New Patient Information & Forms
Dear New Patient,
Welcome to our practice. We are
proud to offer you a comprehensive allergy treatment plan to provide long-term solutions to your specific allergy problems.
In the treatment of your allergies there are various medical options that need to be examined to determine which treatment
option is best for you. Once you have been evaluated by Dr. McMullan she may order different tests to help her determine your
treatment plan: skin tests to determine if you have inhalant allergies and blood tests to measure specific levels of allergy
antibodies in your blood stream. Once Dr. McMullan has the test results she will determine an allergy plan that may include
avoidance, diet modifications, medications, and/or immunotherapy with either shots or drops in the treatment of your allergies.
Avoidance is the gold standard in the treatment of allergies.
It would be best to avoid or limit contact with all things that you have allergies to. You can do this by changing your environment
and making specific environmental changes and diet modifications. The specific environmental changes and dietary modifications
will be reviewed with you during allergy testing and at your allergy testing follow up. However, sometimes avoidance of allergens
is impossible and the use of medications and/or immunotherapy is needed.
Medications are used in treating the allergic symptoms such
as runny nose, itchy eyes, sinus pressure, and sinus HA. Medications typically used in the treatment of allergy symptoms include
aritihistamines, nasal steroids, and decongestions. These medications help treat the symptoms and not the underlining cause
of your symptoms. Sometimes medications may be used in conjunction with immunotherapy until symptoms relief is achieved with
immunotherapy and then medication usage will be slowly deceased.
There are two types of immunotherapy used for the treatment
of your allergies, sublingual immunotherapy and subcutaneous immunotherapy. Both types of immunotherapy work in similar ways.
Both work by introducing small amounts of the allergen you’re sensitive to into your body, which builds up your tolerance
and decreases your symptoms over a minimum treatment period of 3 years. The symptom relieving benefits will last for many
years after you have finished with your immunotherapy treatment course.
There are some differences between the two types of immunotherapy.
Sublingual immunotherapy uses drops placed under your tongue everyday done at home. It has no reported cases of anaphylaxis
with treatment, is the standard of care in Europe and is approved by the World Health Organization. Sublingual therapy may
also be successfully used safely in patients where avoidance was previously the only treatment option due to patient sensitivity.
Subcutaneous immunotherapy is the second type of immunotherapy. Subcutaneous immunotherapy uses shots done in our office every
week. There is a minimal risk of ariaphy laxis involved with treatment and subcutaneous immunotherapy is accepted by the general
medical community here in the United States.
The cost for allergy testing and treatment varies depending
upon the amount of testing you need and whether you are interested in subcutaneous or sublingual immunotherapy. Insurance
plans generally cover the cost of allergy testing but it is dependent upon your specific insurance policy. Your insurance
company will be notified and your benefits will be verified prior to allergy testing. We will review your benefits with you
at the time of your allergy testing appointment. We hope the end benefit from allergy treatment is simply feeling better with
fewer medications. We hope to achieve that through the various treatment option explored above. If you have any questions
please feel free to call our office at (208) 898-9491.
Dr. Kathryn McMulIan Patient Payment Policy
We are committed to the success of your medical treatment
and care. Please understand that payment of your bill is part of this treatment and care. Payment is expected at the time
of service. As a courtesy to you, we will bill your insurance. Please remember the insurance companies contract with you.
You are responsible for making sure your visit is covered by your insurance plan.
For your convenience, we have answered a variety of commonly
asked financial policy questions below. If you need further information about any of these policies, please ask to speak with
Dr. McMullan’s Billing Specialist.
How May I Pay?
We accept
payment by cash, imprinted check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Returned checks will assess a $25.00 service
charge.
Do I Need A Referral?
If
you have a PPO Plan with which we are contracted, your plan may require a referral authorization from your primary care physician.
Not all PPO plans require a referral so it may not be necessary. If one is required and we have not received an authorization
prior to your arrival at the office, we have a telephone available for you to call your primary care physician to obtain it.
If you are unable to obtain the required referral at that time, you will be rescheduled.
Which Plans Do You Contract With?
Blue
Cross Traditional, Blue Cross PPQ, Blue Shield Traditional.
Will I be charged for missed appointments?
A 24-hour cancellation call is required. Otherwise, a $25.00 missed appointment fee will be assessed. If you
are scheduled for a 3-hour allergy test session, you fail to arrive for testing and do not reschedule, the $100.00 deposit
will be forfeited.
What Is My Financial Responsibility for
Services?
Your financial responsibility depends on a variety of factors, explained below. Please remember you
may be responsible for a copay as well as a deductible. Remember, all insurance plans require some financial obligation from
you. We will make every attempt to keep you current on your obligation, both with statements and on arrival In the office.
As a courtesy to you we will bill your insurance carrier; If no payment is received within 60 days, we will look to you for
full payment.
The following forms can be downloaded to your computer
and printed at home. By filling out these forms ahead of time you will save significant time at the time of your visit. If
you have any questions when filling out these forms, please do the best you can, our staff will assist you with your questions
on the day of your visit.
Please print out and complete the following New
Patient Forms:
323 East Riverside Drive, Ste 234 • Eagle, Idaho 83616
Now conveniently
located at Eagle Health Plaza at Eagle River
At
the intersection of North Eagle Road and State Street (Highway 44)
Call (208) 938-4080 To Schedule
An Appointment
Some Same Day Appointments Available
