RMA Policies
Appointments
Reservoir Medical Associates schedules appointments on an open access basis. This means that we have openings available for same day visits with each clinician and we schedule needed follow-up appointments when you are in the office. For preventive care visits and annual wellness visits, we send reminders to our patients two months in advance of the month they are due for an appointment. When you receive your notification, please be sure to call us to set up the specific appointment. Should you not receive a reminder two months before you feel you should be scheduled, feel free to call us since mistakes do happen from time to time.
All new patients need a longer first–time appointment so that the doctor can obtain a medical history. If you have records from your previous doctor(s) that will help us in your care, please forward them to our office before your appointment. Please be sure to inform your insurance company that you are changing your primary care physician, effective before your first appointment.
Cancellations & No Shows
If unable to keep your appointment, please call within 24 hours of the appointment to cancel and reschedule. Patients who do not show for their appointments may be charged a “no show” fee. Without notification of cancellation, another patient may be deprived of an appointment. Messages for cancellations may be sent through the patient portal or left with the answering service.
Emergencies
When a serious health problem arises, your doctor or an associate is always available for consultation by telephone. If the office is closed, the answering service will contact the doctor on call, and he or she will return your call.
If your condition is an emergency, such as severe chest pain or shortness of breath, severe injury, or uncontrollable bleeding, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency medical facility.
Telephone Calls
All telephone calls are answered by a receptionist. Our staff is trained to handle many questions and issues while the doctors and nurse practitioner are seeing patients. The receptionist may ask detailed questions to allow her to appropriately triage the call. You will either be offered an appointment or a call back from the physician, nurse practitioner, or medical assistant. ALL urgent matters should be communicated by telephone. Non-urgent calls are usually returned after office hours, or at some time during the day when the doctor has a free moment. Please leave your relevant contact information and best time to reach you.
Walk in Visits
Blood work, fasting blood tests, PT checks for Coumadin, ear irrigation and immunizations are all done on a walk–in basis starting at 8:00 AM Monday through Friday and after 10:00 AM on Thursday. For best service, please come in between 8:00¬9:00 AM, before our regular appointment schedule begins.
If at the time of registration you supply your email address you will automatically be enabled for our patient portal. Refill and referral requests may easily be done through this portal. You may see some of your clinical information and your future as well as past appointments in the portal. Your labs and communication will be sent via this secure email. Regular emails can also be communicated via this secure method. ALL urgent matters should be communicated by telephone.
Prescription Refills
You may request refills via our patient portal or by telephone. Medication refill requests will be handled during office hours. For medications that you use on a regular basis, you should first contact your pharmacy. They will request refills for you electronically if you are due for them at that time. When you call the office for a refill, please give the following information to the receptionist: name of medication, dose, frequency, quantity requested, and specific pharmacy at which you wish for this to be filled. If you are in the office for an appointment, please ask for any refills at that time.
Specialist Visits/Referrals
If you have insurance that requires a referral, please contact us prior to your visit to the specialist. Some referrals require outside authorization, so it is important to notify us as soon as the appointment is made. Referral requests may be made via the patient portal or by calling the office. When you contact us, please specify the name of the specialist, his/her NPI number and specialty, date of the appointment, and reason for the visit.
Form Requests:
Requests for filling out forms may require a fee. Requests for medical records must be in writing and also may require a fee. Please allow a reasonable time for these requests.
Lab Results
Lab results are available via the portal. If you are not on email, you will still receive a letter from our office. You should receive communication for all tests which we have ordered. Please contact us if you have not received results within at least one month of your visit or test.
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