 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
ABOUT TSHC | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions. Click on the question to see the answer.
Q: What does the health fee cover?A: The health fee allows the student to be seen by a provider for an illness or injury without a charge for the office visit.
Q: What will I be required to pay that is not covered by the health fee?A: Physical examinations, annual gynecological exams, procedures, laboratory tests, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, or treatments ordered by the provider will be charged to the student as well as any co-pays. The pharmacy accepts more than 100 different prescription insurance plans, but we only accept the university-sponsored student insurance plan as payment for medical charges. Our insurance office will assist in filing for insurance reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses.
Q: What services does the health center offer?A: General medical care, women’s health services, allergy shots, nutrition assessments, physical therapy, psychiatry, immunizations, laboratory, pharmacy, health promotion, anonymous HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, and x-ray. We provide basic, outpatient, family practice-type services. We also provide urgent care services (minor suturing, splinting, intravenous therapy) for acute injuries and illnesses that cannot wait for an appointment.
Q: Do you have an Allergy Clinic and can you store serum for students?A: We have an Allergy Clinic where we store the serum and give the injections based on outside physicians’ orders. We do not perform any allergy testing in the health center, but there are allergists in Tallahassee.
Q: Do you have specialists on staff (plastic surgeons, gastroenterologists, chiropractors, etc.)? What type of physicians do you have?A: We do not have specialists on staff, but we can refer students to community specialists or to the emergency room. We have Family Practice, Pediatric, Internal Medicine and Psychiatry trained physicians, along with an OB/GYN physician on contract for the Women’s Clinic.
Q: What is the proper procedure to access the health center?A: (1) Call
the centralized appointment line (644-4567) to make an appointment.
Only urgent medical care will be provided to walk-ins. (2) Bring
student ID for each visit. (3) Bring a copy of insurance card.
Q: How do we pay for services?A: We accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, and the FSU card. We also accept the university-sponsored insurance for payment of services. Students may also defer charges to their FSU account with Student Financial Services. Fees from TSHC posted on student financial accounts must be paid at Student Financial Services in the University Center, not here at TSHC.
Q: What if the student can't pay for the service?A: If a student requires a procedure and cannot pay the same day service is rendered, the student can defer payment. This will place the balance owed on the student’s account through Student Financial Services and payment can be made several weeks later at the Student Financial Services office located in the University Center. Exceptional cases may be considered for indigent care support.
Q: Will my current insurance cover costs at the health center?A: That varies with the policy. Most HMO’s will not if outside their designated area except for true emergencies. You should check with a representative of your current insurance provider; only they can answer that question. The pharmacy accepts more than 100 prescription insurance plans. For lab, x-rays, or other procedures, we will complete paperwork for reimbursement, but we do not accept insurance (except for the university-sponsored insurance) as payment for medical services. *If you are with Tricare Prime, you may not receive reimbursement for services rendered in the clinics at Thagard Student Health Center unless you are first referred by your Primary Care Manager. Our pharmacy can accept Tricare Prime for the purchase of prescriptions. Tricare Standard enrollees are not affected by this requirement.
Q: Does it matter if a student has insurance to be seen at the health center?A: No, any currently enrolled, fee-paying students may use the health center services. It does not matter whether the student has insurance, because we are not providers for any company other than the university-sponsored insurance.
Q: What is the cost of the insurance plans available for purchase at FSU?A: Insurance costs for the 2007-2008 academic year start at $1,440 for domestic students and $1,390 for international students.
Q: What does the insurance plan available for purchase at FSU cover?A: The university-sponsored
health insurance is an accident and illness plan with a maximum
benefit of $250,000 aggregate per year. The policy covers immunizations,
an annual physical examination (no co-pay), an annual women’s
examination (no co-pay), and contraceptives (with a co-pay) if
provided by Thagard. There is an annual deductible of $100.00
(for the student) when referred to a community provider.
Preexisting conditions are covered with no waiting period or
internal limit.
Q: Is there a vision or dental plan?A: We do not have a vision or dental insurance plan; however there is a vision and dental discount plan available for $29 which offers discounts at area providers.
Q: What is the percentage of coverage provided by the insurance plan available for purchase at FSU?A: The plan reimburses 100% for covered services performed at Thagard with the exception of co-pays. With a health center referral to an outside provider, the plan pays 80% of covered procedures for a PPO provider and 60% for covered procedures from an out-of-network provider. With the exception of medical emergencies, you must obtain a referral prior to seeing a provider outside of Thagard. If you do not, all charges incurred are the responsibility of the student.
Q: Do you keep a copy of our insurance card on file?A: The pharmacy can put the student’s insurance information into the pharmacy’s computer system. We do maintain some insurance information in our system for preparation of insurance forms. For all other areas and procedures within the health center, the student will need to carry a copy of the card. The student should always have a copy of the insurance card for emergencies and notify the health center, including pharmacy, when there is any change in his or her coverage.
Q: What immunizations are required for students?A: Two MMRs [measles (rubeola) mumps and german measles (rubella)] are required for all students. In addition, students must either have immunizations for meningococcal meningitis and Hepatitis B or decline them by signing a waiver after information regarding the diseases is reviewed. Documentation of immunizations is required on the Health History Form.
Q: Is the meningitis vaccine recommended, safe, and available at the health center? Can you complete my student’s Hepatitis B series?A: Yes, to all of the above. The meningitis vaccine is recommended by the health center for those students who will be living in residence halls or living in close quarters (Greek housing, apartment complexes, etc.). It is safe to receive and we do have the vaccine at the health center. We offer Hepatitis B and can complete their three shot series or begin the series.
Q: Regarding confidentiality, how does a parent/guardian obtain consent to receive information on a student who is over 18 years of age? Is the consent good for all visits students may have? What if they have a medical emergency?A: Health center personnel understand parent concern about students, but for students over 18, we are legally bound to respect students’ rights to confidentiality. The student must sign a release of information form for the visit/occurrence for which a parent/guardian is requesting information. There is no blanket release that is good for all visits. A signed consent to share information is incident specific. If necessary, we will contact the student to ask his/her permission and ask him/her to sign a release. *Exception - If a student has a serious medical emergency, we will notify parents/guardians.
Q: If my student is under 18, do I need to give permission for treatment?A: For students under 18, yes, you must give permission. On the back of the health history form where the immunization information is located, there is a place at the bottom of the page for the parent/guardian to sign for underage students. This gives us permission to treat the student if they come to the health center.
Q: What happens in the case of an emergency? After hours?A: If the student can wait until the health center is open, we will see them for treatment through one of our clinics. If needed, students should be directed to local walk-in clinics for non-emergency care. They are less expensive and the waiting time is generally shorter than emergency room services. In the case of a real medical emergency, students are directed to call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room. For students living in residence halls, resident advisors (RAs) are trained to handle after-hours emergencies. If it is after hours and the RA feels it is serious, an ambulance may be called. The FSU Police Department is also available for emergencies. * Services provided by outside clinics and emergency rooms are at your own expense.
Q: What transportation is available for students to and from the health center and how do they get to the Emergency Room?A: FSU does not have designated transportation available for medical purposes only.
Q: Is the local hospital a Level 1 Trauma Center?A: No, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital is a Level 2 Trauma Center. They do not have a Burn Unit. Capital Regional Medical Center is also available for emergency services
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Thagard
Student Health Center
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2140
(850) 644-6230 /
TDD (850) 644-2383
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |