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OFFICE POLICIES |
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Office Hours |
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Ambulatory
Surgical Center |
Clinical Offices |
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Appointments |
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| When making your initial appointment, please explain your needs to our receptionist. Our receptionist is qualified to answer your questions and will give you the next available appointment. You will be asked for insurance information at this time. | |||
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Cancellation of Appointments |
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It is understandable that at times, you may
not be able to keep your appointment. Please inform us as soon as
possible. This courtesy enables us to give that time to another patient
and to reschedule your visit as soon as possible.
Procedure appointments must be cancelled 48 hours prior to the appointment time. |
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First Appointment |
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Please arrive at least 15 to 20 minutes
prior to your initial visit. This allows you time to fill out the
necessary forms pertaining to your medical and personal information. If
you prefer, you may print the forms from our website. You may
download these forms at Patient Forms.
Please take the time to fill out the forms as completely as possible
and bring them with you for your first appointment. Please remember to bring your current insurance information, driver license or photo identification with you. If you have been referred by another physician, his office normally arranges to have those records forwarded to our office. If your first appointment is less than one week away, you should bring copies of your medical records with you. Lacking information about your laboratory and x-ray results makes it difficult for your doctor to make accurate decisions about your care. |
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Insurance and Billing |
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In addition to being worried about your
health, we are aware you are concerned about the spiraling costs of
pharmaceutical, hospital and medical care. We are committed to
delivering high-quality medical care while trying to maintain cost by
limiting services to only those that are necessary for each individual
patient. We accept assignment on Medicare patients. This means Medicare pays 80% of their allowable charge. You will pay the remaining 20% at the time of your visit , plus any deductible not yet met. For commercial, indemnity, HMO or PPO claims, we will file insurance claims for our services with your healthcare insurance provider. If you have a secondary insurance, please notify us at the time of your visit, and we will gladly file your secondary insurance claim at the appropriate time. Please contact your insurance representative prior to your visit, particularly if you have an HMO/PPO insurance, regarding covered benefits or the need for a referral form or authorization number to ensure your claim is not delayed. Co-payments, coinsurance, deductibles, or any uncovered services are your responsibility and are expected to be paid at the time of service. We encourage our patients to discuss the cost and their financial responsibility with our Billing and Insurance Specialist. If you do not have health
insurance, we request that you discuss payment with our financial
coordinator. For your convenience, we accept Visa/Mastercard or checks. |
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Medical Records |
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Because of the confidentially of medical
records, your medical records can only be released upon your prior written
authorization. Per HIPAA regulations, we will gladly transfer your records if you visit another physician or move to another city. Extra insurance forms, additional medical records, correspondence to outside agencies will require an additional fee because of the paperwork and time involved. For your convenience, you may download and print the following Medical Release Form: |
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Telephone Contact |
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Due to the large number of telephone calls
daily, it is impossible for the physician to personally talk to each of
her patients, but she has designated staff to address your needs. If your call is about a medical problem or question, it will be directed to one of our nurses who will speak with you or return your call in a timely manner. If the nurse cannot answer your question, it will be directed to your doctor. If your questions is in regard to an insurance or billing issue, your call will be directed to one of our staff who specializes in that area. |
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| Prescription Refills | |||
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Prescription refills are performed via a fax from the pharmacies.
All requests are addressed before the end of the work day. Please plan
ahead if you need your prescription refilled. Have your pharmacy fax a refill request to our office at 637-5888.. Please avoid calling for refills after office hours or over the weekend as the on-call doctor will not have access to your medical records to determine if a refill is necessary It is helpful to bring a list of medications you are currently taking, including any over-the-counter drugs and those prescribed by other physicians when you come in for an office visit. It is important for your doctor to be aware of your medications, particularly to help prevent a possible drug interaction. |
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After Hours Emergency |
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Please call 911 for any life-threatening
emergency. EMS will provide the emergency care you require.
For less urgent problems, during office hours, call our office and explain the emergency to our staff. They will respond will appropriate instructions. For emergencies after hours, our office phones are answered by a 24-hour answering service. They will, in turn, inform us of your problem and we can make the necessary arrangements you may require. Before going to any hospital emergency room, you may want to notify our service, We can alert the ER to your arrival, saving time by ordering any tests and/or medications in advance, meanwhile giving us time to arrange meeting you there if necessary. |
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