Patient Information
emergency care
after hours
prescription refills
confidentiality
In a true EMERGENCY it is best to go to the nearest hospital. Please call the office the following morning to inform us so that records can be requested.
Your medical record is strictly private. No information regarding your condition will be given to your employer, friends or relatives without your permission. The only exception to this is when required by law, such as industrial injuries, assault, etc.
fasting blood work
To obtain accurate readings of your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, the blood should be collected when you are fasting. Our office has a more rigorous requirement than some. You should have nothing to eat or drink, EXCEPT for water, for 12 hours prior to having your blood drawn. This means that you cannot have any tea, coffee or soft drinks, even diet drinks. These may have substances in them that may affect your test results. So, if you have a snack at 10:00pm, then you should not have your blood drawn until after 10:00 am the next morning.
Water is OKAY to drink. If you are dehydrated it will be more difficult to draw your blood and might require you to return for a second attempt.
After hours, on weekends, or holidays, if you have a problem that you cannot wait until the next regular work day, call MedLink at 512-323-5465. They will take your number and page the doctor. They will call you back in 30 minutes to see if the doctor has contacted you yet. Please DO NOT TIE UP THE PHONE while waiting for his call. DO NOT BLOCK your call to unidentified callers, as you may block your doctor's call. Do not call for prescription refills after hours.
fees & billing
Payment in full is expected at the time of your visit; we prefer not to send bills as the cost of paper/postage affects our fees.
If you have insurance, we file your claim promptly and request that you pay your portion when services are rendered. On large bills, if you wish to arrange a payment plan, we will assist you. As soon as your insurance pays, you are responsible for the entire amount.
We will be happy to help you receive maximum benefits, however the agreement of the insurance company to pay for medical care is between you and the insurance company.
On past due accounts, we will attempt to contact you to discuss the problem. However, our office does not extend credit.
Please inform the office of any address changes so that we may contact you if there is a problem or question with your account.
Watch your medicine supply closely and take care of refills a WEEK BEFORE you completely run out. Call your pharmacy first and they will fax the doctor's office. We ask that refills be taken care of during office hours & before noon on Friday. Please check medicine supplies a week before you leave on a trip. We usually process every refill request before we leave for the day. We process approximately 50 refills a day so please help us by keeping up with your prescriptions.
consultations
sugar & BP logs
Occasionally, the doctor can give you better care by seeking the opinion of another doctor. At these times, the doctor will suggest a consultation with another specialist, and may refer you to his or her care. If your insurance requires written authorization our staff will contact the insurance company. However, be aware that most referral authorizations require 3-10 days for approval. Do not request referral authorizations from specialist's offices at the time of your appointment. You are responsible for keeping track of your authorizations and understanding your insurance policies.
If you ever desire another opinion do not hesitate to request this; the doctor will be happy to suggest several specialists. We can provide details of your condition to the specialist.
We ask some of our patients to log their sugars and/or blood pressures. Provided are two log sheets for your use. If you opt to not use them then please remember to:
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use pen instead of pencil
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include dates/times
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ALWAYS put your full name