Appointment, Cancellation, No-Show & Refund Policy

1. Nature of Professional Fees

Fees paid to Optima Hormone & Longevity are for professional medical services, which may include:

• Clinician time

• Medical evaluation

• Review of medical history

• Review of laboratory results

• Medical decision-making

• Care coordination

• Documentation

• Treatment planning

• Follow-up services

Professional visit fees are not charges for medication.

Pharmacies bill separately for medications and prescriptions.

Laboratory companies may also bill separately for laboratory testing unless a specific laboratory panel is expressly included in a service and disclosed in writing.

A completed visit fee is considered earned once the clinician has begun the scheduled medical evaluation, which may include substantial pre-visit chart review or laboratory review performed as part of that appointment.

2. Scheduling

Appointments may be scheduled through the Practice's approved scheduling system, patient portal, or website.

Patients are responsible for:

• Confirming the correct appointment date

• Confirming the appointment time

• Accounting for time-zone differences

• Providing accurate contact information

• Completing required forms or intake documents before the appointment

• Joining the telehealth appointment on time

Unless otherwise stated, Optima Hormone & Longevity uses Eastern Time.

3. Appointment Reminders

The Practice may send appointment reminders by email, portal message, or another approved method as a courtesy.

Appointment reminders are not guaranteed.

Failure to receive a reminder does not excuse:

• A missed appointment

• A late cancellation

• Failure to complete required intake

• Failure to join the appointment on time

Patients remain responsible for maintaining their own appointment schedule.

4. Cancellation and Rescheduling

You may cancel or reschedule an appointment without a cancellation fee if the Practice receives notice at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment start time.

Cancellation or rescheduling requests must be submitted through:

[CONFIRM APPROVED METHOD: patient portal / phone / email]

A voicemail, email, or portal message is considered received when it is actually received by the Practice, not when the patient intended to send it.

The clinic's current policy packet uses a 24-hour cancellation window. 

5. Late Cancellation

A cancellation received less than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment start time may be considered a late cancellation.

Late Cancellation Fee: $50

The Practice may charge the payment method on file for the applicable late-cancellation fee.

6. No-Shows

A patient may be considered a no-show when the patient:

• Does not join the scheduled telehealth appointment

• Does not respond when the Practice attempts to begin the appointment

• Fails to appear without timely cancellation

• Has not completed required intake or documentation and the appointment cannot reasonably proceed

No-Show Fee: $50

By scheduling an appointment and providing a payment method, you authorize the Practice or its payment processor to charge the applicable no-show fee.

7. Late Arrival

Patients should join scheduled appointments on time.

Arriving more than 10 minutes late may result in:

• A shortened appointment, if clinically appropriate and scheduling permits

• Rescheduling of the appointment

• Treatment of the appointment as a no-show when the visit can no longer reasonably be completed

If an appointment must be cancelled because of the patient's lateness, the applicable no-show fee may apply.

8. Repeated No-Shows

The existing policy packet provides that after:

[2] no-shows within a [12]-month period

the Practice may take additional scheduling measures, which may include:

• Requiring prepayment for future appointments

• Limiting future scheduling

• Requiring additional confirmation before appointments

• Discharging the patient from the Practice with reasonable notice and appropriate transition arrangements when clinically necessary

The numbers in brackets must be confirmed before this section is published.

9. Emergencies and Fee Waivers

The Practice may, at its discretion, waive a late-cancellation or no-show fee when a patient experiences:

• A documented emergency

• A serious unexpected event

• A circumstance reasonably outside the patient's control

Requests for a waiver should be submitted within 72 hours of the missed or late-cancelled appointment.

Waivers are considered individually.

Approval of a waiver in one circumstance does not require the Practice to waive fees in future circumstances.

10. Clinician-Initiated Cancellation

If Optima Hormone & Longevity cancels your appointment with less than 24 hours' notice, you will not be charged a cancellation or no-show penalty.

The Practice will make reasonable efforts to reschedule the appointment as soon as possible.

11. Technical Problems During Telehealth

If a technical failure caused by the Practice or its systems prevents a telehealth visit from taking place, the patient will not be charged a no-show fee because of that technical failure.

Depending on the circumstances, the Practice may:

• Attempt to reconnect

• Continue through another clinically and legally appropriate method

• Reschedule the appointment

Technical problems outside the Practice's control will be reviewed individually.

12. Prepaid Appointments

For prepaid appointments that are cancelled with proper notice under this Policy, the patient may receive:

• A refund to the original payment method within [10] business days, or

• A clinic credit, if the patient elects that option

The [10]-business-day period is still marked as a placeholder in the clinic's policy packet and should be confirmed before publishing. 

13. Completed Consultations Are Non-Refundable

Once a consultation has been completed, the professional fee is non-refundable.

This includes circumstances in which the clinician determines that:

• Medication is not appropriate

• Hormone therapy is not appropriate

• Testosterone therapy is not appropriate

• GLP-1 therapy is not appropriate

• Additional testing is required

• An in-person evaluation is necessary

• Referral to another provider is appropriate

• No prescription should be issued

Payment is for the clinician's professional evaluation and medical decision-making, not for a guaranteed prescription or treatment outcome.

14. Patient Is Determined Not to Be a Candidate

The clinic's current policy packet states that if, after evaluation, the Practice determines that a patient is not an appropriate candidate before substantial clinical work has been performed, the Practice may issue a refund less a:

$50 non-refundable onboarding/administrative fee

Whether a refund is appropriate will depend on the circumstances and the amount of clinical work already performed.

This provision should be confirmed by the Practice before the final website policy is published. 

15. No Refund Based Solely on Prescription Decision

A patient is not entitled to a refund solely because:

• A requested medication was not prescribed

• A requested dose was not prescribed

• A controlled substance was not prescribed

• The clinician recommended a different treatment

• Additional testing was required

• Treatment was delayed for medical or legal reasons

The visit fee compensates the clinician for the professional service provided, not for a particular prescription.

16. Memberships or Multi-Month Programs

If the Practice offers a membership, subscription, package, or multi-month program, the terms of that program will be governed by a separate written agreement.

The current policy packet includes a sample structure, not confirmed final terms:

• Minimum commitment: [3 / 6] months

• Cancellation after minimum period: [30] days' written notice

• Certain unused future periods may be eligible for clinic credit if prescriptions for those periods have not already been issued

Because these items are still bracketed in the original policy packet, they should not be published as final terms unless the Practice confirms them.

If Optima is not offering a membership program when the website launches, I recommend simply removing this entire section for now.

17. Laboratory Charges

Laboratory fees may be charged directly by an independent laboratory.

Laboratory charges are separate from professional visit fees unless the Practice specifically states in writing that a particular laboratory service is included.

Refunds for laboratory services billed by an independent laboratory are governed by that laboratory's policies.

Optima Hormone & Longevity does not control the refund policies of independent laboratories.

18. Pharmacy and Medication Charges

Medication and pharmacy fees are separate from professional consultation fees.

Pharmacies operate independently and may have their own:

• Payment policies

• Refund policies

• Shipping policies

• Cancellation policies

• Medication-return restrictions

• Compounding policies

Refund requests concerning charges made directly by a pharmacy must generally be addressed to that pharmacy.

Optima Hormone & Longevity does not guarantee that a pharmacy will issue a refund.

19. Other Third-Party Charges

Charges made directly by independent third parties may be subject to that provider's own policies.

Examples may include:

• Laboratories

• Pharmacies

• Imaging providers

• External medical providers

• Other vendors

The Practice cannot guarantee refunds of charges made directly by independent third parties.

20. Payment Method on File

By scheduling services and providing a payment method, you authorize Optima Hormone & Longevity and its designated payment processor to charge the payment method on file for amounts you have agreed to, including applicable:

• Visit fees

• Late-cancellation fees

• No-show fees

• Agreed membership fees, if applicable

• Other amounts disclosed in a treatment estimate or agreement

The Practice's existing policy packet expressly includes this card-on-file authorization. 

21. Failed Payments

A failed, declined, reversed, or otherwise unpaid charge may result in:

• Delayed scheduling

• Suspension of future appointment scheduling

• Delay of certain non-emergency administrative services

• Pause of prescription-management services when medically and legally appropriate

until the outstanding balance is resolved.

Clinical decisions regarding active medication will remain subject to appropriate medical judgment and applicable law.

22. Outstanding Balances

Unpaid balances may be subject to reasonable collection efforts after appropriate notice.

The Practice may use lawful methods to recover valid unpaid balances.

Nothing in this policy authorizes collection practices prohibited by applicable law.

23. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

If you believe a charge is incorrect, please contact Optima Hormone & Longevity before initiating a chargeback so the Practice has an opportunity to investigate and attempt to resolve the issue.

The existing policy packet states that initiating a chargeback without first contacting the Practice may result in discharge from the Practice and collection of the valid unpaid balance plus recovery costs permitted by law. 

Nothing in this section is intended to restrict any legal right a patient may have to dispute an unauthorized or improper charge.

24. Cash-Pay Practice

Optima Hormone & Longevity is a cash-pay practice.

The Practice does not bill insurance for professional services under the current clinic policy.

Patients are responsible for the fees associated with their services.

If requested, the Practice may provide payment documentation when appropriate, but does not guarantee reimbursement from any insurer or health plan.

25. No Guarantee of Insurance Reimbursement

Even if a receipt or other documentation is provided, Optima Hormone & Longevity does not guarantee that:

• An insurer will reimburse the patient

• A health plan will cover the service

• A flexible spending account will reimburse the expense

• A health savings account will determine the expense to be eligible

Patients are responsible for confirming any reimbursement or eligibility directly with their plan administrator or insurer.

26. Refund Method

When a refund is approved, the Practice will generally attempt to return funds to the original payment method when reasonably possible.

Processing times may also depend on:

• Payment processor

• Bank

• Credit card issuer

• Other financial institution

The Practice cannot control the time required by a financial institution to post a refund after it has been processed.

27. Refund Requests

Questions concerning a charge, cancellation, no-show fee, or refund may be directed to:

Optima Hormone & Longevity

Phone: 786-322-6141
Email: admin@optimatelehealthclinic.com

Include sufficient information to allow the Practice to identify the applicable appointment or transaction.

Do not send sensitive medical records through ordinary email unless specifically instructed to do so through a secure method.

28. Policy Changes

Optima Hormone & Longevity may revise this policy from time to time.

Changes may reflect:

• Changes in Practice operations

• New services

• Changes in pricing

• Changes in scheduling procedures

• Changes in payment-processing procedures

• Legal or regulatory requirements

The version applicable to a particular appointment will generally be the policy disclosed in connection with scheduling that service, subject to applicable law.

The current website version will display the most recent Last Updated date.

29. Patient Acknowledgment

By scheduling an appointment with Optima Hormone & Longevity, you acknowledge that you have had access to the Practice's appointment, cancellation, no-show, and refund terms.

Where required, additional acknowledgment or payment authorization may be obtained through the Practice's secure scheduling or patient system.