Our office has a strict policy concerning all Scheduled III and II (Triplicate) prescription medications. Our patients are required to be seen every 6 months in order to receive refills and these prescriptions cannot be called into your pharmacy. Triplicate prescriptions are sent via "E-Prescribe" (electronically). A written paper prescription is still available upon request. There is a $15.00 fee for this service.
Laboratory Services
Laboratory results will routinely take 1 to 3 days, depending on the specific test, to be reported to our office. Once they are received, your provider will review the results and you will be notified by phone, mail or e-mail, depending on your preference. Because some results require a face-to-face discussion with your provider an office visit may be required. Your laboratory test results may also be located on our patient portal, after they have been reviewed and you have been notified.
After Hours, Weekends, Holidays
After hour, weekend, and holiday calls are directed to our answering service. The service will take your name, phone number, and a brief description of the problem. The on-call provider will respond as quickly as possible. Please be aware that you may be unable to speak directly with your provider if he/she is not scheduled to be on-call.
Please use evening and night calls for emergency conditions only. The on-call provider will not schedule appointments, prescribe medications or authorize refills, including refills for pain medications and antibiotics. After hours consult and treatment will result in a billable Non Face-to-Face service fee to your insurance carrier.
Appointments
Our office requires a 24 hour cancellation notice, otherwise you will be billed for that missed appointment. All appointments can be made by telephone or at the reception area. Unfortunately, emergency situations, very acute illnesses or distressed young children may require extra time, we ask for your patience and understanding if your appointment is delayed.
The following will assist us in keeping the office running smoothly and on time:
- Arrive on time for your appointment
- Make a separate appointment for each family member
- Try not to overload the visit with multiple problems during a single visit, the provider will usually try and prioritize problems, some of which may require a follow up visit
- Please, where possible, state the reason for the visit when making an appointment so that adequate time is reserved
- Same day, and early appointments usually fill up very fast. If you have an urgent issue please try to
phone the office early
- If you are delayed or unable to keep an appointment, please call us as soon as possible
- If you are a new patient, or have new insurance, please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment and bring your insurance card, photo ID, and applicable co-pay
- Physical examination appointments are a “wellness” exam. This is separate from a sick visit,
anxiety, or insomnia concerns. A separate appointment is required to address those other
concerns.
Phone Calls
The providers see scheduled patients throughout the day. Our medical assistants are trained to handle your phone questions initially. They will consult with your provider to relay the appropriate information.
Termination from our Practice
Our office values its relationships and wants to protect patients' rights. We will only terminate patient relationships with cause and only after careful consideration. Reasons for termination include: repeatedly not showing for scheduled appointments; not complying with recommended medical care; being hostile or abusive to staff; or not paying bills in a timely manner.
Completion of Forms
Disability, FMLA, employer, insurance forms, or any other paperwork that requires your provider’s input, can be very time consuming for your provider and/or the staff. A fee of $35.00 is required for completion of paperwork/forms. It is important to note that fees are not covered by insurance and need to be paid at the time the form is submitted. We will not bill for these fees.
Requesting your physician to draft a letter, is not the same as forms. There is a separate fee for this service depending on your request, your physicians’ time and staff involved. Please contact the office for more information.
Returned check
Personal checks are accepted only when mailing in an account payment. The return by any financial institution of a dishonored payment issued to Willow Bend Family Medicine, P.A. will result in a service fee of $30.00 per dishonored check. Two dishonored checks will require that all future payments be made with cashier’s check, money order, credit card or cash.
Missed Appointments
A missed appointment leaves an empty slot that could have been used by a patient in need of medical care. Not cancelling an appointment in a timely fashion is unfair to other patients and the providers. We understand that circumstances beyond your control may arise, causing you to miss a scheduled appointment. If you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment we request you notify the office as soon as possible.
For established patients, a missed appointment will be rescheduled upon request. A second missed appointment will result in a “no-show” fee of $25.00 or $75.00 for a physical appointment. For new patients, a missed appointment will NOT be rescheduled. This charge is not billable to your insurance company and will be due before future medical services are rendered.Repetitive missed appointments without a courtesy phone call will result in applicable fees and possible dismissal from the practice.
Release of Medical Records
If requesting a copy of your medical records, please allow 10 to 14 business days for our office to process your request. There is a fee of $25.00 for the first twenty pages and $0.50 per page for every page thereafter, per patient for copying and mailing your medical records. If the request is from doctor to doctor, there is no fee. We must have a signed release of medical information form signed by you or by the legal guardian of the patient. If the patient is 18 years of age, they must sign their own medical records/information request. Immunization records may be faxed at the parents request at no charge. Scanning of your medical records/information on a flash drive is also available for $35.00 fee per patient.
The original record is property of Willow Bend Family Medicine, P.A., therefore the original documents cannot be released.
