Frequently Asked Questions
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WELCOME TO MYPHYSICIAN ASSOCIATESThank you for choosing MyPhysician Associates to provide your health care. We consider ourselves partners working together to promote your health and well-being. To better assist you we offer this information about the workings of this office and about your responsibilities in this partnership. Office hours In our effort to accommodate our patients who have work obligations and those who prefer earlier morning hours, you will find that our hours vary. Generally Dr. Melamed sees patients in the office: Monday 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Wednesday 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Thursday closed Friday 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. It is important to understand that Dr. Melamed has responsibilities at St. Joseph Hospital which may alter our usual schedule and may sometimes result in a call to ask you to reschedule your appointment. In addition there will be periods of time when he is out of the office for continuing education seminars or vacation. If you need urgent care during those times, you will be referred to the office with which Dr. Melamed shares call coverage. We answer the phones in the office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. with an hour lunch break starting at noon. Occasionally when you call during our regular office hours, we may be assisting another patient who requires our full attention. In that case you will be asked to hold until we can talk to you in person or you may leave a message that will be answered as soon as we are available to do so. Our answering service is available at all other times. If you call our office when we are not there, you will hear a message offering you several options. If you need emergency care, call 911 or go immediately to the nearest Emergency Department. If you need urgent care, dial 577-9062. You will then reach our answering service which will respond to your needs. Dr. Melamed shares evening and weekend coverage with several other physicians and should one of them respond to your call, they will help you in the best possible way. You are also welcome to leave a non- urgent message after hours which will be answered during the next business day. Appointments We have appointments available for urgent care every day. If those appointments are filled, we will do our best to accommodate you on that day; however, it may mean there may be some extra wait time. Please give us 24 hours notice if you need to reschedule an appointment. We understand there are factors which sometimes necessitate a last minute change but you may be charged for your visit if insufficient notice is given. You need to know and understand that when you don?t show for your appointment, you shortchange other patients who may have needed that time with Dr. Melamed. Visits You will help yourself get the most from your visit in terms of quality and time if you are very clear about your needs when you make your appointment. Please indicate all the issues you wish to have addressed so we can schedule the appropriate amount of time. It will help you to make a list of symptoms, problems, and questions to discuss with Dr. Melamed so he has all the information to assist you in your care. Each time you come in for your appointment, the nurse will take your weight and vital signs, discuss your symptoms, and ask you about your medications. As important as being prepared for your visit with a list of your issues, is that you come to each visit with all your medications, over the counter remedies, and herbal preparations in hand or with a complete current list. Aside from the fact that much of what Dr. Melamed advises for your care revolves around medication, all medications and supplements have the potential to interact with each other, sometimes dangerously, even fatally. That ?little pink pill?, and there are many kinds of little pink pills, whose name you can?t remember, may have a critical impact on your wellness, so it is crucial that you let us know all your medications and supplements. Refills When you call for a refill, have all the information readily available?exact medication name, dosage, number of refills desired, pharmacy, whether the prescription is to be called in to your pharmacy or written and to be picked up. For example, Lipitor 10 mg, once a day, 30 days, with 5 refills, call in to CVS on Main St. Allow sufficient time for us to refill your prescriptions. Most often we do refills at the end of the day after patient visits are finished. We appreciate a 24 hour notice. Refills and new prescriptions are submitted electronically unless you need a written prescription. This means your pharmacy receives them via FAX. We advise you to call your pharmacy to verify that the prescription has been received and filled. Remind them that they may have to check their FAX machine for an order. If it is not there, then call us. Insurance and? You need to understand your own insurance policy and what is required of you. There are literally hundreds of insurance plans and policies and we do not know the details of your specific plan. Because insurances change frequently, we will ask you to present your insurance card every time you have an appointment. Co-payments?the co-payment is part of your insurance policy and must be paid at the time of the visit. This co-payment is required by your insurance as your part in payment for services rendered by Dr. Melamed. Your insurance company determines the amount of co-payment and requires that it be paid at the time of the office visit. Please note that we accept cash or personal check only. No credit cards. Referrals?If you need a referral to a specialist, you can expedite the process by giving us all the correct information: the specialist?s name, address, telephone number, FAX number, date of appointment, reason for the visit. It is essential that you know whether the specialist is within your insurance network or is an out-of-network provider. Please give us at least one week?s notice to ensure that we have ample time to enter your referral and deal with any potential issues that may arise. We try our best to process all referrals within the correct time frame. If you receive care from a specialist without obtaining a referral or the information is incorrect, you may be responsible for the entire cost of the visit. Additionally, should you not provide us with timely or correct information and we have to back date or appeal a referral, there will be a $30.00 processing fee. HIPPA Wherever you go for any kind of health care services, including this office, you will be asked to sign a Notice of Privacy Practices. This is in response to Federal Law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, which mandates all health care workers to protect the confidentiality of medical information. You may have a complete copy of our policy if you wish. Please ask the front desk for this. Payment Policy At the time of registration as a new patient, you will be asked to sign our Payment Policy. This reiterates your co-payment responsibility and explains our expectations concerning outstanding balances. You should also be aware that for any office visit related to a Motor Vehicle Accident, we require payment at the time of the visit. We do not process claims for this type of appointment. Please read this carefully and keep a copy in your personal files. Website and email consults Our Website is www.myphysician.yourmd.com. It provides basic information about our office and lots of updated interesting health information. You can also use this site for conducting an online consult with Dr. Melamed via secure email. You can also email Dr. Melamed at yamee@myEphysician.com Updates If you have any change of address, insurance information, or anything else pertinent to your care, please inform us at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. If you have additional concerns or questions, please ? talk to us! Your Health Care Folder We strongly recommend you to purchase a multi file folder to keep all your health care information. This will help you keep all your information organized and in one place, it will help our office coordinate your care, and it will provide valuable information to anyone who needs to provide services or care under emergency circumstances. You should keep this is an obvious and convenient place, perhaps next to your phone, and bring it with you each time you visit our office. In it you should keep: Information about this office including our Payment Policy Important telephone numbers eg. St. Joseph Hospital, Pharmacy, Ambulance, who to notify in case of an emergency A current list of your medications and supplements, purpose, dosages, and dates refills are due Insurance information. Again, we emphasize that you know what your specific plan covers A calendar to record your visits with us, lab and test appointments, appointments with specialists Orders for labs and or tests Advance directives, Living Wills, Power of Attorney for Health Care An ongoing list of your health issues and how they are being resolved, information about these issues, lab and test results YAIR MELAMED, MD, MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND CEO NOGA MELAMED, CFO JENNA FENTON, CMA (AAMA) CANDI MARION, MA LORRAINE PAUL, FRONT DESK Michel A. LaFond, ESQ LEGAL COUNSELOR OF MYPHYSICIAN ASSOCIATES Sulloway & Hollis, P.L.L.C. 9 Capitol Street, Box 1256 Concord, New Hampshire 03302-1256 TEL: 603-224-2341 FAX: 603-226-2405 e-mail: mlafond@sulloway.com HOLIDAYSNEW YEARS DAY MEMORIAL DAY FOURTH OF JULY LABOR DAY ROSH HOSHANA YOM KIPPUR THANKSGIVING CHRISTMAS |
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