizes the office of Ashcraft Orthodontics, PLLC to submit insurance claims to my carrier and receive payment. I understand payments from my insurance will be paid directly to the office of Ashcraft Orthodontics, PLLC and credited to my account. I also authorize the release of any medical information necessary to process claims to my insurance company. I further acknowledge that I am fully financially responsible for payment, whether or not service is covered by my insurance policy. It is my responsibility to verify insurance benefits. This office will attempt to get an estimate of benefits from the insurance company. However, there is no way for the office to verify complete benefits and limitations for each policy. The office will not become involved in disputes with my insurance company. If my insurance has not paid within the treatment time frame, I will be expected to make full payment for the remaining balance. IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ASHCRAFT ORTHODONTICS, PLLC TO FILE ANY CLAIM OR COLLECT FROM ANY INSURANCE COMPANY. This is done as a courtesy to me. However, it is the insured’s responsibility to ensure that payments are being made to this office, by contacting the insurance company. Most insurance companies send out E.O.B.s (explanation of benefits) to the patient/insured party directly. It is also the patient/insured party’s responsibility to ensure the insurance information on file with our office is correct at all times. It is not this office’s responsibility to do so. With orthodontic insurance, most insurance companies do not pay the total lifetime maximum upfront. They usually pay in monthly or quarterly benefits. Therefore, if insurance changes or discontinues while the patient is in treatment, the account may have some differences from this signed agreement. Please contact our office with ANY new insurance information. This information needs to be communicated with this office as soon as possible to avoid timely filings deadlines and to ensure any changes are made before the end of treatment if necessary to avoid delay of completion of treatment.
Use of Our After-Hours On-Call Operator
There is an after-hours on-call operator available for true orthodontic emergencies. This person does not have access to the schedule, patient records, or any financial information. However, if there is a true orthodontic emergency causing the patient pain, this person can usually communicate the best way to get the patient comfortable over the phone. If that is not possible, a member of our staff will meet you at their convenience (due to it being their time off). If this person deems the after-hours appointment unnecessary, or you do not show for the after-hours appointment, there will be an office visit fee charged. This charge must be paid in cash and will be due at the time of the after-hours appointment. This charge will be $40.00.
Minors
The adult accompanying a minor is responsible for full payment. This is regardless of any divorce decrees (which is a contract between parents, not between you and your doctor). A bill can be sent to both financially responsible parties from this office. If necessary, the adult that initiates treatment will be responsible for ALL treatment fees and then collect reimbursement from the other responsible party.
Inclement Weather Policy
We follow the Little Rock School District, the North Little Rock School District, Pulaski County Special School District, and the Jacksonville School District (when applicable) when there is inclement weather in our area. If any of these school districts do not feel it is safe for their students and employees to be on the roads, we feel it is not safe to put our patients and employees in danger either. As soon as a determination is made, we will send out a blanket e-mail to all valid e-mail addresses in our system, update our Facebook status, and change our message on our office phone system. Please check one or more of these sources before traveling to our office to verify closure if there is any doubt.