Policies

Office Hours: Office Hours for this practice are: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. Closed weekends and major holidays.

Appointments: When calling for an appointment please specify the nature of your visit so appropriate time can be allotted. Please inform the receptionist if your problem is urgent and requires immediate attention.

If your injury and treatment are related to Workers' Compensation or a Motor Vehicle Accident, you must inform us of this prior to your visit. Every effort is made to keep all appointments on time to minimize your waiting and inconvenience. Please call at least 24 hours in advance if you need to reschedule an appointment.

New patients are requested to undergo a complete history and physical examination, though not necessarily on the first visit. This thorough evaluation identifies current problems and potential problems. It also facilitates the doctor patient relationship.

Fees: Fees for services are based on the nature of the procedure and the amount of time that is involved. Our charges reflect the specialized training involved in internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics and are on par with fees of other specialists and generalists in this area.

Referrals: Patients with insurances requiring referrals MUST request all non-emergency referrals at least 3 (three) business days in advance. We ask that you pick up your referral from our office, and take it to the specialist office. HealthKeepers and Cigna are the exceptions. They require phone authorizations. We will notify you when these are obtained.

Prescriptions and Refills: All prescriptions and authorizations for renewals should be requested during normal office hours. Please try to call at least one day in advance to insure you will not miss any doses. Prescriptions will be processed by 6:00PM. To insure your prescription has been filled call the pharmacy before going. Usually, written prescriptions will be ready to pick up by noon on the next day. Medications are generally not refilled at night or on weekends because your medical records are not available to confirm the proper medication and dosage.

Emergencies: During office hours, call and state that your call is an emergency. After office hours, we are available for critical and acute problems, which need immediate attention, through the answering service.

Calls are forwarded from the office to the answering service. In the event there is a power outage, the direct answering service number is 757-628-5485. Explain the problem and the answering service operator will contact the "on-call' physician, who will return your call as soon as possible.

Please call the office or the answering service before going to the emergency room or an urgent care center, so that we may be able to help facilitate your visit when necessary.

If the emergency is serious, or there is a delay in reaching the "on-call" physician, go to the emergency room. The emergency room physician will contact the "on-call" physician.

Telephone Calls: When you call the office, please tell the receptionist your name and a brief description of the problem. The office staff has been trained to answer most of your questions. If the doctor must speak with you personally, he/she will not interrupt appointments with patients unless it is an emergency, but will call you back at a later time. We value our relationship with you. We sincerely encourage your questions about your medical problems and treatment, or our practice so that we may provide continued quality medical care.

Confidentiality: Your medical record is confidential. Items of information may be released to a consultant to whom you are referred, but no other information will be given to anyone without your written consent. Release of information forms are available upon request.

Change of Information: If you have a change in your address, telephone number, name or insurance, please notify us so our records will remain current.