Office Procedures
Office hours are from 8:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M., CT Monday through Friday.
Primary Care Physician
In order to promote the highest standard of care, our physicians limit your care to rheumatological conditions. Therefore, it is necessary that all our patients have a primary care physician.
New Patient
Our physicians allot 45 minutes for a New Patient Consultation and Exam. For this reason, it is very important to cancel or confirm your appointment 48 hours in advance. This will enable our office to serve other patients who otherwise may have to wait several weeks for an appointment. Appointments canceled less than 48 hours in advance will not be rescheduled.
No Show Policy
Our office provides a courtesy call to all of our established patients several days prior to your scheduled appointment. You may receive an automated call, so please listen to the entire message and respond as requested. If you are unable to keep an appointment, we request that you call our office at least 24 hours in advance so we may utilize the space to care for other patients. Therefore, patients who do not choose to call our office within 24 hours to cancel their appointment, will be charged a $25 no-show fee and may be dismissed from the practice on the third occasion.
Refill Policy
We try to provide you with all of the prescriptions we prescribe at your appointment time. We request that you call for refills several days prior to your last dose. We ask that refill calls be made Monday thru Friday during office hours only. It is our policy not to call in controlled medication (narcotics).
Phone Calls and Emergencies
Due to the number of calls we receive and the volume of patients we are caring for, it is impossible for us to personally answer all phone calls. However, we will attend to your needs as soon as possible. Please leave a detailed message on our nurse line. Return calls will be made by the medical assistant once your physician has reviewed your chart and delivered instructions. In the event of an immediate emergency, please call 911.
Test Results
In efforts to provide the best care for you, if your tests are abnormal, you will be contacted by phone with results and recommendations.
Release of Information and Form Completion
The relationship between the doctor and patient is confidential and any information exchanged will be held in the strictest confidence. Therefore, confidential medical information will be released only with expressed consent and through completed on an authorization form.
Additionally,due to the volume of requests we receive for form completion, please submit the form to your physicians medical records staff member. If the form is one our physicians can complete, it will be processed. Requests may take up to thirty days to complete. In addition, there may be a fee of $25 of greater applied to your account depending on the type of form requested.
Insurance and Private Pay Procedures
Please check with your insurance provider to see if a referral is necessary from your primary care physician to see our specialists. It is your responsibility to obtain the necessary referral information in order for your insurance to pay for services. In the event that your referral has not been received, your appointment will be rescheduled. Co-payments and deductibles are due at time of service (this includes Medicare 20% co-pay and deductible). If a co-payment is not made at time of service, a $10.00 billing fee will be applied to your account. If a patient does not have insurance, payment is due in full on the day of service. Prior arrangements can be made with our insurance department.
Due to the expense of processing fees from our bank, we charge a $25.00 service fee for returned checks.
