The Center - The Hand Center of San Antonio

Appointments
Please call during office hours (8:30-5:00) to schedule an appointment. Patients with new appointments should plan to arrive in our office 15-30 minutes ahead of the scheduled time to allow for registration and entry of your information into our electronic medical record system. If you cannot keep your appointment, please call the office as soon as possible and reschedule your visit for another time.

We make every effort to see you at the appointed time, but unexpected emergencies and other problems may cause the doctors to run late from time to time. We do try very hard to stay on time, and we apologize in advance for any inconvenience caused if you have to wait.

For urgent calls related to patient care received after hours, our answering service will take your information and a member of the medical staff will respond to your call as quickly as possible. For life threatening injuries or serious emergencies call 911 or seek immediate treatment in an Emergency facility.

Questions
If you call the office during the day with questions about your treatment plan or other problems you are having, the receptionist will put you in contact with your doctor's nurse or clinical assistant. Often she is able to answer your questions, but if it is necessary for you to speak to the physician, she will pass your message on to him or her. On nights and weekends your inquires will be answered by the doctor on call. If you have specific questions about your account, please call (210) 558-7025 and ask to speak to someone in the Billing Department.

Urgent Care
If you have an urgent problem, please call our office for instructions. If it is after office hours, the answering service will take your number and the Hand Fellow will respond as quickly as possible.

Office Hours:
Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Phone: 210-558-7025
Fax: 210-558-4664 (click to download fax cover sheet)

Paul Trevino, Th.D., MBA, BSN, RN
Administrator
ptrevino@handcentersa.com

Carla Waller
Fellowship Coordinator
carlawaller@yahoo.com

The Texas Center for Athletes 21 Spurs Lane Suite 310 San Antonio, Texas 78240 (210) 558-7025

Northside Office 255 East Sonterra Blvd. Suite 216 San Antonio, Texas 78258 493-4263 (HAND)

Financial Policies
Commercial Insurances

Your insurance coverage is a contract between you and your carrier. It is important for you to be familiar with your policy provisions including any exclusions or limitations. You may be held financially responsible for any services rendered which are denied by your carrier as excluded or non-covered.
The Hand Center of San Antonio is contracted with many major insurance carriers and networks. These contracts entitle you to significant discounts off of our normal fees. Based on these contracts and Federal Guidelines we are unable to offer additional discounts on the amount your insurance applies to your responsibility.
The Billing Department staff will do everything possible to help explain the charges assessed or reason for any balance due. However, if you have any questions or disputes about the processing of your claim, you must contact your carrier for assistance.
In the event that your insurance eligibility cannot be verified, payment in full for services rendered is expected. You will be provided with an itemized bill which you may use to obtain reimbursement from your carrier.
If your insurance requires a referral for Specialty Care, your appointment cannot be granted until the referral is received by The Hand Center of San Antonio. It is the patient’s responsibility to obtain and maintain valid, current referrals for treatment.
Payment of any applicable copayments, deductibles or for non-covered items is expected at the time of your appointment.
A deposit of your estimated responsibility may be required prior to surgery.
If your carrier indicates that you are responsible for an amount which is greater than the amount you paid at the time of service, you will receive a statement in the mail. Payment of the additional amount due is expected to be paid in full within thirty (30) days of the date of the statement. If you are unable to pay the amount in full, we ask that you contact a member of the Billing Department at 210-558-7025 to make acceptable payment arrangements.
If an account becomes delinquent, The Hand Center of San Antonio may refer that account to an outside collection agency. If this is necessary, an administrative fee of $20.00 will be assessed.
If a payment is not honored by your banking institution, your account will be assessed a charge of $25.00. If the payment is not honored due to insufficient funds, the payment will be re-deposited a second and final time. An additional fee of $25.00 will be assessed if the payment is declined on the second presentation.
If at any time an account is deemed to be delinquent, additional appointments or treatments may not be granted.
We take our responsibility to protect your identity and your personal information very seriously. For this reason we require that our staff obtain a scanned copy of your photo identification and insurance card(s).

Work Related Injuries and Illnesses

It is unlawful in the state of Texas for a physician to bill a patient or their commercial health insurance for work related injuries when the employer carries state regulated Worker’s Compensation Insurance. To ensure that we abide by these laws, it is critical that you inform our staff prior to scheduling your appointment if you believe that your injury is work related. This includes injuries which have previously been denied by your employer or their insurance carrier.

Automobile Accidents and Third Party Injuries

The Hand Center of San Antonio does not accept Attorney Letters of Protection or Liens.

Uninsured Patients
Because Orthopaedic and Plastic Surgery care can be extremely expensive, it is very important to ensure that our patients understand The Hand Center self pay policy clearly prior to an appointment.

A deposit may be required at the time of check-in. This is only a deposit and may not be the entire cost of the visit.
An initial evaluation may cost $160.00 on average but does not include x-rays or treatment. These additional services can range anywhere from $100.00 to $1800.00 or more.
At the end of your appointment, we will obtain an estimate of the total charges from the physician. If your estimate exceeds your deposit, you will be expected to pay the difference at that time.
All uninsured patients receive a discount of 30% off of our normal charges for paying their estimate in full.
If the patient requires surgery, you will be provided with a surgery fee estimate. You will be required to pre-pay this estimate no less than 72 hours prior to the surgery appointment or your surgery could be postponed until payment is received. Charges for these services could escalate into the thousands of dollars depending upon the type of surgery required. We do our best to prepare an accurate estimate prior to the surgery however, it is only an estimate. The actual charges cannot be known until after the procedure has been performed. In addition to the physician’s fees, you will be required to make a deposit to the facility and anesthesiologist. These fees will be quoted to you by the provider of that service and it is your responsibility to make arrangements directly with that provider in advance.

Registration
Managed care has made health insurance considerably more complicated than it used to be. Our office staff will do everything possible to try to make this process go smoothly for you and to assist you in getting your claim paid.

There are several specific actions you can take that will help us do this better:

1.	If you would like to PRE-REGISTER please download the registration packet and fill out the medical history and other forms at your convenience. Bring the completed forms with you to your visit.
2.	Please contact your Insurance Plan to verify that the provider you are scheduled to see here at the Hand Center is a participating provider with your Insurance Plan.
3.	If your Insurance Plan requires a referral or authorization to see a specialist, it is your responsibility to obtain this referral or authorization. Confirmation of this referral or authorization is required 24 hours prior to your appointment time.
4.	Items you are required to bring to the Hand Center at the time of your scheduled appointment are: a) Proof of insurance coverage (Insurance Card; Medicare Card; Medicaid eligibility form) b) Valid Picture ID c) Referral or Authorization Form d) List of all Current Medications e) Detail of Past Medical History f) Relevant Medical Records, X-rays, Diagnostic Studies
5.	All patients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. If someone other than a parent or legal guardian is to bring a minor to the office, we will need a signed Medical Consent form. You may download this form from our website.
6.	Hearing Impaired or request for Language Translator: At the time you schedule your appointment please advise our staff if you will require either of these services.

Other Hand Center Policies regarding insurance:

1.	The Hand Center does not accept automobile or liability insurance. In most cases the patient is financially responsible for payment of these services. Please contact our Billing Department (210) 558-7025 if you have any questions related to this policy.
2.	Worker’s Compensation. If you were injured on the job please inform our scheduling staff at the time you make your initial appointment.
3.	At the time of your visit, you will be asked to sign a Disclosure of Information form. This will allow us to obtain any previous medical records not available at the time of your visit.

The Texas Center for Athletes 21 Spurs Lane Suite 310 San Antonio, Texas 78240 (210) 558-7025

Northside Office 255 East Sonterra Blvd. Suite 216 San Antonio, Texas 78258 493-4263 (HAND)

Financial Policies
Commercial Insurances

Your insurance coverage is a contract between you and your carrier. It is important for you to be familiar with your policy provisions including any exclusions or limitations. You may be held financially responsible for any services rendered which are denied by your carrier as excluded or non-covered.
The Hand Center of San Antonio is contracted with many major insurance carriers and networks. These contracts entitle you to significant discounts off of our normal fees. Based on these contracts and Federal Guidelines we are unable to offer additional discounts on the amount your insurance applies to your responsibility.
The Billing Department staff will do everything possible to help explain the charges assessed or reason for any balance due. However, if you have any questions or disputes about the processing of your claim, you must contact your carrier for assistance.
In the event that your insurance eligibility cannot be verified, payment in full for services rendered is expected. You will be provided with an itemized bill which you may use to obtain reimbursement from your carrier.
If your insurance requires a referral for Specialty Care, your appointment cannot be granted until the referral is received by The Hand Center of San Antonio. It is the patient’s responsibility to obtain and maintain valid, current referrals for treatment.
Payment of any applicable copayments, deductibles or for non-covered items is expected at the time of your appointment.
A deposit of your estimated responsibility may be required prior to surgery.
If your carrier indicates that you are responsible for an amount which is greater than the amount you paid at the time of service, you will receive a statement in the mail. Payment of the additional amount due is expected to be paid in full within thirty (30) days of the date of the statement. If you are unable to pay the amount in full, we ask that you contact a member of the Billing Department at 210-558-7025 to make acceptable payment arrangements.
If an account becomes delinquent, The Hand Center of San Antonio may refer that account to an outside collection agency. If this is necessary, an administrative fee of $20.00 will be assessed.
If a payment is not honored by your banking institution, your account will be assessed a charge of $25.00. If the payment is not honored due to insufficient funds, the payment will be re-deposited a second and final time. An additional fee of $25.00 will be assessed if the payment is declined on the second presentation.
If at any time an account is deemed to be delinquent, additional appointments or treatments may not be granted.
We take our responsibility to protect your identity and your personal information very seriously. For this reason we require that our staff obtain a scanned copy of your photo identification and insurance card(s).

Work Related Injuries and Illnesses

It is unlawful in the state of Texas for a physician to bill a patient or their commercial health insurance for work related injuries when the employer carries state regulated Worker’s Compensation Insurance. To ensure that we abide by these laws, it is critical that you inform our staff prior to scheduling your appointment if you believe that your injury is work related. This includes injuries which have previously been denied by your employer or their insurance carrier.

Automobile Accidents and Third Party Injuries

The Hand Center of San Antonio does not accept Attorney Letters of Protection or Liens.

A deposit may be required at the time of check-in. This is only a deposit and may not be the entire cost of the visit.
An initial evaluation may cost $160.00 on average but does not include x-rays or treatment. These additional services can range anywhere from $100.00 to $1800.00 or more.
At the end of your appointment, we will obtain an estimate of the total charges from the physician. If your estimate exceeds your deposit, you will be expected to pay the difference at that time.
All uninsured patients receive a discount of 30% off of our normal charges for paying their estimate in full.
If the patient requires surgery, you will be provided with a surgery fee estimate. You will be required to pre-pay this estimate no less than 72 hours prior to the surgery appointment or your surgery could be postponed until payment is received. Charges for these services could escalate into the thousands of dollars depending upon the type of surgery required. We do our best to prepare an accurate estimate prior to the surgery however, it is only an estimate. The actual charges cannot be known until after the procedure has been performed. In addition to the physician’s fees, you will be required to make a deposit to the facility and anesthesiologist. These fees will be quoted to you by the provider of that service and it is your responsibility to make arrangements directly with that provider in advance.

There are several specific actions you can take that will help us do this better:

1.	If you would like to PRE-REGISTER please download the registration packet and fill out the medical history and other forms at your convenience. Bring the completed forms with you to your visit.
2.	Please contact your Insurance Plan to verify that the provider you are scheduled to see here at the Hand Center is a participating provider with your Insurance Plan.
3.	If your Insurance Plan requires a referral or authorization to see a specialist, it is your responsibility to obtain this referral or authorization. Confirmation of this referral or authorization is required 24 hours prior to your appointment time.
4.	Items you are required to bring to the Hand Center at the time of your scheduled appointment are: a) Proof of insurance coverage (Insurance Card; Medicare Card; Medicaid eligibility form) b) Valid Picture ID c) Referral or Authorization Form d) List of all Current Medications e) Detail of Past Medical History f) Relevant Medical Records, X-rays, Diagnostic Studies
5.	All patients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. If someone other than a parent or legal guardian is to bring a minor to the office, we will need a signed Medical Consent form. You may download this form from our website.
6.	Hearing Impaired or request for Language Translator: At the time you schedule your appointment please advise our staff if you will require either of these services.

Other Hand Center Policies regarding insurance:

1.	The Hand Center does not accept automobile or liability insurance. In most cases the patient is financially responsible for payment of these services. Please contact our Billing Department (210) 558-7025 if you have any questions related to this policy.
2.	Worker’s Compensation. If you were injured on the job please inform our scheduling staff at the time you make your initial appointment.
3.	At the time of your visit, you will be asked to sign a Disclosure of Information form. This will allow us to obtain any previous medical records not available at the time of your visit.

21 Spurs Lane, #310, San Antonio, TX 78240 | (210) 558-7025

Main Navigation