Cancellations
Please call the office 24 hours in advance to cancel appointments. Failing to do so could result in a $25.00 charge, for which you are responsible, since insurance will not over this assessment.
Late Policy
We are committed to prompt service, and will work very hard, barring emergencies, to stay on time. We may ask you to reschedule if you arrive for your appointment more than 10 minutes after your scheduled appointment. Always arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for an appointment to complete any paperwork associated with your visit.
Referrals
You should call the office at least three (3) days before the appointment to give us the information needed to complete the referral. That information includes: your name, the physician you are being referred to, his/her phone and fax numbers, the date of the appointment, the diagnosis for the referral and your insurance. We do not mail referrals to specialists. You should familiarize yourself with your insurance plan, and determine if it requires you to take a referral with you; if you are not certain of how your referral is handled, please ask our office staff, and they will help you to determine what to do.
Prescriptions
Calls for prescriptions received in this office after 12:30 PM will addressed the following day after 2:00 PM. Please try to call the office at least 48 hours in advance for all medications. Calls received after 12:30 PM on Friday will be returned after 2:00 PM on the following Monday if we do not have Saturday hours that weekend. When you call, you may be asked to leave a message in the Prescription Voice Mailbox. Always leave your full name, date of birth, name of the medicine(s), spelling it out if necessary, the prescription number on the bottle, if the prescription is for one month, three months, or other time period, your phone number and the name of the Pharmacy (include the address if a chain store like Walgreens or CVS). Please see the enclosed policy statements on prescriptions, sample medications, and narcotic prescribing.
Emergencies and On Call
If you have an emergency, such as chest pain, severe shortness of breath, severe headache, or bleeding, call 911 or proceed directly to the nearest hospital emergency room. You can always call the office with any questions about acute medical problems after hours. If the physician is not in the office, the machine will direct you to leave a message for the physician on call and our answering system will page him. If the doctor on call does not answer your call within 30 minutes, please recall the office.
Records Releases
Please complete the enclosed records releases to obtain your medical records from your previous family physician and any specialists you may be consulting. Our Practice Privacy Policy is available at the office for your review.
If you have any questions regarding these office policies, please contact our office at anytime.