Out of Network Rates

What This Visit is For

Ear wax and cleaning
Hearing loss, noises in the ear, pain with loud sounds
Dizziness
Ear pressure and fullness
Drainage and infection

General nose, sinus, allergy issues.

General throat and neck issues.

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 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.

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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.

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How Does My Out of Network 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.

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.

Please contact us if you have questions about these potential costs.

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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Dr. Ruffin is committed to providing every patient with outstanding care.