APPOINTMENTS

This office works by appointments. Operations, however do occasionally
take longer than anticipated, and emergencies sometimes occur. As a
result, strict adherence to a schedule is not always possible. We will
make every effort to ensure your appointment is timely. If immediate
treatment is necessary, do not hesitate to cal us. Every effort will be
made to see you as soon as possible.

TELEPHONE

Our office staff is trained to handle many patient questions. If your
question needs a doctor's consideration, you will receive a return call
from either a staff member or a doctor.

If your call concerns an emergency, the staff will immediately
contact the physician, who will advise you what to do.

One of our doctors is always on call. He can be reached after ours by
calling the office number. Our telephone answering service will ask the
physician on call to return your call.

Any questions of a non-medical nature, such as insurance billing, claims
etc. are handled by the business office during regular office hours (9:00 am -5:00 pm).

CONSULTATION

Certain problems require the special skills of another physician. We ask
for consultations whenever we feel the problem may extend beyond
neurosurgical treatment. You may speak with our physicians and
arrangements will be made for you

MEDICAL RECORDS

Your medical record is confidential. This information will not be released
without written authorization from you. Request for release of medical
records cannot be made by phone. By law there is a release form you must sign.

PRESCRIPTIONS

Please keep the phone number of your pharmacy available. When you
need a renewal of a medication prescribed by our office, call your phar-
macist. If the refill is not authorized, he may call our office. Request for
renewals should be made during office hours. Prescriptions may not be
refilled on weekends or evenings since medical records must be available to the doctor so he can authorize such refills.

INSURANCE

As a courtesy to our patients, our well-trained staff completes insurance claim forms and bills insurance companies. You can help us to expedite your claim by immediately advising us of any changes in name, address, or coverage.

Insurance payments vary with type of policy and insurance carrier. Your insurance may pay all, part, none of the cost for your care. Check with your carrier if you have any questions about coverage.

Payments  for your portion or co-pay are expected when services are
rendered. A patient counselor in our business office is available to discuss various aspects of your insurance and the charges and payments associated with the services you receive.

BILLING

Statements are mailed to our patients at weekly intervals. Questions should be directed to our business office (625-4455). For your convenience, we accept Visa and MasterCard.

To avoid misunderstanding about your bill, discuss your financial situation with our patient counselors. We do extend payment plans for those who need help.