Fee for Service and Payment Policies

Self-pay (out-of-network) clients:

Breastfriends, LLC requires a credit card on file at the time of scheduling your appointment. Full payment amount is due before the session. The amount agreed upon will be collected 12 hours prior to our visit, using the credit card on file. All services are non-refundable. A discount will be provided for follow-up visits. A surcharge will be applied to home visits outside my service area. A surcharge will be applied for twins or higher order multiples to cover the extra length of the visit. These surcharges are not eligible for insurance reimbursement. I will provide you with a superbill suitable for you to submit to your insurance.The superbill (which will also serve as a payment receipt) will be coded appropriately to the level of service provided during the visit. You agree to pay me at the time of the visit (cash, credit card, or FSA).

These policies apply to Breastfriends LLC and its representatives.

If you use SquareUp: Payments may be made electronically using a credit card or fund transfer. I use SquareUp to process payments. SquareUp meets the high standards of HIPAA and the banking industry for security and privacy with regard to financial transactions. However, SquareUp may send, automatically or per your request, email or text message receipts that reveal personal health information such as the date and type of lactation visit. If you are not comfortable with this, payment may be made via cash instead.

Acceptable forms of payment will be cash or card using Squareup (Processing fee will be applied to total cost of visit)

Breastfriends, LLC does not file insurance claims for their patients but does provide a superbill for each visit so that you can try for reimbursement with your insurance company. Upon request, Breastfriend, LLC will provide basic lactation codes to any patient wanting to call their insurance company

Effective August 2, 2023: The Lactation Network accepting Provider Network of America patients for lactation consultation services

We are so excited to share a new partnership with you! The Lactation Network is now working with Provider Network of America (PNOA). PNOA subscribers have been informed that they are able to access insurance-covered lactation services through TLN, and now you can share this exciting news with your patients as well!

Provider Network of America (PNOA) is a nationwide, direct, contracted provider network. With a presence in all 50 states, PNOA provides access to more than 700 employers with over 8 million lives covered.

The Lactation Network: Breastfriends, LLC partners with The Lactation Network to allow direct billing of services for some BlueCross BlueShield, Anthem, Cigna, PNOA, TLN, and United plans. Patients will submit their insurance information to be verified by The Lactation Network. If your insurance is approved, you will receive email verification for up to three visits. Pre-approved visits covered by insurance through The Lactation Network are at no cost to the patient. If your insurance company is not approved by The Lactation Network, you are considered a cash-pay patient and will be responsible for paying for all services out of pocket. Please see below for cash-pay and superbill information.

Insurance verification must be completed prior to your visit in order for The Lactation Network to verify your benefits and respond, this process takes less than 24 hours, emergent situations are handled in 3 or less hours. Upon insurance approval, you will be required to sign an Assignment of Benefits form with The Lactation Network to allow billing of your visit. If you do not complete the insurance verification process and do not submit an Assignment of Benefits prior to your visit, you will be responsible for paying out of pocket for your visit.

Breastfriends, LLC is subcontracted by The Lactation Network for your lactation appointments. Breastfriends, LLC is not involved with your insurance verification or billing. If you have questions regarding insurance billing or verification, please email info@thelactationnetwork.com.

To find out if your insurance is covered through The Lactation Network, use this link: https://go.lactationnetwork.com/BreastFriends

Cash Pay Patients:

Breastfriends, LLC is out-of-network for all insurance plans outside of billing through The Lactation Network. Breastfriends, LLC does not file insurance claims for their patients but does provide a superbill for each visit so that you can try for reimbursement with your insurance company. Upon request, Breastfriends, LLC will provide basic lactation codes to any patient wanting to call their insurance company prior to booking for information regarding possible reimbursement.

Driving fee:

Breastfriends, LLC serves the areas of Amarillo, Bushland and Canyon, Texas. If you have chosen a home visit for your care with insurance, and when travel is required a $25 trip fee will be charged per visit. This is a surcharge and not billable by The Lactation Network or reimbursable with a superbill if you are a cash pay patient.

Questions to come…

Scheduling Procedures :

● Breastfriends LLC schedules clients through phone, text, and email.

● Breastfriends LLC offers online scheduling through IntakeQ.

● Appointments will be taken through online scheduling.

● Breastfriends LLC reserves the right to reschedule or cancel appointments for any reason.

● Priority scheduling will be given to established clients.

● New clients may not schedule visits more than 30 days in advance.

● An appointment confirmation will be sent through clients preferred method of communication

● By email

● By text

● By phone

● Through IntakeQ

Payment will expected to be paid in full prior to visit, an invoice will be sent.

Fee for Service and Payment Policies

Self-pay (out-of-network) clients:

Breastfriends, LLC requires a credit card on file at the time of scheduling your appointment. Full payment amount is due before the session. The amount agreed upon will be collected 12 hours prior to our visit, using the credit card on file. All services are non-refundable. A discount will be provided for follow-up visits. A surcharge will be applied to home visits outside my service area. A surcharge will be applied for twins or higher order multiples to cover the extra length of the visit. These surcharges are not eligible for insurance reimbursement. I will provide you with a superbill suitable for you to submit to your insurance.The superbill (which will also serve as a payment receipt) will be coded appropriately to the level of service provided during the visit. You agree to pay me at the time of the visit (cash, credit card, or FSA).

These policies apply to Breastfriends LLC and its representatives.

If you use SquareUp: Payments may be made electronically using a credit card or fund transfer. I use SquareUp to process payments. SquareUp meets the high standards of HIPAA and the banking industry for security and privacy with regard to financial transactions. However, SquareUp may send, automatically or per your request, email or text message receipts that reveal personal health information such as the date and type of lactation visit. If you are not comfortable with this, payment may be made via cash instead.

Acceptable forms of payment will be cash or card using Squareup (Processing fee will be applied to total cost of visit)

Breastfriends, LLC does not file insurance claims for their patients but does provide a superbill for each visit so that you can try for reimbursement with your insurance company. Upon request, Breastfriend, LLC will provide basic lactation codes to any patient wanting to call their insurance company

Cancellation Policies:

If client cancels the visit for any reason less than 24 hours in advance, a $75.00 fee will be charged.

If Breastfriends LLC must cancel an appointment for any reason, no charges to the client will apply. Breastfriends LLC reserves the right to cancel appointments for any reason without notice. Client visits will be canceled in the event of provider illness or personal emergency and rescheduling is not guaranteed. In the event of cancellation for illness or personal emergency, clients will be notified by their preferred method as provided during intake.

If Breastfriends LLC is not available due to scheduling constraints, vacation, inclement weather or illness:

● Best efforts will be made to notify active clients of any planned closures.

● Best efforts will be made to respond to urgent messages from active clients during vacation or planned closure. Breastfriends LLC reserves the right to assess the urgency of a client message.

● Breastfriends LLC will/will not respond to messages from current clients during vacation, planned closure, illness, or personal emergency.

● Breastfriends LLC is not obligated to inform clients or potential clients of unavailability due to vacation, planned closure, illness, or emergency.

● Breastfriends LLC will follow the Amarillo/Canyon Independent School District inclement weather school cancellation policy.

Client Communications:

Phone, Email, and Text Services

Prospective Clients:

Breastfriends LLC maintains a website at www.breastfriendstx.com hosted by Squarespace. Contact phone number and email address are publicly posted.Website has a contact form that accepts submissions; personal information from this contact form is collected, stored, used and disclosed in accordance with our Privacy Policy (located on www.breastfriendstx.com)

When a phone call, email, and/or text comes in from a prospective client, my policy is to:

● Send a link to my online scheduler

● Send a link to my website for more information on my services

● I will not provide clinical support or counseling to prospective clients

Clients receive 2 weeks of follow up support by, email and/or secure messaging as part of their fee for services. After the two week period, an extension can be purchased.

Secure Messaging:

Breastfriends, LLC provides secure messaging to established clients through

● Intake Q

● Spruce

● Encrypted and secure email by Google Workspace

Secure messages will be replied to emails:

● Within 24 hours, during business hours only

● Between the hours of 9 and 5

Marketing Communications:

Breastfriends, LLC sends periodic marketing emails through IntakeQ, Gooogle Workspace or Spruce. Clients are required to give express consent before being added to an email marketing list. Clients may request to be removed from the list at any point by (sending an email request, clicking a link in the email). Breastfriends, LLC will never sell or rent this marketing list.

Social Media Policies:

Amanda Castillo, RNC-IBCLC or Members of Breastfriends, LLC may maintain private social media accounts for personal use. Connection or direct message requests made by clients through these platforms will not be accepted.

Amanda Castillo, RNC-IBCLC and Breastfriends, LLC maintains public social media accounts for marketing purposes on the following platforms: Instragram and Facebook. All photos appear by express permission of the owner of the photo and all persons appearing in the photo. No client photos or videos will be published without express written consent. Clients and/or their minor children will not be named in posts on social media without express written consent.

Amanda Castillo, RNC-IBCLC and Breastfriends, LLC will not provide direct clinical support or counseling or advice on any social media platform, either public or private. Public accounts are for marketing purposes only to offer general information.

Social Media Policies for Breastfriends, LLC are posted on all public social media channels. (This policies and disclaimers are in my Social Media Policies Given at the time of service)

Website Communications:

Website Terms and Conditions are publicly posted on the website for Breastfriends, LLC.

The Privacy Policy is publicly posted on the website for Breastfriends, LLC.

Contact form entries are stored

● On a desktop/laptop computer not connected to the cloud

● In a cloud-based platform with appropriate security & privacy measures

● Contact form entries are not stored.

Breastfriends, LLC abides by all applicable federal, provincial, state, and local regulations regarding copyright. No text, image, or graphic content will appear without the express permission of the copyright or trademark holder.

Record Retention Policies:

You must research the record retention policies for your country and state/province, as they will vary. Do not ask on social media--contact your state, provincial, or local legislature as a good starting point for assistance.

Breastfriends, LLC is subject to the record retention laws of Texas and is required to keep client records.

Clients may request a copy of their chart or that of their minor child at any point during the record retention period. Request must be made in writing to the listed address for Breast-friends, LLC. Receipt of the request will be acknowledged by Breastfriends, LLC and records will be mailed within 30 days of acknowledgement of the request.

Breastfriends, LLC provides records for free within 6 months of the last in-person visit; after this period, a fee of $50 will be charged and must be paid in advance.

Physical Security:

● Physical records are shredded before disposal.

● Client files are put away at the conclusion of the visit.

Compliance with Privacy Regulations:

Breastfriends, LLC is in compliance with all applicable federal and provincial/state regulations with respect to the use of technology for healthcare.

Our Privacy Policy for personal information and personal health information is publicly posted on the website for Breastfriends, LLC.

Devices:

All devices used for client care will be secured by a passcode and/or biometric identification.

Breastfriends, LLC practice:

Breastfriends, LLC uses Intake Q for client care.

Services

Breastfriends, LLC will not use any free cloud-based services for client communication or file storage.

Email services and document storage are provided through:

● Google Workspace

● Spruce

● Intake Q

Phone services are provided through:

● Secure VoIP platform by Spruce

Breastfriends, LLC policy will be given in its entirety upon request