Office Hours and Appointments
Office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. All patients are scheduled by appointment only. Although we make every effort to honor your appointment time, we hope you understand that emergencies can arise. If there are delays, we will inform you as soon as possible. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please do so as far in advance as possible.
Each of our physicians is scheduled limited time in the office each week to accommodate surgery days. If you should have a medical concern, please contact our office and you will be directed to the triage voicemail.
Telephone Calls
Phone calls placed between 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm are transferred to our answering service. However, if your call is urgent, the answering service will contact our office. When calling our office, please tell the phone operator the nature of your call so she may direct you to the appropriate person. Should you have a question regarding your medical care, you will be transferred to the triage nurse voicemail. Be sure to leave the patient's full name and date of birth as well as your name and a number at which you can be reached. A health professional will pull your chart and return your call to discuss any medical questions that you may have.
After Hours Emergency Care
Should an emergency arise after office hours, on weekends or during holidays, please call (706) 548-6881. The answering service will page the on-call health professional to return your call and assist in answering your medical questions.
What to Bring to an Appointment
If time permits, we will mail you a new patient package containing pre-registration forms. Please bring the completed forms with you for your appointment. Please arrive approximately 10 minutes prior to your appointment time to process your registration. If you did not receive a pre-registration package, please arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appoinment in order to register.
Please be sure to bring all medical records relating to your medical condition, x-ray films, films on disk, reports, and all current medications including vitamin supplements. Failure to bring all information may result in a delay or the need to reschedule your appointment.
If your insurance plan requires a prior approval for services, please be sure to obtain your referral before your office visit.
Please keep us updated with any changes in your name, address, telephone number or insurance information in order to maintain accurate information in your medical record.
Prescription Refills
Prescription refills will not be called in after office hours. Please call during phone service hours. Your call will be transferred to the refill medication line where you will be asked for the following information: your full name, date of birth, home phone number, medication requested and pharmacy phone number.
Your request will be handled within 24-48 hours. Therefore, please plan ahead by calling two days prior to completion of medication.
Form Completion
There is a nominal charge that will be due prior to the completion of disability and leave of absence forms. Forms are completed in five to seven business days.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality of your medical record is of great importance to us. No information will be released by our office without obtaining a signed medical release.
Quality of Care
Our most important goal is to achieve a high degree of excellence in patient care. You can help us maintain this high standard. You may be asked to complete a survey following your office visit or to participate in a post-operative phone interview. These are done to assess our goal of quality patient care and to assist in determining surgical outcomes. We greatly appreciate your help.
Fees and Insurance
We expect payment at the time of service unless prior arrangements have been made. If you have financial difficulties, we will make every effort to work out short-term payment arrangements. Please contact our financial coordinator if you have any questions or concerns at (706) 548-6881.
If you have health insurance, it should be understood that this is an agreement between you and your insurance company. You are responsible for payment regardless of the status of your insurance claim. We believe our fees to be customary for our region and specialty. If your insurance company uses a different fee schedule, you will be responsible for any balance remaining.
We currently participate with Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield and State Health Benefit Plan. We also participate with a number of other managed care plans as well as Workmen's Compensation. Should you fall under these guidelines, we will file your claim for you. However, you are responsible for all co-payments at the time of service as well as any deductibles due. If you have insurance coverage with other plans with which we do not participate, payment will be due at the time of service. We will provide you with the necessary information to file your claim with your insurance carrier.
If you have obtained an attorney to assist you with your medical claim, please provide us with this information. Your attorney may request in writing copies of your medical record, narrative reports or any other forms. We will bill your attorney for these services. However, we must have a signed medical release in your medical record prior to release of this information.
> All patients should provide accurate and complete personal and insurance information prior to being seen by the provider.
> All applicable co-pays and personal balances, both current and prior, are due at time of service.
> We accept cash, personal checks, MasterCard and Visa.
Contracted Insurance: If you are a member of an insurance plan with which our office has contracted, you will be asked to pay all co-pays, deductibles and any non-covered services at the time of service. Please verify with our receptionist whether or not we are a participating provider with your insurance plan. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with any predetermination of benefits or referral requirements.
Non-Contracted Insurance: If your healthcare plan is a non-participating plan, payment is due at the time of service and you will be given a receipt to file with your insurer. If surgery is indicated, you will be given an estimate of our charges. Prior to surgery, we ask for a 20% down payment and any unpaid deductible.
Medicare: We accept assignment from Medicare. Therefore, Medicare payments will be made directly to the provider. We are required by federal law to collect the 20% of the allowed amount either out of pocket or by your supplemental insurer. You are responsible for the annual Medicare deductible.
Medicaid: We are participating providers with Georgia Medicaid. You are responsible for co-payments at time of service. If you have exceeded your twelve visits for the year, you will be held financially responsible. If you are covered under the Georgia Better Health Plan, you must have a referral from your primary care physician prior to being seen.
Workmen's Compensation: Authorization is necessary prior to your treatment.
Self-Pay: Payment is due at the time of service. If surgery is indicated, you will be given an estimate of charges and asked to make a 50% down payment prior to surgery.
Past-Due Accounts: Unfortunately, we are not in a position to finance healthcare and we make no arrangements for long-term payments on patient balances. As a convenience, we accept MasterCard and Visa. If unusual circumstances should make it impossible for you to meet our credit terms, we ask that you call or personally discuss the matter with our financial coordinator. This will avoid any misunderstandings and enable you to keep your account in good standing. Accounts that are greater than 90 days past due will be referred to our collection agency.
Returned Checks: There will be a $25.00 charge added to your account for any check returned for non-payment from your bank.