Office Policies

Telephone calls and seeing the doctor or nurse practitioner

To make it easier for you and our staff, please follow these suggestions:

• For routine calls, please call during office hours.  Your medical questions will be addressed by the triage nurse and if necessary, a message will be left for the doctor or nurse practitioner and your call will be returned, if at all possible, before the end of the business day.
  
  
• We strongly suggest you request refills through your pharmacy; they should fax us the proper forms for accuracy and convenience.  When making a call for a prescription refill, please call before you run out of medication.  Make sure you have your pharmacy phone number.  Refills will not be called in if you have not been seen within the last year or at the doctor's recommendation. 
  
  
• If you are sick, please call as early as possible.  It is easier to get an appointment for you the same day if you call early in the day.  We do not see infectious patients.  Your primary care physicians should be consulted if you have evidence of a communicable infection.  We treat only allergic illnesses.
  
  
• Emergency problems necessitate you going to your nearest emergency room or dialing 911.
  
  
• Calls after regular office hours should be of an urgent nature only.  When you cannot reach your primary care physician, please call the office and leave a message for our on-call nurse.  The nurse will return your call and assist you with your needs. 
  
  
• When coming into the office for injections and/or office visits, please remember to always register your name on the sign-in list at the window. Please have an up-dated copy of your insurance card and your co-pay ready; your co-pay must be paid before receiving services.
  
  
• Be sure to notify the office of insurance or address changes.

In many cases, it is difficult to treat patients by phone.  Many allergic problems require an examination for accurate treatment.  It is not good practice to prescribe medication by telephone for a problem with which we do not feel completely familiar.  Please don't expect care over the phone for any new problems; they require an office visit for accurate diagnosis and treatment.