Emergencies
During regular business hours one of the health providers can always be interrupted if there is an emergency. We do ask, however, that you try to call the office before coming over if at all possible. In a true, life-threatening emergency, you should go to the nearest emergency room before calling the doctor.
Sick Visits / Same-day Appointments
Same-day appointments are generally reserved for sick or acute care visits. To schedule a sick visit for your child we ask that you call as early in the day as possible so we can try to schedule your appointment at a time most convenient for you and your family. If you are unsure whether your child should be seen for a sick visit or not, please feel free to call the office and ask to speak to one of the doctors or a nurse practitioner who can answer your questions. If you are calling about an emergency, please let the receptionist know right away, and a doctor or nurse practitioner will take your call immediately.
Medication Requests
When you call to request a refill on a prescription, we ask that if possible you call regular office hours and allow up to 48 hours for your requests to be completed. Please plan ahead so that we can process your child’s prescription appropriately. We will need to know the patient’s name, the name of the medication, the dose and frequency of the medication, and the pharmacy that you’d like the prescription to be called into.
Health Forms
Please remember that your child’s health form can be given out at the time of his/her annual visit. This form will be accepted at day care programs, schools, athletic programs and camps for one year after the date of the routine physical exam. We urge you to make a copy of your form for use throughout the year. We charge a $15 fee for the preparation of any additional forms. Please note that we do not keep this form on file, therefore, processing time is a minimum of 3 business days.
LAB Test Results
If your tests results are normal and you have an appointment scheduled in the near future, your provider will discuss the results of your tests with you during your upcoming visit. If your tests results are normal and you do NOT have an upcoming appointment, you should expect either to receive a phone call from someone at the office, or to receive a letter in the mail explaining your normal test results and any follow-ups that may be needed. If your test results are abnormal, your doctor or clinician will contact you via telephone once they receive the results. For this reason it is important that the office has your correct contact information on file. You are always welcome to schedule an appointment to discuss test results.
Payments
All payments and co-pays are due at the time of the visit. We accept cash in Cedis or dollars as well as insurance vouchers from select local and international insurance service providers (refer to list). Please call the office if you have any questions regarding billing or co-payments.
Referrals
Please call at least three to five business days prior to your appointment. It is easiest to call as soon as you make your appointment with the specialist so that there is plenty of time to get the referral. Be sure you have the name of the specialist and date of your appointment before contacting us. Also, it is important to remember that just because you have obtained a referral does not mean that your insurance will cover the visit. You should contact your insurance directly if you have any questions about your coverage.
Insurance and Billing
Our practice accepts the most commonly available forms of subsidized insurance. We do this as a courtesy to our patients so they may have as flexible a choice in their health care decision as possible. However, due to the variety of insurances, each with its individual stipulations, determinations and requirements about co-payments and referral networks, please remember to bring a valid insurance card with you when you come to the office for your visits.
Returning Calls
Calls are usually returned for messages left on voice mail before and after working hours as soon as possible. This privilege affords patients the opportunity to be in contact with us all the time.
Missed Appointments / No-Shows
Our office currently does not have a policy of charging patients for missed appointments; however we do keep a record of every time an appointment is missed.We do ask that families try to keep their appointments or at the very least inform the office as soon as they know that they will not be able to make a scheduled appointment.
