Office Policy and Procedures

My staff and I welcome you as a patient and appreciate the opportunity to provide neurological care to you. The following information is designed to answer questions about the practice.

HOURS
The office is open Monday – Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the exception of the first and third Thursday of each month when I’m at the Pediatric Neurology Clinic at MeHarry. On Friday the office hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon.

WAITING AREA
While in the waiting area and examination room, please turn off or place cell phones on silent mode. If it is necessary to make a call please step out of the office. I would appreciate no food or drinks in the office. A restroom is available in the waiting area. Please do not leave children unattended.

APPOINTMENTS
All patients are seen by scheduled appointment only. I do my best to stay on time to assure that each patient receives the allotted time for their individualized care. Consequently, it is important that as a new patient you arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment to complete paperwork. Established patients should plan to arrive 5 minutes early to update any information. If you are 10 minutes late then it may be necessary to wait to be worked back into the schedule or reschedule the appointment. I understand that situations arise and require an appointment to be rescheduled. It is important to provide a 24 hour notice to avoid a $50 charge. Since there are a limited number of appointments available each day, please avoid “NO SHOWING”. Typically, there are patients waiting for an earlier appointment. Also, this situation can effect prescription refills and communication with the physician.

EMERGENCY
If a medical emergency occurs please go to the closest emergency room. When you arrive there, ask the physician to contact my office. For non neurological issues contact your primary care physician.

MESSAGES
Since there are 3 phone lines and only 1 person answering the phone, it is possible that you will be connected to the voicemail service. Please leave a message with the patients name and date of birth and your call will be returned as soon as possible. An alternative to the telephone is the patient portal or sending an e-mail to office1@pedsneurology.com.

PRESCRIPTIONS
Initial and refill prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy. Typically, refills should coordinate with the return appointment. The exception to this rule is controlled medications such as stimulants used to treat ADD/ADHD. Laws only allow 3 prescriptions to be written and the extra prescriptions have a specific date for filling. Most pharmacies will hold the electronic prescriptions on file. It is important that you discuss this with your pharmacist. The most efficient way for refills to be requested is electronically by the pharmacist.

TESTS
If tests such as EEG, MRI scan or laboratory studies are recommended after your appointment then prior authorization will be requested from your insurance provider. Once this has been obtained the study will be scheduled. If you have not been contacted by the office staff within a week then please call or send a message to check on the status of the appointment. After any testing is completed, you will be notified of the results as soon as these are available. Again if you have not been notified of the results within a week, please contact the office.

BILLING/PAYMENTS
Medical Data Services submit claims to the insurance company and will send out statements regarding balances that are due. Copays and balances are due at the time of the appointment. Payments can be made by cash, check or credit card. You should be aware that there is a $25 charge for completion of any forms or letters. If it is necessary to notarize a document then there is a $50 charge. Following every visit a letter is completed and sent by fax to the referring or primary care provider. There is no charge for sending medical records to another provider. If medical records are requested for any other reason there is a minimum $20 charge.