We are closed to new patients, we accept the following insurance for existing patients only:

 BCBS Commercial PPO /HMO & Federal
Aetna Commercial and Medicare Advantage PPO
Medicare
UHC Medicare Advantage PPO (Out of Network)*
Tricare Select (Out of Network)**
Florida Blue Medicare Advantage (PPO) (Out of Network)*

We do not treat or file insurance for Auto Accidents or Workers Compensation.

*Most UHC Medicare Advantage plans pay the same as in network. Florida Blue Medicare Advantage plans are likely to have an increased financial responsibility for you. Contact your insurance to review your out of network benefits.

** You will have a higher deductible and coinsurance. Contact Tricare to see what your plan covers, plans vary.   

OFFICE HOURS

Monday 8-5 Tuesday 8-5 Wednesday 8-5 Thursday 8-5 Friday 8-12

We are closed for lunch from 12-1 and closed the 1st Friday of each month.

On occasion, we are closed for training, meetings, etc.

AFTER HOURS

For emergencies, please go to the emergency room or call 911 depending on how emergent your need is.

Acute needs after normal business hours, that can not wait until the office is open, we recommend you go to an urgent care.

You can reach our after-hours line by calling 850.444.5563. This number is provided to you when you call our regular phone number after normal business hours.

Prescription refills are only provided during regular business hours. Some pharmacies may provide a small supply to hold you over until we can submit your refill. Please plan ahead!   

 We highly recommend the utilization of our patient portal.  Using the portal can help reduce missed phone calls and improve communication.  You can use the portal to obtain certain health information, request appointments, view future appointments, request medication refills, ask non-urgent questions, as well as view/pay your bill.  Please note, you will not have direct access to Dr. Curtsinger through the portal; however, our staff will act as your liaison when needed.   Click here to go to the portal.

Important Changes to Messaging for Medical Advice

Patient portal messaging is a communication tool for simple, non-urgent messages about existing health problems.  Messages sent after hours will be answered on the next business day.

If you have a new concern, please make an appointment.  Patient portal messages about new health concerns, changes in your condition or complex issues may be billed to your insurance if Dr. Curtsinger’s response requires medical expertise and more that five minutes of time.  Additional information regarding this charge can be found under the FAQ Billing section.

Messages left after normal business hours will be returned on the next business day.  The portal is not intended for urgent matters.  For urgent matters during business hours, please call our office at 850.898.0149.  For urgent matters after business hours, please go to a Urgent Care or nearest Emergency Room.

****If you submit a portal message, please do not leave a voicemail as well.  If we do not get back to you quickly, we most likely need to discuss your message with Dr. Curtsinger.  Since she is seeing patients, this may take additional time and we will get back to you as soon as possible. ****

Due to a high influx in patient demand, we highly encourage being proactive in scheduling routine and preventative appointments. We recommend you schedule your next appointment at checkout to allow optimum flexibility.

Acute visits: We do save acute visits each day. We recommend you call as early as possible to increase your chance of getting a same day/next day appointment. On occasion, we may not be able to get you an appointment in a timely manner and will refer you to an urgent care.

Nurse visits: If you are scheduled for a nurse visit you may be subject to a copay based on your insurances policy. This does not apply to an immunization only visit. Please note, when you come in for an blood pressure check, it will be billed as a nurse visit or possibly a doctor’s visit if Dr. Curtsinger has to see you based on a medication change discussion, etc.

Lab/Imaging results: Results that are abnormal or require additional follow up based on Dr. Curtsinger’s discretion, will require an appointment. Normal results that do not require follow up will be sent to the patient portal (if enrolled) or patient will be notified via phone or letter.

Preventative Visits: People often have questions about what is covered during a preventative visit (aka, Physical, Pap Smear or Well Child Check):

A preventative visit includes: Conducting an exam based on your age and sex. Providing advice about staying healthy and healthy living choices. Identifying risk factors. Screening tests based on age, sex, or lifestyle. Keeping your immunizations up to date based on your age and sex.

What a preventive visit does not include: Discussion of any new health problem, illness, or injury. Management of chronic, ongoing health problems and/or medications.

If you would like to discuss concerns not covered under a preventive visit, you may have the option if time allows. In this case, we will change your visit as a problem focused visit, and you will be responsible for a copay/coinsurance/deductible as defined by your insurance.

If you require a preventative visit for your insurance, work, etc, please inform the nurse. In this case, we can only focus on what is included in a preventative visit. You can then schedule a follow-up/acute visit to discuss any other concerns if needed, or vice versa.

We recommend you come for a visit at minimum once a year after age 3 years old. More frequent visits may be required if Dr. Curtsinger has advised it, based on your health history and/or medications. We will guide you through appointment recommendations under 3 years old. 

Labs

If Dr. Curtsinger orders labs prior to your next visit, please put a reminder in your calendar. Failure to compete the labs may result in an extra appointment needed to review any abnormal results. If you are enrolled in the patient portal, you will receive your results at the same time as Dr. Curtsinger. Please be patient, she receives hundreds of results per day and addresses them as quickly as possible. We do monitor for critical labs and address them immediately. If you have a follow up appointment to review your labs and there is nothing urgent, you may not get a portal message regarding the results. Please keep your appointment. For patients not enrolled in our patient portal, you will receive a phone call with your results.

Referrals

Referrals may take up to two weeks to process.

If enrolled in the portal, once the referral is placed, the provider information is sent to your portal and you may call them directly to schedule an appointment.

On occasion, we may ask for your help. If we are unable to find a provider that accepts your insurance, we may ask you to contact your insurance to find an option that works best for you.

If you need a new referral regarding a concern you have not discussed with Dr. Curtsinger, you will need an appointment. We are required to send documentation with the referral to support the diagnosis. 

Advanced Imaging

Please keep your preferred facility updated. Some imaging requires authorizations and can take up to two weeks. 

Any request for a new medication and/or refills should be made during appointments.

If I need a prescription refill between visits, contact your pharmacy (even if you do not have any refills left) and allow 48 to 72 business hours to process. Prescriptions may be requested through the patient portal.

Refill requests will only be processed during office hours so please plan ahead.

There are times when there is a shortage on medications. If you are impacted, call alternative pharmacies in your area to see if they have the prescription you need, then let us know. Our nurse will send it over as quickly as possible. Please be kind, this is frustrating for us too.

Over the years, we have performed many services as a courtesy even though they are a billable service. As costs rise and reimbursements decrease, effective immediately, we will begin to bill for the following services:

Portal messages that require medical expertise and more than five minutes of Dr. Curtsinger’s time. Medicare allows reimbursement of $15-$47 based on time spent within a 7 day period.*

Direct provider telephone call, requested by patient, for example, afterhours callback, questions or caring for a condition that does not require an appt. that is over 5 minutes. Medicare allows reimbursement of $55-$127. *

Medicare has initiated a code, G2211. See “What is Medicare CPT G2211” section  for more information.

We apologize for any inconvenience. This will allow us to continue to provide the highest standard of quality care.

*These services may be covered by your insurance but will be subject to copay/deductible. Check with your insurance to inquire about coverage

Our self-pay policy requires $100 to be paid at time of service and you will be billed for any remaining balance. The balance is due within 30 days after receipt of the statement.

What to expect:

The visits can range from $100-$182 depending on the complexity of the visit.

Point-of-care testing such as rapid flu, strep, etc. will be given at the self-pay rate as well. We will let you know the cost prior to testing.

We would recommend you get any vaccines at the health department (for children) or any pharmacy that offers immunization services.    

Due to the increasing number of no shows or cancellations under 24 hours, we will be enforcing our no show policy.

You will receive a bill for $25 for missing your appointment without a 24-hour notice. We do reserve the right to discharge a patient after three no shows or cancellations under 24 hours.

Please be mindful to keep your appointments or call at least 24 hours ahead so that we may have an opportunity to assist another patient. Thank you for your understanding.

It is your responsibility to keep your contact information up to date so that you will receive reminders of your upcoming appointments.  

There will be fee to complete most forms: $50 and they may take up to 14 days for processing.

An office visit may be necessary to complete certain forms and the fee for the forms will be waived. The visit is subject to co-pay, coinsurance, and/or deductibles. Please note, even with an office visit, some forms may require additional time for completion; however, Dr. Curtsinger will do her best to complete them at the time of visit.

Disabled parking forms will not have a fee but will require an appointment for the first request if it was not already discussed with Dr. Curtsinger at a previous appointment.   

Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) add-on code G2211 reflects the time, intensity, and practice expense resources involved when physicians provide office/outpatient visits that build longitudinal relationships with patients and address the majority of a patient’s health care needs with consistency and continuity over longer periods of time. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created code G2211 to better account for the resource costs associated with visit complexity inherent to primary care and other longitudinal care.

The 2024 national Medicare allowable for G2211 is $16.05. This code may be added to your visits and is covered by Medicare, minus your cost share. 

We have a high expectation for our staff to treat everyone with respect and kindness with every encounter. We expect the same from our patients to our staff as well.

We understand that sometimes people do not feel well or are frustrated with a situation; but remember, things are best handled with kindness and understanding on all sides.

If you have a concern or question regarding our policies, ask to speak to the Practice Administrator.