Office Policies

Every phone call is important to us and we will attempt to answer your calls and return your phone messages as promptly as possible. We appreciate your patience should you have to wait on hold or leave a voice mail message. Our phone lines are busiest in the early morning hours, especially on Monday mornings. If you do not need to contact the office immediately, we recommend calling the office at a later time during the day. Phone messages will be returned on the same business day as soon as the staff is available. Please leave a phone number where you know we will be able to reach you. If you call for an urgent matter, we will make every effort to respond immediately. All messages are reviewed by the nursing staff; however, your call may be returned by a medical assistant or staff member.

Please be aware that our providers & staff will not leave their scheduled patients to return routine phone calls; these are generally answered after patient care sessions are finished.

  · When scheduling an appointment, please advise the receptionist of the exact reason for the visit and if you have seen the doctor previously.

· If you need to cancel your appointment, please call to advise us at least 24 hours in advance.

· Established patients: Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment so that we can review, update or complete your demographic information. Prior to scheduled appointments, we make an attempt to obtain the required paperwork electronically. Please notify us immediately of any changes in your name, address, phone number or insurance.

· New patients: Please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment so we can process your demographic and health history paperwork. Prior to scheduled appointments, we make every attempt to obtain the required paperwork electronically. 

· Bring your current insurance card with you for each appointment. If your insurance coverage is through a family member, please have that person’s information as well. If we do not have your current information, you will be responsible for payment. New patients will also be asked for a photo ID (driver’s license).

· Familiarize yourself with your insurance guidelines regarding copays, deductibles, payment of annual physicals, referrals to specialists and ER visits.

· Copays, insurance cards, and referrals are expected at time of service.

· Please bring your medicine bottle(s) or a complete list of your medications with you to each appointment.

· Please be on time for your appointments. If you arrive late for your scheduled appointment, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment or given the option to wait until scheduled patients have been seen.

· There will be a $50 charge for no show appointments. No Show appointments are defined as less than 24 hours’ notice for cancellation. If you miss two or more appointments, you are subject to termination from practice. 

· If calling for an urgent or same-day appointment, you may not be able to see your regular provider. We will let you know the name of the provider you will be seeing when you make your appointment

If you are experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911.

If you need urgent but not emergency assistance during non-business hours, please call the office. A provider is on call 24 hours a day after hours only for emergency matters, not for routine business. 

After hour emergency calls are handled by our answering service. They will contact the on-call provider on your behalf.

Prescription refills and appointments will be handled during regular business hours.

Please access your patient portal for the fastest notification of results. Lab results are typically released to your portal within 10 business days from your appointment. If there are abnormal results, the nursing staff will be in contact with you via a phone call. The nursing staff will attempt to contact you via phone 3 times. Please return calls during normal business hours. 

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) allow you to access most lab results and provide the convenience of securely communicating with our staff. EMR is a software storehouse of a patient's medical history — tests, diagnoses chronic conditions, prescriptions, physician comments, etc. — accessible anytime. Messages to our office are processed as promptly as possible.

 · When calling for a routine prescription refill, please allow 24 hours for your prescription to be called into the pharmacy. Routine prescriptions are those that have been prescribed to you and are taken every day.

· For quick and accurate turnaround, have your pharmacy directly send a request to us.

· If you need a medicine urgently, we will make every effort to respond to you that same business day.

· If you are interested in a new medication, please schedule an appointment to speak with your doctor. We do not routinely call-in medicines that have not been previously prescribed.

· When leaving a message for a medication refill, please leave the following information: your name, phone number, the full name of the medication, the dose (usually in milligrams), the frequency with which you take it, your doctor's name, and the name and phone number of your pharmacy.

Please remind your provider of any medication allergies.