PriMed Patient Guidelines
Scheduling Appointments: When you need an appointment, we ask that you call our office during regular business hours. We make every effort to see patients with an urgent problem within 24 hours. A receptionist or clinician will take your basic information and will ask you the reason for your visit. This is important so enough time can be scheduled for your appointment. If there are multiple issues you’d like to discuss during your appointment, make sure to let us know so enough time will be scheduled. Otherwise, during your visit, you may be asked to make another appointment to review the additional, non-urgent issues.
Sick and Wellness Appointments: An important benefit of being under the care of a primary care doctor is in the prevention and detection of possible diseases. During a wellness visit, your doctor can review your medical history, recommend appropriate tests and screenings, review previous test results and help you learn how to take better care of yourself.
When scheduling an appointment, please indicate if you are scheduling a wellness or a sick visit. Occasionally, patients will ask to combine wellness and sick appointments into one office visit. We are able to accommodate the request, if sufficient time has been scheduled. (Some insurance plans require that two co-payments be collected in this situation.)
Follow-up Appointments: We strongly encourage you to schedule your follow-up appointment before leaving the office. This ensures you are able to see your physician in the proper time period. Even if you are unsure of your schedule, let us make the appointment for you as you can always call and reschedule.
Registration: Please plan to arrive 10 minutes early to complete any necessary paperwork. Our goal is to have you in the exam room and prepared to see the doctor at the time of your visit. At every visit, you will be asked to verify your address and phone number and may be asked to present your insurance card. If we do not have a photo of you for our records, you may be asked to have your picture taken when you check in. While this may seem like an inconvenience, we do this to safeguard your identity so we can protect your health information.
After Hours Care: In the event that you need care after hours or on weekends, PriMed has physicians available. Please phone the office for instructions to contact the on-call physician or nurse. Please understand that routine medication refills will not be called into the pharmacy after hours, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Referrals: If the doctor wants to send you to a specialist or outpatient facility, please call your insurance plan to find out if a referral is needed. If required, please contact us with the following information: patient name, date of birth, phone number, name of specialist or facility, appointment date, reason for appointment, name of insurance company, and whether the referral will be picked up or request to mail to patient’s home address. Please allow 72 business hours for referrals.
Prior Authorization: Your doctor may order a test or medication that may require a prior authorization from your insurance company. The office staff will make every effort to obtain this in a timely manner, before the test is scheduled or the medication is prescribed.
Office Charges and Copays: We participate in a large number of insurance plans and Medicare. Please contact your insurance company to verify that your visit will be covered at our office. We will file a claim with your insurance company for the services provided in our office. It is important that you verify that we have the correct insurance information for you in our records. Any insurance copayment you have will be collected at the time of service. If you do not have insurance, your visit is your responsibility and payment in full will be due at the time of service.
We accept cash, personal checks, Visa® and MasterCard®. If your copayment or minimum payment is not paid at the time of service, PriMed Physicians reserves the right to assess a $10 fee to your account.
There is a fee for the completion of some forms, including FMLA and insurance eligibility forms. Please ask the receptionist for more information about specific costs.
Medical Treatment of Minors: Patients under the age of 18 must have a parent/legal guardian present to complete initial paperwork and treatment consent. All minors must have written parental consent with each subsequent office visit, even if they are accompanied by an older sibling, babysitter or grandparent. Without parental consent, the child’s appointment will have to be rescheduled. A parent/legal guardian or another adult with the parent’s consent must be present when injections/vaccinations are given.
Medications and Refills: If you are on any medications, you may need refills. When your physician prescribes a medication for you, he/she will generally allow a certain number of refills to last until your next visit. Follow-up appointments to monitor your progress on the medications are very important. Usually, running low on your medications indicates you need to schedule your appointment so you do not run out prior to being seen. If you are not due for a follow-up, please request a refill well in advance by calling your pharmacy. We require a 48 hour minimum notice for refills.
Missed Appointments: We realize that circumstances may cause you to arrive late or miss an appointment. We ask that you call the office at least 24 hours in advance in cases where you know you are unable to keep your appointment. Please call us as soon as you know you will be late. Arriving late by 15 minutes or more without advance notice, may require you to reschedule your appointment.
If you repeatedly miss appointments without giving advance notice, you may be charged $30 or more for the missed appointment time. A pattern of missed appointments may result in your dismissal from PriMed Physicians. If you are a new patient and you miss your first scheduled appointment without prior notification or significant extenuating circumstances, you will not be accepted into any of the PriMed offices for future appointments.
Release/Transfer of Medical Records: PriMed Physicians charges a fee for the duplication, transfer, and release of a patient’s medical record. This fee covers the cost of the duplication and any applicable postage to forward those medical records. Prior authorization from the patient is required before any copies are released and only the last two years of the record will be copied unless you indicate otherwise (at which time additional charges may apply). This policy is in accordance with Ohio Revised Code 3701.741.
Charges are as follows:
- $15.00 labor charge (waived for additional family members within the same office)
- All Pages - twenty cents per page
- Maximum charge per patient is $30.00
After we receive your signed authorization for release/transfer of medical records you will receive a letter totaling the cost for transfer. Upon receipt of your payment, we will forward the copy to the physician/facility you have designated.
Waivers: You may be asked to sign a waiver accepting financial responsibility for certain procedures or lab work that may not be covered by your insurance. Please check with your insurance plan for any coverage questions.
Billing Office: If you have questions or concerns about your bill or need to make payment arrangements, please contact our billing office at 937-312-8111.
