Payment Policy and HIPAA

Payment Policy

CREDIT CARD ON FILE FOR ALL CLIENTS

A credit card is required to be on file for all clients, whether you are self-pay or using insurance.
This card is ONLY used for the 24-hour / No-Show cancellation policy and for any patient-responsibility charges that come from your insurance plan.

THE LACTATION NETWORK (TLN)

If we have set up our consultation through The Lactation Network (TLN), that means they have accepted your insurance and all insurance/billing will go through TLN. No payment will be required directly to me at the end of our consultation. TLN covers up to 6 lactation consultations.

I understand that Melissa is contracted with TLN and does not handle any payments or insurance claims related to TLN visits.

You may occasionally receive an EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from your insurance provider for submitted claims from TLN. Sometimes the EOB will say “Patient Responsibility,” “Deductible,” or “Patient Owes.”
Do not panic! This is an EOB, not a bill. TLN will never bill you, and you do NOT owe any money to me, your insurance, or TLN. All TLN-covered lactation visits are free to you.

If you have any questions about insurance or payment, please contact TLN directly at (888) 510-0059.

If your insurance ever changes, please let Melissa and TLN know, as you will need to complete TLN’s form again for new approval.
If you switch to Aetna, please see the Aetna section below.

CIGNA THROUGH WILDFLOWER (WF)

If we have set up our consultation through Wildflower (WF), they have accepted your insurance and all billing/claims will go through Wildflower. No payment will be required directly to me at the end of the consultation. WF covers up to 6 lactation consultations.

I understand that Melissa is contracted with WF and does not handle any payments or insurance claims for Wildflower visits.

You may occasionally receive an EOB from your insurance provider for submitted claims from WF. Sometimes the EOB will say “Patient Responsibility,” “Deductible,” or “Patient Owes.” Do not panic! This is an EOB, not a bill.  All Wildflower-covered lactation visits are free to you.

If you have questions about insurance/payment, please contact Wildflower directly.

If your insurance ever changes, please let Melissa and WF know, as you will need to complete a new approval form.

AETNA

You will provide your Aetna insurance information on my intake forms. Aetna typically covers up to 6 lactation visits. It is your responsibility to verify that your plan covers lactation services and does not require a doctor’s referral or authorization number. This includes any telehealth visits.

Some Aetna plans charge cost-sharing, co-insurance, or co-pays, even if they say you are covered 100%. These charges will be billed to the card you have on file. An invoice will be emailed to you. If the invoice is not paid within 30 days, the card on file will be automatically charged.

I work with a biller who re-submits denied claims or incorrect charges, and we always try to keep your costs as low as possible. After all options have been exhausted, I will need to charge the patient responsibility.

If there is a lapse in coverage, the full consult fee will be charged (see self-payment rates below).

If you dispute patient-responsibility charges with Aetna and Aetna waives them and sends payment to you, please contact me and I will refund you.

UNITED HEALTHCARE

You will provide your United insurance information on my intake forms. United typically covers unlimited lactation visits. It is your responsibility to verify that your plan covers lactation services and does not require a doctor’s referral or authorization number.

Important: United Healthcare does NOT cover telehealth lactation consults.

Some United plans charge cost-sharing, co-insurance, or co-pays. These will be charged to the card you put on file. An invoice will be emailed to you, and if not paid within 30 days, the card will be automatically charged.

I work with a biller who re-submits denied claims or incorrect charges. We try our best to reduce your costs. After all options have been exhausted, I will need to charge the patient responsibility.

If there is a lapse in coverage, the full consult fee will be charged (see self-payment rates below).

If you dispute patient-responsibility charges with United and they waive the fees and pay you, please contact me and I will refund you.

SELF PAYMENT

Payment is due to Melissa Schiff at the end of your consultation.

Lactation Consult Fees

Initial consultation:
$190 In-Office / $190 Virtual

Prenatal consultation:
$190 In-Office

Follow-up consultation:
$175 In-Office / $175 Virtual

Infant Bodywork (CST & Pediatric Massage)

Initial Bodywork for baby:
$80

Follow-up Bodywork for baby:
$60

Payment options include exact cash, credit card, and most HSA cards. (If an HSA card is declined through Square, another form of payment will be required.)

I am currently only in-network with Aetna and United Healthcare. For all other insurance plans, I am considered out-of-network.

A Superbill (a detailed receipt with medical coding) will be provided if you would like to submit for possible reimbursement.
There is no guarantee of reimbursement, but many families are successful.
It is your responsibility to submit your Superbill to your insurance company.

CANCELLATION POLICY

I understand there is a 24-hour cancellation / No-Show policy. If I cancel or reschedule within 24 hours of my appointment, I will be charged a $100 cancellation fee. A No-Show will also result in an automatic $100 charge. A credit card is required on file for all clients, whether self-pay or using insurance.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES (HIPAA)

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can access this information. Please review it carefully.

Effective Date of this Notice: 11-18-2025
Makana Breastfeeding Inc. (DBA Makana Wellness)
Attn: Melissa Schiff, IBCLC, CST, LMT
Email: melissa@makanawellness.com | Phone: 773-575-2629

We will never sell or market your personal or medical information.

Insurance Partners & Information Sharing

  • The Lactation Network (Ashland Health, LLC)
    Melissa Schiff, IBCLC, CST, LMT contracts with The Lactation Network through Ashland Health, LLC.
    If you book a consultation through The Lactation Network, you will provide your insurance and personal information directly to them. Melissa will provide your consult notes and care plan to TLN so they can submit the claim to your insurance company on your behalf. This notice applies to services provided through The Lactation Network for families in the Greater Chicagoland Area.

  • Wildflower (Cigna)
    Melissa Schiff, IBCLC, CST, LMT also contracts with Wildflower, a Cigna partner. If you book a consultation through Wildflower, you will provide your insurance and personal information directly to Wildflower. If Wildflower requests Melissa will provide your consult notes and care plan to Wildflower for claim submission to your insurance company. This notice applies to services provided through Wildflower for families in the Greater Chicagoland Area.

  • Aetna & United Healthcare
    Melissa Schiff, IBCLC, CST, LMT is in-network with Aetna and United Healthcare. If you consult directly with Melissa using these plans, you will provide your insurance and personal information so she may submit claims to your insurance company.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record

  • Correct your paper or electronic medical record

  • Request confidential communication

  • Ask us to limit the information we share

  • Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information

  • Get a copy of this privacy notice

  • Choose someone to act for you

  • File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

Your Choices

You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:

  • Tell family and friends about your condition

  • Provide disaster relief

  • Include you in a hospital directory

  • Provide mental health care

  • Market our services and sell your information

  • Raise funds

Our Uses and Disclosures

We may use and share your information as we:

  • Treat you

  • Run our organization

  • Bill for your services

  • Help with public health and safety issues

  • Do research

  • Comply with the law

  • Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

  • Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

  • Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

  • Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

  • You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.

  • We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your medical record

  • You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.

  • We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

  • You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.

  • We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

  • You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.

  • If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

  • You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.

  • We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice

  • You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

  • If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.

  • We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

  • You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.

  • You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

  • Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care

  • Share information in a disaster relief situation

  • Include your information in a hospital directory

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

  • Marketing purposes

  • Sale of your information

  • Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

In the case of fundraising:

We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Our Uses and Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information?

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you

We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

Run our organization

We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

Bill for your services

We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.

Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan, so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We must meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

Help with public health and safety issues

We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:

  • Preventing disease

  • Helping with product recalls

  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications

  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Do research

We can use or share your information for health research.

Comply with the law

We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

We can use or share health information about you:

  • For workers’ compensation claims

  • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official

  • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law

  • For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Our Responsibilities

  • We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

  • We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

  • We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

  • We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site.