Fees | Cancellation | Insurance
Fees
Updated as of February 1, 2021Because I am not set-up to manage situations that require complex PPE needs, I have temporarily suspended offering the more invasive ENT-specific diagnostics I once provided, including stroboscopies and endoscopies. If you receive these tests from another otolaryngologist, I am happy to use their videos or written/verbal findings in my assessment of your situation.
For the foreseeable future I am also limiting my visits with patients that have active cold and flu symptoms to virtual appointments only and currently do not offer cerumen (ear wax) removal. Additionally, I plan to continue to work without administrative staff (you will often reach my voicemail, but I will get to you as soon as possible).
In-Person Visit Fees
Please Note:
Times are approximate and correspond to the face-to-face meeting time component of your care
My new structure necessitates a firmer cancellation policy for in-person visits so please read and understand the details on this below
In order to keep house call surcharges to a minimum for everyone, your appointment time will be scheduled as a flexible window (to allow for traffic and other unforeseen circumstances on my end). If your situation requires a more set, specific time there will be additional fees assessed to allow me the buffer to accommodate you.
Customized therapies that include additional practitioners (i.e. sound or energy modalities, ketamine) will incur additional fees assessed on a case-by-case basis.
New Patient Appointments*
| One hour | $790 |
| Forty-five minutes | $600 |
| Thirty minutes | $475 |
*this also usually applies to returning patients who I have not seen in over 3 years
Returning Patients
| One hour | $690 |
| Forty-five minutes | $490 |
| Thirty minutes | $370 |
IV Rates
| IV Glutathione or Magnesium | $250 |
| IV Myers Cocktail | $295 |
House-call surcharges
| Manhattan below 96th Street | $75 |
| Manhattan between 96th Street and 150th Streets | $100 |
| Close-in Brooklyn (Manhattan adjacent neighborhoods) | $100 |
| Park Slope, Fort Green, Carroll Gardens, Greenpoint | $125 |
Other areas will be considered and charged on a case-by-case basis.
There will be a $25 table fee added if we determine your treatment would benefit from a massage table and you are unable to provide your own. Elevator access required.
Telemedicine Rates
New Patient Appointments*
| One hour | $600 |
| Forty-five minutes | $450 |
| Thirty minutes | $300 |
*this also usually applies to returning patients who I have not seen in over 3 years.
Returning Patients
| One hour | $490 |
| Forty-five minutes | $370 |
| Thirty minutes | $280 |
| Fifteen minutes | $220 |
Ketamine
There are an increasing number of clinics offering ketamine treatments, often to address depression. Most have a different method of working with this medicine than I do, and they are often able to deliver their services very cost effectively ($250-500). I plan to offer very personalized, ketamine-assisted process-oriented support to people with chronic conditions including Lyme disease. These will involve the participation of at least two practitioners (myself included) that will be present for the duration of the sessions. These run at least two hours and will be available as either house calls or in an environment I provide. As they are customized – ranging from just me and one assistant using no sound or recorded music to the addition of practitioners who may incorporate various modalities such as live sound or energy work or movement – my fees are not preset or standard. However, the anticipated range will be $750-$1400 and will be agreed to in advance of any treatment.
Payment Options
We ask you to pay for our services in full at the time they are rendered, unless other arrangements have been made in advance.
We accept cash, checks, American Express, Mastercard, and Visa.
A $25.00 fee will be assessed for all returned checks.
Cancellation Policies
Advance Deposits and Cancellation Policies for In-Person Visits
(including house calls)
As my availability for in-person visits is now more limited (I will be subletting offices and/or hiring a COVID compliant private car and driver on an as-needed basis) these appointments will need to be confirmed via a paid-in-advance deposit that is non-refundable within 72 hours prior to your appointment time.
The deposit will be $300 if the appointment involves only me, or $400 if another practitioner is scheduled as well.
If you do need to cancel or reschedule your appointment within 72 hours, you can either convert your appointment to a telemedicine visit – for the same, previously scheduled in-person time slot and for the full in-person visit fee – OR you can apply $100 of the deposit to a future appointment (but you will forfeit the remainder your deposit entirely).
Telemedicine Appointment Changes and Cancellations
There will be no fees for rescheduling or cancelling of telemedicine appointments when made 24 hours or more in advance. For changes within 24 hours, I have found most patients are very considerate and it usually works out for me to be flexible as long as I am given reasonable notice. Therefore, I do not anticipate routinely charging a fee for telemedicine appointment changes; however, I do reserve the right to charge $100 for cancellations or rescheduled appointments within 24 hours, especially if the situation is recuring.
NO-Shows, whether in-person or virtual, will be charged for the full appointment time slot allotted. For house calls, the surcharge will be added as well.
Insurance
Quality-of-care issues impede our ability to sign-on as an in-network provider. Insurance companies have the right, with their in-network participants, to dictate the treatment protocol for each specific diagnosis (based on standardized approaches, rather than individualized needs). Dr. Asher’s success is based on his ability to develop highly individualized therapeutic plans that draw from a broad spectrum of integrative modalities.
Dr. Asher is a licensed MD. Although he is commited to providing exemplary care, his fees are in line with what’s considered “reasonable, usual, and customary” as determined by the non-profit organization Fair Health.
We do our best to direct our patients to labs and radiology groups that directly bill and/or accept most insurance plans.
We provide the information an insurance company needs to process your claim. Benjamin Asher, MD, PC cannot guarantee or be responsible for any reimbursements. In addition, because we do not contract directly with any carrier we cannot represent you in obtaining collections – nor is your plan provider likely to disclose the details of your coverage with our office.
We do contact insurance companies directly on the patient’s behalf when ordering tests that require pre-certification and we are always available for troubleshooting.
It is your responsibility to understand your benefits and all the obligations set forth by your insurance company. Including the coverage for laboratory and imaging tests (i.e. if you must use certain facilities for blood work or obtain pre-approvals for CT or MRI scans).
If coverage is a concern, or if you are a Medicare participant, please click here for additional details on how to better determine your potential reimbursement.