TWIN CITY FAMILY MEDICINE DIRECT PRIMARY CARE AGREEMENT​

 

I, (PATIENT) agree to enroll myself and/or members of my household (listed below) into a direct primary care subscription with Twin City Family Medicine.  I understand that in doing so, I/we will receive medical services normally provided in a family physician’s office as part of the subscription agreement.  Specific examples of what is and is not included are listed below.  This is not a comprehensive list, so please feel free to inquire about other services and whether or not they are provided in our office and if they would be covered under the agreement.

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What is included?

• 1 Annual physical/wellness exam

• 12 additional office visits for any other reason: chronic disease (diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, asthma, etc), and/or acute illness and injury treatment, as well as general health questions.

• Services for diagnostic testing that can be done in our office:

  • EKGs

  • Nebulizer (breathing) treatments

  • Hemoglobin A1C testing (fingerstick blood test for monitoring of diabetes)

  • Urine dipstick testing, including pregnancy tests

  • COVID, Flu, and Strep testing

  • Some joint injections

  • Minor skin procedures (draining abscesses, biopsies)

  • Freezing of warts, skin tags, and precancerous lesions

• Access to your personal physician in the office, and via e-mail, as well as via other electronic communication modalities if and when available. Enrolled patients are given a private e-mail address to which they can send non-urgent messages, as well as telephone number(s) to which they can call or send text/SMS messages.  Patients are reminded that use of non-encrypted e-mail is not necessarily secure.  Use of e-mail implies consent for response, which also may not be encrypted.

• Significant discounts on laboratory testing on any blood, urine, or other samples which we must send to an outside lab.  We provide these tests to our patients at our cost plus a $10.00 draw fee, via Quest Labs.

• Heavily discounted generic medications.  We stock many generic medications in our office which we will offer to our subscription patients.  Most meds are included in the subscription cost, except Viagra. Medications are charged at our wholesale cost plus 10%.  On a case by case basis, we can order medications for patients if we do not have them in stock.  Twin City Family Medicine is not, nor ever will be a retail pharmacy.  We do not dispense medications to patients who are not in our practice, nor will we fill prescriptions written by doctors other than physician(s) working at Twin City Family Medicine  We do not sell controlled medications (pain killers, tranquilizers, etc.) to patients.  We do not prescribe medical marijuana.

• As long as standard vaccinations for children residing in Maine are supplied by the State of Maine there is no additional cost to our patients for them, via the Vaccine For Children program (VFC). 

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What is not included?

• X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, colonoscopies, or any other tests that are performed outside of our office.

• Consultations with specialists.

• Hospital and nursing home visits.  

• Legal proceedings.  In the rare instances where a service such as a deposition or other legal consultation is needed, we are happy to negotiate a special rate with your attorney.

• Prolotherapy injections are not included in the direct primary care membership, however, patients who have been members in the practice for at least one year will receive a significant discount for this service.

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TERM OF AGREEMENT:

This agreement will be effective on the date it is signed by the patient.  It will be considered in effect for one year from the date of enrollment.  Unless either the patient or Twin City Family Medicine gives 30 days notice that they wish to terminate the agreement prior to that date, the contract will automatically renew each coming year.

The minimum commitment expected is 12 months. 

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PAYMENT:

The patient agrees to one of the following payment schedules:

There will be a one-time, non-refundable enrollment fee charged at the first visit of the first family member.  It will be $100 for an individual, $183 for a couple, and $233 for a family.

• Monthly ($100/individual, $183/couple, $233/family of up to 4, Each additional child, add $17) 

• Quarterly ($300/individual, $550/couple, $700/family of up to 4, Each additional child, add $50)

• Every six months,  ($600/individual, $1100/couple, $1400/family of up to 4. Each additional child, add $100)

• Annually,   ($1200/individual, $2200/couple, $2800/family of up to 4. Each additional child, add $200)

In the event that rates change, the patient would be given at least 30 days notice prior to the date of their automatic renewal.

A family consists of one or two parents and unmarried children living in the home who are under age 26.

Please note that there will be a $40 fee assessed to the patient for a check returned due to insufficient funds.

Twin City Family Medicine reserves the right to offer discounted rates and/or waive fees at their sole discretion.

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TERMINATION:

In the event that a patient cancels their membership in the first year without coming to a satisfactory agreement with Twin City Family Medicine,  Twin City Family Medicine reserves the right to bill the patient for the balance of the membership fees that would have been paid during the initial year of membership.

In the event that the patient elects to cancel membership after the first year of the agreement and has already pre-paid for months in advance, they will receive a prorated refund.  It will consist of a refund of fees for each whole month of services that will not be used thirty (30) days after date of receipt of the notice to cancel.  From that sum, we will deduct the fair market value of any services already rendered.  

In the event that a patient who has been in the practice for at least one year elects to cancel membership and is paying monthly, they agree that payments will be discontinued at the end of the next calendar month.

If Twin City Family Medicine determines that it is necessary to terminate their relationship with the patient at any time, they reserve the right to do so.  Such termination will be done in accordance with applicable Maine laws and statutes.  If this termination takes place within the first year of the agreement, the patient will not be billed after the end of that month.  If the patient had pre-paid for months in advance, they will receive a pro-rated refund, minus fair market value for any goods and/or services already rendered.

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TERMINATION FOR NON-PAYMENT:

In the event a patient’s account becomes delinquent, they will be notified by telephone, by mail, or electronically of this situation.  If Twin City Family Medicine does not receive payment, or the patient and Twin City Family Medicine do not reach a mutually satisfactory arrangement to resolve the situation within thirty (30) days of said notice, it will be assumed that the patient no longer wishes to be a patient of Twin City Family Medicine.  At that point, the patient may be discharged from the practice.  Said discharge will be in accordance with all applicable Maine regulations and statutes.

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REINSTATEMENT:

There is a reinstatement fee for patients who have intentionally or unintentionally allowed their membership to lapse, or have cancelled it, assuming that Twin City Family Medicine agrees to resume the patient’s care.  That fee will be a non-refundable $250 per single patient, $450 per couple, or $600 per family, or the total balance of fees for the lapsed months, whichever is less.

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UNDERSTANDING THAT SUBSCRIPTION IS NOT HEALTH INSURANCE:

The patient(s) understand that the services provided by Twin City Family Medicine do not constitute health insurance.

A Direct Primary Care membership by itself does not meet requirements of any federal law mandating individuals to purchase health insurance.

The membership fees charged by Twin City Family Medicine may or may not be reimbursed or apply towards a deductible under a health insurance policy with an insurer.

This agreement is a personal service contract/retainer with your personal physician.  Twin City Family Medicine strongly encourages patients to have some type of health insurance plan to cover catastrophic medical expenses.  Types of plans may include, but are not limited to: commercial health insurance policies, Medicare, or other government funded insurance.  We also recommend that patients with high deductibles consider funding a Health Savings Account (HSA) to cover out of pocket expenses up to the deductible.

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NON-PARTICIPATION WITH INSURANCE AND MEDICARE:

Twin City Family Medicine does not submit claims to out-of-network insurance companies. We will provide a superbill upon request, but we cannot make any guarantees about patients receiving reimbursement from any insurance company should they submit receipts to said company.

Adam Lauer, D.O., and Twin City Family Medicine have opted out of Medicare.  If a patient is a Medicare beneficiary, or will become one soon, in order to enroll as a patient of Twin City Family Medicine, they must sign an additional agreement stating specifically that they understand that no services provided can be reimbursed by Medicare.  This agreement applies only to services provided by Twin City Family Medicine.  It in no way limits services they may receive from other providers who accept Medicare.  If the patient has blood or other samples taken by personnel at Twin City Family Medicine that is sent to an outside laboratory, TCFM can send pertinent information to that facility so that they can bill Medicare on the patient’s behalf.  The same is true for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures and tests done outside Twin City Family Medicine, such as, X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, colonoscopies, and specialty consultations.  This also applies for durable medical equipment, visiting nurses, and oxygen.  Those vendors should be able to bill Medicare directly on the patient’s behalf.

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NUMBER OF VISITS PER YEAR:

Each patient shall be entitled to 1 annual physical/wellness exam per year, and 12 additional visits to be used for any reason.  Beyond these visits, additional visits will be charged at rates of $100-150 depending upon complexity. Twin City Family Medicine does reserve the right to have a discussion with individuals who have unexpectedly high use of services to determine appropriateness of care and if a modified arrangement may be appropriate.  Medical services are provided as deemed medically necessary by Twin City Family Medicine.

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PHYSICIAN ACCESS:

During times when Twin City Family Medicine is closed, on nights, weekend, holidays, and vacations, there is a physician available by telephone.  We ask that contacting the physician on call be done only for matters which cannot wait until the office re-opens.  For less urgent matters, there is an option to leave a voicemail which will be answered promptly at the start of the next business day.  Patients may also send non-urgent e-mails that are answered promptly as well.

Established patients will be provided with a telephone number to which they can send text/SMS messages.  The patient understands that text messages are monitored during business hours only, not on nights, weekends, vacations, or holidays.  Any messages sent when the office is not open will be answered the next business day.  The patient agrees not to send urgent or emergency issues via text/SMS message.

All office visits are by appointment only.  We are not a walk-in clinic nor an emergency room.  We ask that patients please call ahead before coming to the office if they do not have an appointment.

If you have an injury or illness that threatens life or limb, please call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency room!

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PHYSICIAN ABSENCE:

From  time  to  time, due  to  vacations,  illness, or personal emergency,  Dr. Lauer  may be temporarily unavailable.  In order to assist patients in scheduling non-urgent visits, Twin City Family Medicine will notify patients of any planned physician absences as soon as the dates are confirmed.  Should your physician have an absence, Twin City Family Medicine will make every effort to triage calls and/or direct patients to a physician who can provide coverage and/or care.  The patient may or may not have to pay the covering physician for their services as they fall outside of this agreement when off-site.

 

CHANGE OF LAW:

If there is a change of any relevant law, regulation, or rule, federal, state, or local, which affects the terms of this Agreement, the patient and Twin City Family Medicine agree to amend this Agreement to comply with the law.