Out of Network Rates
Ear Visit Information
This visit covers:
- Ear wax and cleaning
- Hearing loss, noises in the ear, pain with loud sounds
- Dizziness
- Ear pressure and fullness
- Drainage and infection
See Other Visit Types
Nose Visit Information
General nose, sinus, allergy issues.
See Other Visit Types
Throat Visit Information
General throat and neck issues.
- Hoarseness and voice changes
- Chronic throat pain or discomfort
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- Foreign body sensation in the throat
- Suspected reflux-related throat irritation
- Evaluation for lumps or swelling in the neck
See Other Visit Types
Visit Cost
We work hard to save you money while improving service. See our estimates of what you might pay if you see other ENT doctors in the region.
You do not pay more than the rates quoted here. On average it usually takes 2 visits, sometimes 3 visits, to resolve your problem. Rarely does it takes more than that. This amount is due before your visit (see why). If you need extra services, we discuss this with you at the time of your visit and expect payment at the time of service.
If you have an out of network benefit, we will file a claim for you. This claim will not reduce your out of pocket expenses for the visit. However, filing a claim can apply the cost of your visit to your insurance deductible. This can lower your out of pocket costs for future in network doctor visits. See below for how out of network benefits work.
| Service | Prepaid Discounted Rate |
|---|---|
| 25 min Base Visit + detailed (microscopic) ear exam | $229 |
| Service | Prepaid Discounted Rate |
|---|---|
| 25 min Base Visit | $199 |
Extra Services
People often need ear cleaning to get a good ear exam.
Nasal endoscopy to examinine the Eustachian tube openings is rarely needed. Endoscopy is performed using an endoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a camera and light at the end. This procedure is usually quick, minimally invasive, and can be done in an office setting.
Sometimes nasal endoscopy is required. It is a quick and generally comfortable procedure that lets us look deeper inside the nose. This involves inserting a thin, bendable tube with a camera into your nose to closely examine your nasal passages and throat. Reasons we may need to do this:
- you're still struggling after trying initial treatments such as nasal irrigations, nasal steroid, oral antihistamine, or antibiotics
- you have a history of asthma or allergy to NSAIDs such as ibuprofen
- you have warning signs of something more serious going on
Flexible laryngoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that allows for a detailed examination of the larynx (voice box) and throat. It's performed using a flexible laryngoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a camera and light at the end. This procedure is usually quick, minimally invasive, and can be done in an office setting. Some of the reasons we might need to do this include:
- Persistent throat symptoms that don't respond to initial treatment
- Hoarseness, voice, and/or swallowing issues
- Rule out tumors and growths
- Unexplained cough or coughing up blood
- Choking or inhaling food and/or water
- Asthma and allergy issues
| Service | Discounted rate |
|---|---|
| Ear cleaning | $20 |
| Office endoscopy for the back of the nose | $150 |
* To ensure you receive our discounted rates, we request that payments be completed within 24 hours of service.
| Service | Discounted Rate |
|---|---|
| Nasal endoscopy | $150 |
* To ensure you receive our discounted rates, we request that payments be completed within 24 hours of service.
| Service | Discounted Rate |
|---|---|
| Flexible laryngoscopy | $100 |
* To ensure you receive our discounted rates, we request that payments be completed within 24 hours of service.
Extra Time
Patients rarely require extra time for a basic visit. You may need extra time to understand a complex situation if you've seen a lot of doctors for your condition before. Other times Dr. Ruffin may have to dig up your records or do other tasks for your care. This administrative work does count towards total time spent with you.
Extra time is only added if you exceed the 25 minutes included in the basic visit. It is charged in blocks of 10 minutes. For example, a 45 minute visit would be $229 + $83*2 = $395 when paid within 1 day of service.
| Service | Discounted Rate |
|---|---|
| Each additional block of 10 min | $83 |
* To ensure you receive our discounted rates, we request that payments be completed within 24 hours of service.
How Does My Out of Network Benefit Work?
Bottom line: We discount our services for you. You never pay us more than the discounted price.
We submit the full charge to your insurance. Your insurance company has their own rate that they will pay–sometimes nothing.
If they accept the charge, it is applied to your deductible.
Will you get a refund from anyone? Likely not. They may reimburse us for some of the amount we discounted. This is applied to the full charge. We keep that difference as it is part of the cost of running our clinic.
Don't worry, we're here to help you navigate the insurance process. At our practice, we always put our patients first and are ready to guide you through understanding your out-of-network coverage
How Does My Out of Network Insurance Benefit Work?
Bottom line: When paid within 24 hours of your visit, you never pay us more than the prices here. We do not balance bill for payments made at the time of service.
We will confirm with you whether you have out of network benefits. If you do, we submit the full charge to your insurance. Your insurance will apply the full charge to your deductible.
Sometimes your insurance company pays our practice some money. We keep the money your insurance may reimburse us. We will not refund this to you. This is because our rates are discounted below cost. The money your insurer may provide covers the cost of running our practice and allows us to see seniors and needy patients in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
At our practice, we always put our patients first. We're here to help you navigate the insurance process. Please contact us if you have questions.
Follow Up Visits
Follow up visits are billed by time. We can provide an estimate at your initial visit.
| Service | Discounted Rate |
|---|---|
| Follow up visit up to 15 minutes | $125 |
| Each additional block of 10 min | $83 |
* To ensure you receive our discounted rates, we request that payments be completed within 24 hours of service.
If you require a procedure in a followup visit, here is our pricing for ear, nose, and throat procedures.
What If I Need Surgery?
Surgery works completely differently. Surgery costs typically are (1) surgeons fee, (2) surgery center, and (3) anesthesiologist. Surgery is billed primarily by a surgery center which is almost always in network with your insurance.
- Like your office visit, the surgeon's fee is self-pay. We charge $1,500 flat fee for all surgeries no matter how quick or involved. Simple surgery for nasal breathing? $1500. A complex cochlear implant surgery? Also $1,500. There are few exceptions to this, and we will discuss them with you directly.
- Surgery center is billed to your insurance. The surgery center will provide an estimate for you.
- Anesthesiologist is billed to your insurance. The surgery center will provide an estimate for you.
If you do not have insurance, we recommend reaching out to us directly to get an overview of your costs.
Please contact us if you have questions about these potential costs.
Lab Tests & Imaging
These are done through partners and are billed separately. Most lab tests and imaging are billed to your insurance. For those who do not have insurance, they also have cash pay pricing.
Our Commitment to You
We work hard to earn and keep your trust.
Please note that your final bill will be broken down into individual CPT codes. In the quote above, we have bundled several of these codes to make it easy to understand what you owe. Your final costs will be the same as the quote above. We will always tell you during your appointment if something may incur further costs.
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