Payment, Refund, Dispute, Cancellation & No-Show Policy
Effective Date: August 13, 2026
This policy applies to services provided by Courtney Funderburk, DNP, FNP-C (“the Practice”). It explains payment responsibilities, insurance billing, self-pay and cosmetic services, payment plans, delinquent accounts, refunds, disputes, cancellations, missed appointments, and dismissal from the Practice.
Payment Methods, Currency and Invoices
All clinic charges are in U.S. dollars (USD). The Practice accepts cash, payment cards, and checks. Invoices are issued through Carepatron and may be provided in person, by email, or by postal mail.
To pay by card remotely, use your Carepatron patient portal or the payment link sent with your invoice. For an in-person card payment, clinic staff manually enter the card details directly into Carepatron’s payment section. Contact the Practice if you need help locating an invoice or confirming payment instructions.
Payment for Medical Services
Copayments, known deductibles or coinsurance, self-pay charges, payment-plan installments, and other confirmed patient-responsibility amounts are due at the time of service unless the Practice approves another arrangement. Payment requirements may be enforced before the patient leaves the office.
Any pre-service estimate is only an estimate. The final patient responsibility may change after the insurance plan processes the claim. The Practice will not collect an amount prohibited by law or a payer agreement.
Insurance Billing
The Practice may submit claims to participating insurance plans as a courtesy. Patients remain responsible for confirming eligibility, network status, benefits, referrals, prior authorization requirements, and legally valid patient-responsibility amounts. Insurance coverage is not a guarantee of payment.
A patient will not be required to pay a claim that is still processing, an amount under a timely good-faith dispute, a Practice or billing error, or an amount the patient cannot legally or contractually be charged.
Outstanding Balances and Future Appointments
A patient with a confirmed, past-due patient-responsibility balance may not schedule another routine appointment until:
- The outstanding balance is paid in full; or
- The patient contacts the Practice or Big Sky Billing and enters into an approved payment plan.
A payment plan must remain current. If an agreed payment is missed or declined, routine scheduling may again be placed on hold until the account is brought current or a revised arrangement is approved.
When a patient resumes care after a delinquent balance or broken payment plan, payment at the time of service will be strictly enforced. This may include the current copayment, known deductible or coinsurance, self-pay charge, and the installment required under an approved payment plan.
Urgent medical needs and legally or contractually required continuity of care will be handled according to clinical judgment and applicable requirements.
Cosmetic Cash-Pay Procedures
Cosmetic procedures are elective, self-pay services and generally are not billed to insurance. The Practice will discuss anticipated services and estimated pricing before treatment. The final total may change if the patient requests and authorizes additional cosmetic services during the appointment.
At the conclusion of the appointment, the final total will be calculated from all cosmetic services actually provided. The patient must pay 50% of the final total before leaving the Practice. The remaining balance must be placed on a written payment plan approved by the Practice.
The payment agreement will state the remaining balance, installment amounts, due dates, payment method, and consequences of a missed or declined payment. Additional cosmetic services may not be scheduled until an overdue cosmetic balance is paid in full. Participation in a payment plan does not reduce the total amount owed.
The patient must authorize any added cosmetic service and its price before it is performed. Payment is for the procedure and professional services provided, not for a guaranteed cosmetic result.
Delinquent Accounts and Collections
An account may be considered delinquent when a confirmed patient-responsibility balance remains unpaid after its due date and the patient has not established or maintained an approved payment plan.
A valid balance may be referred to an outside collection agency when it remains unpaid for 90 days after its original due date. Before referral, the Practice or Big Sky Billing will ordinarily provide a final notice giving the patient at least 30 days from the date of that notice to pay, dispute the balance, or request consideration of a payment arrangement.
Before referral, the account will be reviewed for billing accuracy, insurance processing, payments, adjustments, legal restrictions, and active disputes. The Practice will not knowingly send to collections:
- A claim still being processed by insurance;
- A balance under active, timely, good-faith dispute;
- A Practice or billing error;
- An amount prohibited by law or a payer agreement;
- A Medicaid-protected balance; or
- An account being paid under a current approved payment plan.
Information disclosed for collection purposes will be limited to the amount reasonably necessary and handled according to applicable privacy requirements.
Refunds and Overpayments
To request a refund review, report an incorrect charge, or ask about an overpayment, call Big Sky Billing at 406-315-7920 or the Practice at 406-945-9045. Have the date of service or payment and any receipt available. Do not send card numbers or clinical details through ordinary email, SMS, or the website callback form.
A verified overpayment will be refunded to the original payment method when reasonably possible or issued by another appropriate method. Timing may depend on claim processing, reconciliation, and the financial institution involved.
Charges for services already provided are generally nonrefundable merely because the outcome did not meet expectations. Medical and cosmetic results cannot be guaranteed. This does not limit rights available under applicable law.
Billing Questions, Errors and Disputes
Big Sky Billing is the Practice’s third-party billing contractor and manages billing questions, errors, insurance claim inquiries, account balances, refunds, payment plans, and payment disputes.
Phone: 1-406-315-7920
Website: bigskybilling.com
Address: 625 2nd Avenue South, Great Falls, MT 59405
Please contact Big Sky Billing before initiating a chargeback or outside payment dispute so the concern can be investigated. Contacting Big Sky Billing or the Practice does not waive any right available under law or a payment-card agreement.
Cancellations, No-Shows and Late Arrivals
Please provide at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule. Call the Practice at 406-945-9045 during business hours. A message received outside business hours is treated as received when the Practice next opens.
Definitions
- Late cancellation: Cancellation or rescheduling less than 24 hours before the appointment.
- No-show: Failure to attend without advance notice.
- Late arrival: Arrival too late to allow safe, appropriate care during the remaining appointment time. The visit may need to be rescheduled and may count as a late cancellation.
The Practice currently charges no monetary late-cancellation or no-show fee. No missed appointment will be billed to an insurance plan. Montana Medicaid members will not be charged, and Montana Medicaid will not be billed, for a missed appointment.
Three-Strike Attendance Policy
Each unexcused late cancellation or no-show counts as one strike within a rolling 12-month period:
- First strike: Reminder of this policy.
- Second strike: Written warning; appointment confirmation or scheduling restrictions may be required.
- Third strike: The Practice may dismiss the patient from routine, nonemergency care after an individualized review.
A strike will ordinarily be excused for a medical emergency or hospitalization, severe weather or official road closure, death or serious family emergency, documented communication or telehealth failure, cancellation by the Practice, or another circumstance reasonably outside the patient’s control.
Dismissal and Transition of Care
If dismissal occurs, the patient will receive written notice. The Practice will generally remain available for urgent medical needs for 30 days from the date of the notice while the patient seeks another provider.
The patient will receive a referral or information about another appropriate provider. A referral does not guarantee acceptance or appointment availability. Records will be transferred upon receipt of a valid authorization as permitted by law.
When clinically appropriate and legally permitted, the Practice may authorize up to a 30-day supply of necessary maintenance medication. Refills are not guaranteed and remain subject to clinical judgment, examination and monitoring requirements, refill eligibility, medication safety, and state and federal prescribing laws. Controlled substances and medications requiring monitoring may be excluded or limited.
Dismissal does not eliminate a valid outstanding balance. Billing matters will continue to be handled by Big Sky Billing.
Controlled Medication Policy
This means the Practice does not initiate or assume long-term management of chronic opioid pain medication or benzodiazepine medication used for chronic anxiety. Patients needing ongoing treatment with these medications should continue working with their established prescriber.
Limited Treatment for Acute or Situational Conditions
The Practice may evaluate and treat acute pain. When clinically appropriate, a controlled medication may be prescribed in a limited quantity for the shortest reasonable period as part of a short-term treatment plan.
The Practice may also consider a limited prescription for acute situational anxiety, such as claustrophobia associated with a medical procedure or fear of flying. Any prescription will be limited to the amount and duration the provider determines are medically appropriate for the specific event.
A controlled medication is never guaranteed. Each decision requires an individualized assessment and may include review of the patient’s medication history, allergies, other sedating substances, relevant medical conditions, the Montana Prescription Drug Registry, and applicable prescribing requirements. Early refills, replacement prescriptions, dose increases, or continued prescribing are not guaranteed.
Referrals for Chronic Management
When clinically appropriate, the Practice may place a referral to another qualified provider or pain-management, behavioral-health, or psychiatric service. A referral does not guarantee acceptance, appointment availability, or that another provider will prescribe or continue a particular medication.
Patients should not abruptly stop a controlled medication without medical guidance. Anyone experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms, breathing difficulty, confusion, seizure, suicidal thoughts, or another emergency should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Payment Information and Security
Card details are entered directly into Carepatron’s payment interface, either by the patient through the portal or invoice payment link, or by clinic staff during an in-person payment. The website callback form is not a payment form and does not request payment-card details. An invoice or payment link may be sent by email; please do not reply with card details. Do not send card numbers, card security codes, bank-account information, or photographs of payment cards through the callback form, ordinary email, or SMS.
Our Privacy Policy explains how website information is handled. Our Notice of Privacy Practices addresses medical information.
Practice Contact Information
Courtney Funderburk, DNP, FNP-C
510 5th Avenue, Suite B
Havre, MT 59501
Phone: 406-945-9045
Email: courtney@funderburkdnp.com
Business hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM
Payment-information and refund-request sections updated October 29, 2026.
Policy Updates
This policy may be revised to reflect changes in Practice operations, payment methods, payer requirements, or applicable law. The current version will be posted here with its effective date.