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Pee Dee Gastroenterology Associates Q. What are your office hours and phone number? A. Office door is open Monday through Friday from 8:30A.M. to 5 P.M. except Holidays. Telephone is 843-662-7828 and is answered from 8:30 A.M. to 4 P.M. Please use our voice mail and be sure to give your full name (or full name of patient) and telephone number so we can pull your chart and be ready for your questions. Call as early in the day as possible, since afternoons tend to be very busy for our staff. Q. Do I need to be referred by another physician? A. Most of our patients are referred by another physician. However, in unusual circumstances, we will see you without a referral. If your insurance (HMO, PPO, or managed care contract) requires a referral, be sure to get a referral. Check your policy, or ask your personnel manager at work. Q. What do I need to bring with me for an appointment? A. Bring your medications, insurance information or cards, and any medical history you may have. Be sure to tell the nurse when you are put in a room about any recent X-rays or tests (so the doctor will have these results when he sees you. Write down questions you may have so you do not forget to ask them. Q. How soon will I be seen? A. We make all efforts to see patients in a timely manner, depending on the urgency of the situation. We usually see non-emergency referrals within three weeks. Emergencies are seen immediately, and urgent referrals are usually seen that same day or the day later. Q. What will happen on the first visit? A. If you have an office appointment, your physician will get acquainted with your problems and may examine you. He will then discuss a plan for diagnosis and / or treatment. Procedures (endoscopies) may be scheduled. If you are being seen first at the endoscopy lab , no procedure will be done on you without the physician first explaining it thoroughly and getting your written consent. Q. I was given an appointment in two weeks, but I think I need to be seen sooner. What do I do? A. Call our office and request a quicker appointment. Sometimes one of the other physicians may be able to see you (if you are a new patient). If you are in severe pain or feel ill, ask to speak to the medical assistant or nurse for that particular physician with whom you have an appointment (or use the voice mail). Q. Do you accept insurance? A. The patient is responsible for all charges. Our office will be glad to file for your insurance, but after insurance has paid, the patient will need to pay any remaining balance. Our physicians do participate in a number of insurance programs, and this may vary somewhat by physician. Q. How do I get refills on prescriptions? A. Check the bottle first to see what physician wrote the prescription and if refills are permitted and if any refills are still left. Our physicians generally prefer to refill only those prescriptions that they wrote themselves. For patients calling before noon, the refill will be called to the pharmacy the same day. Refill calls after noon will be called in by the following morning. Use our voice mail, and be sure to provide the pharmacy name, phone number, drug name and dosage,,, and state your (or patients full name as on the insurance card). Calls should be made at least a week in advance before your supply is gone. |