Why Me?
Insurance exams are a routine and necessary part
of your insurance application. They assist the Insurance Companies in
evaluating their risks and allows them to provide products with the best
possible premiums. In most cases, the type of exam is based solely on
your age and the amount of insurance that you are applying for. In some
situations, an exam may be required due to a present or past medical condition.
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What about
my privacy?
At APPS, we take your privacy very seriously. Any
personal information we obtain either before or during the examination
will NEVER be used in any way except to complete your insurance exam.
No one, including APPS personnel, should ever contact you for any reason
other than regarding your insurance exam. All paperwork completed in conjunction
with your examination will be destroyed after a reasonable period of time.
If you have any concerns or questions about private information APPS has
on file, please contact the Regional Director.
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questions
Why did my
agent choose APPS?
APPS has been a leader in the industry since 1973
and in North Florida since 1987. Our continuing commitment to provide
our agents and their clients with quick and accurate exams, innovative
service concepts and willingness to go the extra mile has made APPS the
#1 choice of over 3,000 Florida agents.
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How much
will this cost?
The exam is of NO COST to you. All costs for this
service are paid by your insurance company.
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I had an
exam six months ago. Can I use the information from that exam in lieu
of a new insurance exam?
Usually the insurance company’s medical underwriter
requires a current exam from a third party – not your personal physician.
An insurance paramedical exam completed within the last 90 to 180 days,
depending on insurance company’s policy, may be used. If the exam
was ordered by another insurance company, that company must be willing
to release the exam information. You should discuss this with your insurance
agent.
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What qualifications
will the examiner have?
Each APPS examiner has been carefully selected,
screened and trained by experienced managers. They are required to have
a minimum of two years clinical venipuncture experience. APPS frequently
conducts training meetings and calibrates their equipment. We encourage
and welcome your comments regarding our examiners as well as other APPS
personnel. Phone or email the Regional Director at any time.
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questions
Where will
my exam take place?
Our examiners will come directly to your office
or home. If you prefer to complete your exam in our office, we have several
locations around Florida and many more throughout the U.S.
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questions
Should someone
else be present during my insurance exam?
The agent may NOT be present. All exams should be
done in private, without interruptions and distractions.
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How do I
make an appointment?
Your agent or insurance company will contact our
office and give us the necessary information so we can contact you. An
APPS representative will contact you by phone, email or letter to schedule
a convenient appointment time and place. Appointment times are available
during the day, evenings or on the weekends. If you would like to contact
us, call or email the office nearest you. When contacting us, please provide
us with your name, address, phone number, your agent’s name and
phone number and we’ll do the rest.
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questions
I am leaving
the country and need my coverage now. What can I do?
Getting your insurance exam completed is essential.
Most insurance companies will not provide you with "Conditional Coverage"
until the application, exam and required payment have been submitted to
the insurance company or their agent. If you are under a time constraint,
tell your APPS representative. We will do everything possible to complete
your exam before you leave. You may consider coming into one of our offices
for your exam. In most cases, APPS office exams can be completed the same
day.
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questions
Is there
a time limit on completing my insurance exam?
Yes, insurance companies have expiration dates ranging
from 30 to 180 days from the date your application was signed. If your
exam has not been received by the insurance company’s expiration
date, then your application is cancelled. This makes it very important
that you schedule your exam as soon as possible to allow for any unexpected
disruption in the process.
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questions
What kind
of an exam should I expect?
A PARAMEDICAL EXAM
will take approximately 20-minutes and will consist of your medical history,
height, weight, blood pressure, pulse and, on males only, chest and waist
measurements. Additional time will be needed if other tests are preformed
along with the exam.
A PHYSICIAN EXAM
is completed by a Florida licensed M.D or D.O. and will take approximately
45 minutes. It will consist of your medical history, height, weight, blood
pressure, pulse and a physical exam of your heart, lungs, reflexes and general
physical assessment. In most cases a physician’s exam will also require
a blood draw, urine specimen and resting EKG, which will take an additional
20 to 30 minutes.
BLOOD SPECIMEN
- Blood and urine samples are sometimes ordered without any other exam
or test and usually take about 15 minutes. One of our experienced examiners
will collect the required specimen with a sterile, disposable collection
kit. The sample will be sent overnight to the lab for testing. The results
are forwarded electronically to the medical underwriter at the insurance
company and neither APPS, nor your agent will have access to the results.
If you have had problems with blood draws in the past, discuss this with
your APPS representative. We have several techniques that can be used
to help make this an easy and comfortable procedure.
EKG
- A Resting EKG may be completed alone or with one of the exams above
and will take approximately 15 minutes. It may be completed in your home,
business, or the APPS office. It requires that you disrobe from the waist
up. Female EKG’s are assigned to female paramedical examiners. Female
EKG’s may be completed by male physicians, if a chaperone is present.
STRESS TEST EKG (TREADMILL)
must be completed in the doctor’s office and usually take up to
2 hours. The doctor’s office personnel will provide you with instructions
regarding the test along with any pre-test preparation information you
may need. Generally, you should bring athletic shorts, T-shirt, and comfortable
running shoes. You should avoid eating a large meal for 4-hours before
the test.
SALIVA TEST
is a simple light rub with a sterile swab inside the mouth between the
gum and the jaw. There is no preparation for this test and it will take
approximately 10 minutes.
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questions
What Should
I do in Preparation for my Paramedical Exam?
You should refresh your memory regarding your medical
history. Make a list of your doctors’ names, addresses, phone numbers,
and any current and past medications prescribed to you. We understand
how busy you are and having this information available during the examination
will enable our examiner to take as little of your time as possible.
If you are scheduled to have a blood draw, you should
avoid eating for a minimum of 4-hours prior to your exam. In some cases
your insurance company will require a 12-hour fast. If so, the APPS representative
setting your appointment will let you know if the insurance company requires
a fasting period greater than 4 hours. While fasting, you may have water,
sugar-free and caffeine-free drinks. IMPORTANT – If you should not
fast due to a medical condition, please notify the APPS representative
and DO NOT fast. If you forget to fast, in some cases, we still may be
able to complete your exam. Please contact your APPS representative prior
to your appointment. We can determine if your appointment needs to be
rescheduled.
In order for APPS to provide you with best possible
examination, we recommend that you:
- continue taking any medications
prescribed by your doctor.
- avoid rigorous activity at least
two hours prior to your exam.
- drink plenty of water prior to
your exam to aid in the blood draw and better enable you to provide
a urine specimen.
- wear clothing that will allow
access to your arms, legs and chest if you are scheduled for an EKG.
- be sure the exam is scheduled
in a quiet location that will provide you with privacy.
- have any paperwork your insurance
company has asked you to give us, completed and ready for the examiner
before the exam. If you have any questions regarding this paperwork,
talk to your agent or insurance company. The APPS Examiner is not authorized
to discuss your insurance application or related paperwork with you.
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When giving the
APPS Examiner my medical history, do I need to "tell all"?
Yes, without question. Your APPS Examiner
has been trained to record an accurate summary of your statements in a
way the insurance underwriter can use to determine risk factors. This
information allows the underwriter to correctly categorize your medical
status. Without this information, the underwriter could make an unfavorable
decision on your application based on data from other sources. A complete
medical history from your insurance exam gives the underwriter your current
and complete medical picture.
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How do I change
information on my exam or lab authorization form?
The exam form and lab authorization are
legal documents, both for your protection and for the insurance company.
No printed information on these forms may be changed by anyone, including
your APPS Examiner. If any changes are made to these forms, the insurance
companies have instructed APPS not to complete the exam or collect specimens.
Written information recorded by the examiner on these forms may be changed
if correct procedure is used. First, one line is placed through the original
information, the new information is added next to the original information
and the area is initialed and dated by the client and examiner.
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What kind
of lab tests will be run on my specimens?
Each insurance company tests for various
medical conditions as well as nicotine and drugs of abuse. If you have
questions about this we encourage you to contact your insurance company’s
agent or underwriter.
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Can I get the
results of my Exam, EKG, Blood and Urine test?
Each insurance company has their own rules
regarding the release of medical information. You should contact your
agent or the Underwriting Department at the Insurance Company’s
Home Office for their policy.
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How long will
the Examiner wait if I am late for my appointment?
We realize with busy schedules, traffic
and unexpected circumstances, occasionally we are all late for appointments
or sometimes miss them altogether. As a rule, if the examiner begins the
exam more than 15 minutes behind schedule, they are unable to make their
next appointment on-time. As soon as you determine you are running late,
call your APPS Office. We will do our best to accommodate your schedule
and get your exam completed.
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When should I
start to worry that my Examiner may not show up for the appointment?
Our Examiners have been instructed to call
you if they are going to be more than 15 minutes late. Sometimes things
do go wrong with traffic, accidents, and misunderstandings regarding exam
time or location. It may be the Examiner is just behind schedule and could
not reach you by phone. Whatever the reason, we want to get your exam
completed as scheduled. Call the APPS office or if after hours, the APPS
on-call representative. We will do our best to accommodate you and your
schedule.
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English is not
my native language. Can I have an interpreter during my exam?
Yes, but please discuss this with your
APPS representative. The insurance company must approve the interpreter
and he may NOT be the agent. The interpreter also may not be the benificiary
of the policy.
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When will my policy
be issued?
The underwriting process will vary with
each applicant and insurance company. You should contact your agent or
the insurance company’s underwriting department for information
regarding the expected time of issue.
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