EMERGENCIES

If you are our patient, rest assured there is a physician on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you with an urgent medical problem.  Just call our main office number to get in touch with the doctor.  IF YOUR MEDICAL CONDITION IS LIFE-THREATENING YOU SHOULD CALL 911 INSTEAD OF TRYING TO CONTACT OUR OFFICE!!!  Please understand that it is extremely difficult to diagnose or treat a new problem over the phone, and we will rarely be able to give antibiotics to you without a face-to-face encounter.

If your problem can wait, we ask that you call us during normal business hours.  Refill requests will be handled only during business hours, as pharmacists by law can provide a three-day supply of medication when the office is closed.

OFFICE VISITS

We see patients by appointment only. We have same day appointments for established patieds because we understand that if you are ill you may need our help! If you haven't yet been seen in our office, please understand that you must establish yourself by seeing our doctors before we can see you for acute illness.

If you are a new patient, please bring your completed patient intake forms with you to expedite your visit and ensure you get the most time with the doctor.  They are available under the "Forms" tab, to the left. 

There are three basic types of visits you may schedule:  sick visits, follow-up visits, and well-patient visits ("physicals").  It is helpful to understand the difference between these types of visits so that you can get the most out of the appointment.

"Sick visits" may be scheduled on short notice and allow us to address an acute problem for you quickly.  Typically our established patients can be seen for a same-day appointment. 

"Follow-up visits" are frequently scheduled as you leave our office.  They allow us to closely monitor your chronic conditions, such as blood pressure or diabetes.  You may also need to follow-up for a particularly severe acute illness. 

Well-patient visits, or "physicals," are often overlooked by patients but are immensely important in your continued health.  This visit includes updating all of your immunizations, performing of screening tests in accordance with the latest recommendations of the American College of Physicians, disease prevention, and a complete physical exam.  All patients, regardless of age or medical condition, should schedule a physical once a year to ensure your continued health and well-being.  Please schedule these visits separately from "sick" or "follow-up" visits to ensure the entire appointment may be dedicated to this purpose.

APPOINTMENT CANCELLATIONS

Kindly provide notice of at least 1 business day if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.  Failure to do so may result in a $50 charge to your account for each occurance.  Missing your appointment is unfair to our other patients, as this prevents them from being seen during your scheduled time slot.  Everyone will benefit from your courtesy in this regard, perhaps one day even you!

PHONE VISITS

We discourage you from asking our doctors to practice medicine over the telephone for several reasons.  First of all, without having a physical examination by your doctor it is difficult or impossible to correctly diagnose your problem.  This can lead to a delay in your treatment.  Also, during office hours our doctors are often with a patient, so it is unlikely they will be able to speak with you for several hours.  Finally, it takes time away from our office patients when our doctors and staff are forced to try to address your symptoms over the phone.  Please be aware that you may be charged for medical treatment provided by the physician over the phone in accordance with current and accepted CPT guidelines.

WEB PORTAL

Once established with us, we encourage you to set up "Portal Access" if you have convenient access to the internet. This system reminds you of upcoming appointments, gives you instant access to test results, permits referral requests, allows you to review your bills, and provides direct communication to your doctor through a secure and encrypted system.

Please refer to the full terms & conditions of use regarding the web portal when logging in to your portal site. Communication via the portal is designed only for non-urgent problems, as it typically takes 1-2 business days for us to read and respond to your message.

FORMS and PAPERWORK

If you need us to fill out disability, school, life/health insurance, or similar forms, please schedule a visit with your doctor.  This is because many of these forms require an assessment of your current health, with specific details that we may not have updated recently.  If you must have a form filled out and can't come in for a visit, you should understand that a fee may be charged to your account, depending on the complexity of the paperwork.

REFERRALS

Some health plans require referrals for you to see specialists.  This is because they want to ensure your problem requires care beyond the scope of care we can provide.  We can only ascertain this if you come to us for evaluation.  You must schedule an appointment with us to be granted a new referral.  If you need to extend an existing referral or schedule a visit with a specialist whom we referred you to, you may not be required to schedule an appointment with us and should speak with our staff for help.  We don't want to waste your time, but we want to make sure you are receiving the best care!

PRESCRIPTIONS

If you are on long-term medication, our doctors will typically prescribe a sufficient quantity to last until your next visit.  If you are running out of medicine, it is likely because you need to be seen for a follow-up visit.  If you have an upcoming appointment, make a note of what medicines you need refilled so we can do so when you are seen.  Many prescription drugs require periodic monitoring... which is why you need to follow-up with us!

If you have a visit coming up soon, please check on what medications you need refilled and let us know during your appointment.

Prescriptions written by other doctors or for narcotics/controlled substances will not be refilled without an office visit.  Routine refill requests will be handled only during business hours; this is because pharmacists are authorized to dispense three days worth of medication to you without a doctor's approval.

We can fax or "ePrescribe" your medications to a local pharmacy for convenience.  We understand it may be less expensive for you to use a mail away service, in which case we will print prescriptions for you to mail; these must be picked up from our office.  We do not routinely fax or call mail-away pharmacies due to the wasted time and confusion that often results from doing so.  If you choose to use a mail-order pharmacy, make note of when your prescriptions will run out so that you can mail away for refills without running out.

New Jersey info about SAFE and SECURE MEDICINE DISPOSAL: Unused medications that remain in your medicine cabinet are susceptible to theft and misuse. To prevent medications from getting into the wrong hands, New Jersey's Office of the Attorney General and Division of Consumer Affairs urge you to properly dispose of your expired and unwanted prescription medicine at a nearby Project Medicine Drop location. DROP OFF IS SIMPLE, ANONYMOUS AND AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY – 365 DAYS A YEAR, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Simply bring in your prescription and over-the-counter medications and discard them in an environmentally safe manner. Always scratch out the identifying information on any medicine container you are discarding. For a list of Project Medicine Drop locations, please visit http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/meddrop.