Cancellations
Medical Emergencies
Telephone Calls
Insurance
There are many types of insurance plans available in the marketplace today: HMOs, PPOs, managed care, indemnity, etc. It is more important than ever that you familiarize yourself with your insurance policy and follow all requirements as set up by your insurance company. The use of a participating physician, referrals, authorization, etc., may be required. Please assist us in serving you by following your insurance company’s guidelines. Our business office is available from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, to assist you with any questions you may have. We do require your insurance card on each visit so that correct information is always available.
Cancellations
Because our appointment schedules are very crowded, please help us by giving as much notice as possible (at least 24 hours) if you find it necessary to cancel or change your appointment. Your consideration may allow another patient the use of that time slot; giving us early notice of changes is most important.
We try to keep to our appointment schedule. In those instances when you may experience a delay due to an emergency situation, your kind patience and indulgence would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in mind that should you ever experience an emergency, others may thus be inconvenienced as well.
Medical Emergencies
If you are in urgent need of medical care during times when our office is closed, you may obtain help at Sentara Leigh Emergency Department or any hospital near you.
PLEASE – before going to an Emergency Department, call our office phone number (which will be answered by our answering service after hours) and ask to speak to the physician who is on call for our office.
Since the on-call physician may already be at Sentara Leigh, you may be instructed to go there for quicker service. In some instances, you may be advised by the physician to wait and come to the office the following day rather than going to an Emergency Department. In any case, there is great value in communication regarding your medical needs.
Emergency Departments should be utilized wisely and only in urgent cases. They are quite expensive; services there may not be covered by your insurance and waiting times are unpredictable.
Telephone Calls
Our phones are answered around the clock, seven days a week. From 8-5 Monday - Friday, telephone calls are answered by our office staff. After working hours, telephone calls go to our answering service. The on-call physician is available to respond to your emergency medical needs.
During normal working hours, a staff of telephone nurses is available to answer your questions. These nurses communicate with our physicians on a daily basis. When appropriate, a physician will return your call.
Of course, urgent matters will receive our immediate attention, and we want to know if you believe there is an emergency so that we can respond appropriately.
Please plan to call regarding prescription refills and other routine matters during regular office hours, since prescriptions need to be refilled after your medical record has been reviewed.
Whenever you call regarding a prescription refill, be sure to have the pharmacy name, telephone number and prescription number with you. Not having this very important information may result in call-backs, delays, or even in not having the refill you desire.
If you phone regarding a medical problem, please make the call yourself if possible, since husbands, relatives, or friends often cannot answer the detailed questions that may need to be asked.