Booking and Payment Policy

Updated January 15, 2024

My goal is to provide quality and timely lactation counseling to my clients. No-shows, late arrivals, and cancellations inconvenience not only to me, but my other clients as well.

Please be aware of my policy for booking, payments, cancellations, and refunds below:

Booking and Payment Policy

All booking is done one-on-one through email and completed through a secure portal for communication and sharing information. You will be instructed to fill out intake form(s) pertaining to you and your infant(s), a consent for services form, and sign for acknowledgment of HIPAA (Notice of Privacy Practice).

All traveling counseling packages will be charged for mileage of $0.56 per mile driven over the 25 mile service area† (round trip) in addition to the base service fee.

A down payment of your service booking will be due at the time of scheduling if you are self-pay client. The remainder will be due in full at the time of service plus applicable fees and taxes†. For services being billed OON insurance, I require self-pay rate upfront and will reimburse if the claim has been approved. For services billed in-network, there is no upfront fees for your visit, however, there this does not guarantee coverage or defer the chance of co-insurance, deductible, or patient responsibility.

If you are not able to access the secure portal or email, and require a different method of contact (phone or text), you must let me know in writing and acknowledge that using these communication outlets may not protect your identity or health information - as I am legally obligated to do so. I reserve the right to decline an appointment or contact method if I feel it may put me at legal risk.

Secure and HIPAA compliant payment methods are as followed: Credit/Debit, HSA and FSA payment, or cash payment. Other methods may not be considered secure; however ,if you need a different method of payment, you must submit in writing and acknowledge that it may not be secure to protect your identity and health information.

I can issue you an out-of-network Super Bill for self-payment, separate from the invoice, for you to submit on your own time to your insurance company. If your insurance does not reimburse you or cover lactation care specifics, you will not be refunded. Payment is final. It is your duty to reach out to your insurance to find out what is covered under your policy. Under the Affordable Care Act, reimbursement for lactation services is considered under preventable care† I do not guarantee your service will be reimbursed and will not submit an appeal if denied. If you would like me to submit your super bill to insurance on your behalf, I will charge a non-refundable processing and handling fee of $25 USD.

I am out-of-network with Cigna PPO and Humana PPO however, I can submit a claim at my billing agency’s suggested fee schedule pricing even if it is higher than my self-pay rate† My billing company bills for mother and baby separately. If your claim is denied, you will be responsible for the full out-of-pocket amount determined at the time of visit.

I am in network with UnitedHealthCare / UMR / All Savers, Aetna and TriCare.

I am a non-contracted provider with BCBS IL and can bill most PPO plans directly. [This also applies to Anthem BCBS PPOs] If your claim is denied, you will be responsible for the full out-of-pocket amount determined at the time of visit.

I am not able to bill Medicaid plans for services. If you are on both WIC and Medicaid, and/or unemployed you may be able to receive discounted lactation services†

Virtual Disclaimer: There are limitations to a virtual counseling that are subject to Milk and Moon Lactation Counseling LLC’s providing as deemed appropriate. Virtual counseling lacks the importance in the physical assessment of latch evaluation and feeding relationship, and physical assessment of the appearance of the parent’s breast/chest. Virtual counseling is not meant to replace the need or option for ideal in-person assistance from a lactation professional and should only be used during specific circumstance.

Appointment Cancellation

When you book your appointment, you are holding a space on my calendar that is no longer available to serve other clients and that I put aside my own personal time for. If you need to cancel your appointment, please email me at joleenbice@milkandmoolactaiton.com. The secure portal and secure email are monitored everyday between the hours of 9am-7pm CST. I will return your email as soon as possible.

Your appointment(s) are very important to me and I understand that sometimes, unexpected delays can occur, making schedule adjustments. If you need to cancel your appointment, I respectfully request that you call/text or email 24 hours in advance. Your email time stamp will be an indication of when the email was sent.

  • Any cancellation made after booking will result in Milk and Moon Lactation Counseling LLC keeping your pre-payment or up to 50% of the complete service fee of base service booking. No refund will be given. I will do my very best to reschedule your service for another time that is convenient to you or work around concerns you are having that prompted cancellation.

  • If you are more than 15 minutes late for your service, I may not be able to accommodate you. In this case, the same cancellation fee or full payment for services will apply. I will do my very best to reschedule your service for another time that is convenient to you.

  • I require a credit card payment of 50% of your base service booking to hold your appointment. Cancellation fees will be charged accordingly. The remainder of the payment will be due at the time of service.

Refund Policy

Regardless of your breast/chest feeding outcome, or referral to other providers as deemed necessary, payment for services and products will be due in full and is non-refundable.
If I am unable to fulfill the appointment, or need to cancel, I will issue a full refund to you back on to your original payment method within 3-5 days of cancellation.

† Service area is within 25 miles radius of Spring Valley, IL on a map.
† Applicable tax applies to sales on products. Illinois does not tax services.
† Fee schedule for claims submitted directly to insurance will differ from self-pay fees. You may request to see the fee schedule for services provided to you. I understand that Joleen Bice of Milk and Moon Lactation Counseling LLC does not set the fees for billing insurance and the billing company involved has their own fee schedule based on certain billing codes. These billing fees are exceptionally more than Joleen Bice’s self-pay rate.
†Proof of sliding scale eligibility may be asked for in order to discount self-pay services in some circumstances.
† National Women’s Law Center: Tool Kit New Benefits for Breastfeeding Mom: Facts and Tools to Understand Your Coverage under the Health Care Law