The Renaissance Women's Group - FAQ's and Resources

General

Where is your office located?
What are your hours?
What is your fax number?
What hospitals do RWG physicians use?
Are the RWG physicians board certified?
Will my doctor deliver my baby?
I need a copy of my medical records, what do I do?
Does RWG use midwives?
What labs do RWG use?
Where should I get a mammogram?
When will I get my lab results?
Can I schedule an appointment online?
I want to make an appointment but don’t know which doctor to pick?
How is Dr. Darby different from the other RWG physicians?
I have questions about my ultrasound appointment?
What is a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and a Physician Assistant (PA)?
Can I email a medical question directly to my doctor’s office?
What about parking near your building?
Can I pre-register for admission to NAMC?
How can I reach Dr. Margaret Thompson's office?
Is Dr. Donna Hurley still with RWG?

Insurance Related

What insurance plans do you accept?
What does ‘in-network’ or ‘out-of-network’ mean?
Will my insurance pay for my visit?
What questions should I ask my insurance company when verifying my benefits for my appointment?
What is a ‘global fee’?
What is an ‘ob deposit’ or ‘surgery deposit’?
What is a Deductible?
What is Co-insurance?
What is a 'Co-pay'?
Does RWG accept Medicaid?
Does RWG accept Medicare?
What is a ‘contracted fee’?
Will RWG file my insurance claim for me?
Will RWG file my secondary insurance?

General

Where is your office located? Our office is located just behind NAMC, near Parmer and North Mopac (Loop 1). We are at 12201 Renfert Way in the Medical Oaks Pavilion professional building. Click here for our map.
What are your hours? Our offices are open from 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Our telephones are answered from 8am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Appointments are required; we do not accept walk – ins. Click here for more info.
What is your fax number? Each physician’s office has their own fax number. Click here for a listing.
How do I reach a doctor after hours for an emergency? Medlink provides our after hours phone coverage. If you have an emergency, call them at 323-5465 to reach the physician on call; or CALL 911. Click here for more info.
What hospitals do RWG physicians use? North Austin Medical Center serves as our primary hospital. Our physicians also perform out patient procedures at the new NAMC Surgical Center located in our building. More info about NAMC.
Are the RWG physicians board certified? What does that mean? Yes, our physicians are board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This means that they have ongoing written examinations and educational credits in their field. The intent of the certification of physicians is to provide assurance to the public that those certified by this board have successfully completed an approved training program and an evaluation process assessing their ability to provide quality patient care in the specialty. Dr. Farnaz Jahangiri is ‘board eligible’ which means she will be undergoing certification in the near future.
Will my doctor deliver my baby? Our physicians do their best to be there for your delivery. As you know, physicians can not be on call constantly. Our physicians share after hours call, therefore, if you deliver after hours you may see one of your doctor’s partners. If you deliver during the day and your physician is in the office she will handle your delivery.
I need a copy of my medical records, what do I do? You may download our release of medical records information form, complete it and fax it to your physician’s office. There may be a fee associated with this request.
Does RWG use midwives? No we do not.
What labs does RWG use? Where are they located? We primarily use Clinical Pathology Laboratory. They are conveniently located in our building on the third floor, suite 330, for blood draws. You must have a requisition form from our office to have blood drawn. CPL has other locations throughout the Austin area as well. If your insurance requires you to use a lab other than CPL you must inform us at your appointment. We will do our best to accommodate you.
Where should I get a mammogram? There are several good options for mammogram services. ARA, Capital Imaging & NAMC are a few. If this is not your first mammogram, the best advice is to go to the same place you got your last mammogram done. However, if you can’t or would like to go elsewhere, have your previous mammogram films sent over to the place of your choice so a comparison of past and present films can be done. Let them know that your results should be sent to your doctor at RWG.
When will I get my lab results? That depends on the type of lab you had done. Some types of pathology take longer than others. Ask your doctor or a staff member how and when you can expect to receive your lab results.
Can I schedule an appointment online? Unfortunately no. To schedule an appointment, please call the phone number for your physician. Click here for a list of phone numbers.
I want to make an appointment but don’t know which doctor to pick? This is strictly a matter of choice. If you have not had one of our doctors recommended to you, go to our ‘Meet our Staff’ page. Read about each physician and see who may best suit you. You are welcome to call and ask for additional information on our physicians if you wish.
How is Dr. Darby different from the other RWG physicians? Dr. Darby is a board certified ob/gyn just like the rest of our physicians; however, he specializes in ob ultrasound, prenatal diagnosis, gyn ultrasound and genetic counseling. He does not provide regular ob/gyn services.
I have questions about my ultrasound appointment? You may reach our ultrasound department at 425-3885.
What is a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and a Physician Assistant (PA)? Renaissance Women's Group currently includes the services of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants to improve our ability to deliver individualized and personal care to all our patients. They each hold state and/or national certifications in their field. They are specialized in women's healthcare and are able to provide all aspects of care, including prenatal care, annual exams, minor office procedures, as well as co-management of chronic or acute medical problems. RNP's and PA's can write prescriptions. They do not attend deliveries or perform surgical procedures.
Can I email a medical question directly to my doctor’s office? Unfortunately, no. We do not exchange any medical advice/information via the internet. Please call the office with your questions.
What about parking near your building? Ample, free, parking is available in the lot surrounding our building. There is even special reserved parking for Mom’s with new babies!
Can I pre-register for admission to NAMC? Yes, you will be provided with a pre-register form in your second trimester. If you did not receive one, please ask a staff member.
How can I reach Dr. Margaret Thompson's office? Dr. Thompson left RWG in 2004. She retired in March 2008.
Is Dr. Donna Hurley still with RWG? Dr. Hurley retired in 2002. If you are a patient who has seen Dr. Hurley in the past, your records remain with RWG. Please call us if you have any questions or need to schedule an appointment.

Insurance Related

What insurance plans do you accept? We accept most HMO and PPO plans. Visit our ‘Accepted Insurance Plans’ page or call our business office at 339-6626.
What does ‘in-network’ or ‘out-of-network’ mean? HMO and PPO plans generally have provider books or lists that show you which doctors are in network for your plan (meaning which doctors have contracts with your insurance plan). By choosing a provider from your insurance list, you will obtain the highest benefit your policy offers. If you choose to see an out-of-network physician (one that does not appear on their list), generally the benefit is less (maybe none), meaning higher patient financial responsibility. Every insurance is different, so we encourage you to check your insurance before your appointment.
Will my insurance pay for my visit? Only your insurance company can answer that. We make every effort to verify your benefits prior to your visit and ask that you do the same so that you are informed of your coverage.
What questions should I ask my insurance company when verifying my benefits for my appointment? Please download the form (either gyn or ob) and follow the questions as listed. Please bring that completed form to your appointment. This will be very very helpful to both of us.
What is a ‘global fee’? Global fee is a term used to describe how most insurance companies require that we bill for your maternity care. This global fee includes all of your routine prenatal visits, the delivery and a post partum follow up visit. Lab work, ultrasounds, hospital visits, all hospital charges, circumcision, etc. are not part of the global fee and are billed separately.
What is an ‘ob deposit’ or ‘surgery deposit’? An OB Deposit is the amount estimated to be ‘your portion’ of your maternity care with our office. It is paid at the beginning of the pregnancy and held as a deposit until the delivery and any other claims are paid. At that time, the deposit is applied to your remaining balance (according to your insurance company), then you will either be refunded or billed the difference. A Surgery Deposit is the amount estimated to be ‘your portion’ of an upcoming surgical procedure. It is paid prior to surgery and held until your surgery claim has been paid. The deposit is then applied to the remaining balance (according to your insurance company), then you will either be refunded or billed the difference.
What is a Deductible? A deductible is a predetermined amount of money (by the insurance company) that a patient pays out of pocket before the insurance company is responsible for any benefit payments.
What is Co-insurance? Co-insurance is when the insured shares the cost of a medical claim up to a certain amount. For example, many companies offer plans that pay claims at 80%. This means that the patient would pay 20% of the claim.
What is a 'Co-pay'? Generally, this is a set amount of money (by the insurance) that an insured patient pays at each visit.
Does RWG accept Medicaid? Yes, but for pregnant patients only. We accept Amerigroup which is an HMO plan associated with Medicaid. We do not see gyn patients with Medicaid insurance.
Does RWG accept Medicare? We accept Medicare on established patients only. Unfortunately, we are not accepting New Medicare patients at this time.
What is a ‘contracted fee’? A contracted fee is a term used by an insurance company to refer to a dollar amount that a physician can collect for a specific service. This amount has been agreed upon by the insurance company and the physician. For example, RWG may bill $50 for a particular procedure, but for XYZ insurance company the contracted fee is $40. This means that $10 is ‘not allowed’ and therefore not collectible; the maximum amount we can collect is $40.
Will RWG file my insurance claim for me? RWG will file your claim if we are ‘on the insurance plan.’ Meaning we are ‘in-network’ or ‘contracted’ with the insurance company.
Will RWG file my secondary insurance? Yes, as long as we are contracted (in-network) with your secondary carrier.

Billing Related

Do you accept credit cards or debit cards? Which ones? Yes, we do accept credit and debit cards. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover & American Express. We also accept “Flex” cards, which have recently become very popular.
I have no insurance. How much will my visit cost and when am I expected to pay? If you call us prior to your visit and let us know why you are coming in, we can ESTIMATE the cost of your visit. We cannot guarantee any fees until after you have had your appointment. Payment is expected at the time of service.
Do you offer any discounts for self-pay patients? Yes. If you pay in full at the time of service, a 20% discount will be applied.
I have a question about my bill from CPL? First call CPL at the number on the bill. They should be able to answer your questions. If they direct you back to your doctor’s office, call our business office at 339-6626.
I have a question about my bill from RWG? Call our business office at 339-6626 and speak to any patient account representative.
I have a question about my bill from NAMC? Call NAMC billing department directly at the number on the bill.
Do you make payment arrangements? Payment is expected at the time of service. Payment arrangements may be an option in special cases. You may contact our business office at 339-6626 to discuss.