- Office Policies -
Please read prior to your visit.
_____ CELL PHONES: Please turn off your cell phone, in order to eliminate distractions when the doctor/nurse is with you. Please note that texting or emailing doctors (outside of the patient portal) regarding your health issues is considered HIPPA violation. Please do not use these means to reach your doctor but instead schedule an appointment to discuss your concerns.
_____ COPAYS and PAYMENTS: We collect previous balances, co-pays, deductibles, co-insurance for every visit prior to being seen. If you have any questions regarding this, please call your insurance company. As a third party; the insurance company restricts our knowledge about what is and what is not covered under your signed plan. Forms of payment accepted are Cash, Visa, & Master-card only. We do not accept checks, American Express or Discover cards. If you have a balance due and do not respond to our statements, we will charge your account for the balance with the credit card information we have on file for you. When your delinquent account is submitted to a collection agency, a collection fee of 19% will be charged by the agency, and that will be added to your balance.
_____ EMERGENCY OFFICE VISITS: If our doctor is seeing you on Emergency Basis then please stay focused on the reason for that day’s visit. Please remember the doctor is seeing you in between scheduled patients. We will take care of your immediate problem first and schedule your routine visit on another day. Your regular prescriptions will not be filled on your emergency visit. All walk-in visits will be considered an emergency and will be charged an additional $20 along with your office visit charges.
_____ EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT/HOSPITAL VISITS: In case of emergency after office hours, weekends, or holidays, please call 911 or go to the nearest ER. Please bring a copy of the labs and any imaging the perform. We are not able to call the ER for your records and they are not "in our system". You are responsible for bringing your labs and imaging if you would like them to be included in your record. Once discharged, please schedule a follow-up appointment with the clinic within 7 days.
_____ PHYSICAL EXAM (PE): If you are here for physical exam and want to be seen for other health issues in addition to the PE, then we will bill your insurance for both sick and well visit. Your insurance might not pay for the combination visit; if this is the case then you are responsible for paying the complete balance due.
_____ LABS AND IMAGING: Please schedule a follow-up appointment in 1-2 weeks or sooner for abnormal Lab, X-Rays, MRI, CT, and Ultrasound results or after seeing a specialist for your problems to update your medical record. If you do not hear from us within a week regarding your lab, please give us a call.
_____ PRESCRIPTIONS: Most prescriptions will be sent for one year. Our doctor MUST SEE YOU prior to prescribing a new RX, refills on Antibiotics or Narcotics (Controlled medications) and changing your existing medication. NO controlled medication will be prescribed over the phone, out of State, after hours, or weekends. If you have not been seen the doctor within the past 3 months and need a refill, you must schedule an appointment to see a doctor for your prescription refill, even if you are feeling fine. If you are out of town and need a refill on your regular Rx then we will send 30 days supply only if you were seen in the last 3 months. Please provide us with your pharmacy information so that prescriptions can be faxed or electronically sent to your pharmacy. Written prescriptions are given only when necessary. If you have a written prescription in hand then we will not fax or electronically send it to the pharmacy to avoid duplication. There will be a $10 charge for every denied prescription that requires approval from your insurance company.
_____ REFERRALS: Obtaining a referral from your insurance can take up to 48 hours or more. Please do not call from the specialist’s office at the time of your appointment for a referral. Please call our office and schedule an appointment to get a referral before seeing a specialist. Please do not schedule your referral visit for the next day. It is unlikely your referral will be ready.
_____ NO SHOWS and LATE VISITS: If you arrive more than 20 minutes late or no show without calling us 24 hours in advance to cancel or reschedule your appointment, we reserve the right to charge a $40.00 fee for the scheduled time that we were unable to give to other patients. After three consecutive no shows, we reserve the right to discharge you as our patient.
_____ MEDICAL RECORDS/COPIES: We have charge $35.00 for all Medical Records. • We do not fax/mail or email reports to patients as you have access to the patient portal access to print reports. We do not charge for records emailed to another doctor's office. We are required to update your records at least once every year, as required by your insurance company so please provide us with updated information even if there is no change in your information.
_____HEALTH FORMS ( DISABILITY AND GYM): We understand that health forms are required by many schools, employers, and government agencies. These forms can be completed during a dedicated visit. Please be aware that you will incur a $25 form fee. More extensive forms may have to be completed after your office visit and picked up at a designated time. Similarly, any form of completion requested outside of an office visit will be subject to the $25.00 form fee. Some forms may require an office visit with one of our providers for completion.
_____ MEDICAL CLEARANCE FOR SURGERY: Please schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor at least two weeks before any scheduled surgery. We must have the clearance at least a week prior to the scheduled surgical date.
____PATIENT DISMISSAL: We sincerely hope that we never have to part ways with a patient. However, sometimes extenuating circumstances may make this necessary. If this occurs, you will be notified by certified mail of this non-negotiable decision. You will have 30 days to find another doctor during which we will continue to offer urgent care services only.This also applies to Obstetrical patients.
____BIRTH PLANS: All birth plans must be reviewed by a physician prior to Labor and Delivery. We will do our best to help you have the birth you envision, within the scope of hospital protocols and standards of care.
