How to Get Full Value from Your Appointment

Come prepared for your appointment 

·         Carry a list of your current medications

·         Know what medications you need refills of

·         If you have several problems, bring a list

·         Bring a picture ID with a current address.  (This is required if you are using insurance or if you are requesting a prescription for a controlled substance.)

·         Bring a copy of your insurance card, if you are using insurance

·         Provide us with a working phone number and keep us up to date on your phone number and address.  This is how we contact you if there is an abnormal lab result or if you call with a problem or question.

·         If you are a new patient, bring the address of your previous doctor, or bring a copy of your previous records if available, especially if you have a complicated history

Prescription Refills 

If you need a refill of a prescription and you cannot get it at an office visit, call the office several days in advance to request a refill.  This gives us time to look up the prescription in your chart, document that it is correct, and that it is called in.  When you call for a refill, leave us the phone number of the pharmacy, your name, your birth-date, the name of the medication, the dosage, and the quantity you need until your next appointment.  Do not forget to pick up the prescription, since the pharmacy may discard the prescription if it is not picked up within a week.

Cancelling Appointments

If you cannot make an appointment, cancel the appointment as soon as possible.  This allows us to schedule other patients for that time.  If you cancel right before your appointment time, we are not able to schedule another patient for your time slot.   When you make an appointment, that time is reserved for you.  We try to see patients as closely as possible to their scheduled time.  If we cannot keep last minute cancellations low, we will have to start charging for cancelled appointments, or will have to double book patients for the same time slots.

Payment Arrangements

If you cannot pay for your appointment at the time of service, talk to us about payment arrangements before hand.  While we expect full payment on the day of service for a new patient, we will make arrangements for established patients with good payment history.  We are able to hold checks for up to ten days, and will accept partial installment payments.  We also take Visa, Mastercard, and debit cards.

Any lab tests are billed separately by the testing facility.   We shop around to find labs that offer the best prices for uninsured patients.  Please feel free to discuss the cost of any lab work with us before it is done.  We cannot guarantee prices, but the labs provide us with a price list of all their services and we can pass this information on to you.  If there is a major discrepancy between the estimated price and what the lab charges you, please call us and we will try to help you resolve it.