For Patients

---

Welcome to our practice and thank you for choosing us to serve your health care needs. This website is designed to answer many of the questions that you may have. The more you know about our policies and methods of practice, the better we may be of service to you. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. It is our goal to provide you and your family the best medical care possible and to maintain a pleasant and long-lasting relationship with each of you.

Our office staff consists of carefully selected and trained office and nursing personnel. We take great pride in our staff's training, knowledge and competence. We would like you to have the confidence in them that we do.

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 cover 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 your appointment if you arrive more than 10 minutes after your scheduled appointment time. Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before your appointment to complete any paperwork associated with your visit.

Referrals

Please call 3 days in advance of your appointment to start the referral process. You should familiarize yourself with your insurance plan to determine if a written order for a referral is needed. We will need to have the following information:

• The patient's name
• The name of the physician to whom patient is being referred
• The referring physician's phone and fax numbers
• The date of the appointment
• The diagnosis
• Insurance information
• If it is for an office visit or procedure
• Where the procedure will be held (office or name of the hospital)

Please let us know if you need a copy of your referral to take with you as it is not customary for us to mail referrals to physicians. If you are unsure of what is necessary for your referral, you may check with your insurance carrier or call our staff for assistance.

Prescriptions

Please call the office at least 48 hours in advance for all medication refills. Calls for prescriptions received in this office after 12 p.m. will addressed the following day after 2 p.m. Calls received after 12 p.m. on Friday will be returned after 2 p.m. on the following Monday. When you call, you may be asked to leave a message in the prescription voice mailbox. If that is the case, please leave the following information:

• The patient's full name
• The patient's date of birth
• Name of the medicine - you may spell it out if necessary
• Specify if this supply is for 1 month, 3 months or another time period
• Your phone number
• Name, location and phone number of your pharmacy

Prior Authorizations for Prescriptions

If your insurance provider requires a prior authorization (PA) for one of your medications, they need additional information before approving to pay for the medicine. Please contact our clinic if the pharmacist tells you that a PA is needed. You can also find out if a medication is covered or requires a PA by contacting your insurance provider. Please understand that your insurance company will make the final decision on whether or not your PA will be approved. If your PA is denied, you will have the option of paying for the medication in full or trying a lower cost medication that will be covered by your insurance.

The following types of drugs commonly require prior authorization:

• Medications with harmful side effects
• Medications that can be harmful when combined with other drugs
• Medications that should only be used for certain health conditions
• Medications that can be abused
• Medications that are prescribed when a less expensive drug can have the same effect

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 call the office again.

Records Releases

To obtain your records from a previous physician or specialist, please ask our staff for the proper form. You may also review our privacy policy at that time.