Appointments
Our office hours are 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. We break for lunch between 12:30 to 1:30 P.M. At times this could vary depending on our volume of patients. New Patients and Walk-Ins are welcome. For new patients we ask you to arrive 15 minutes earlier to fill out paper work. Walk-Ins are accepted between the hours of 9-11 AM and 2-4 PM; your waiting time may vary due to scheduled patients. Changes in schedules happen to everyone; please advise us within 24 hours if you need to cancel and or reschedule your appointment. Spanish and Ghanaian translations are available.
Telephone Calls
Your telephone calls to our office are welcome and will be answered by one of our staff members. Only in the event of urgent medical situations will the physician be called to the telephone immediately. In emergency cases, you will be advised to call 911.
Emergencies
Patients requiring medical care on an emergency basis after normal business hours or on weekends should call 704-588-9997 and our answering services will answer all calls. The physician on call will return your phone call as soon as possible. In event of a life-threatening emergency, please call 911.
Medical Records
All medical records are confidential. No patient information will be released without a signed consent. Patient’s medical records will be sent to another physician’s office upon the patient’s request and signed consent. Patients may also be charged a fee for the third (3rd) copy of medical records to be sent to another physician’s office. Your medical records are kept in a safe state-of-the-art electronic medical system.
Referrals
For services not rendered in-house, we refer our patients to exceptional specialist offices and facilities. We request 48 hours notice for processing referrals, except in the case of an emergency. After you have been seen at these other facilities, we will be furnished with a report about your visit.
Prescription Refills
Medication refill request should be made by calling your physician’s nurse Monday through Friday between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. It is our policy not to authorize renewals on weekends and evenings when the physician does not have access to your medical records.
Insurance
We participate in most of the major insurance plans, including but not limited to the following: Cigna, Cigna Great West, Aetna, BCBS, Medicare, Medicaid (must have Alfa Medical Clinic on card), Workers Comp, Tricare, Champus and Wellpath. We will file your charges to the insurance company on your behalf for in-house treatment. Sent out labs will be billed to your insurance directly by the lab performing the tests. We are not affiliated with any labs so you will receive a separate bill for this. Our business office will be happy to assist you with billing questions.
Co-payments
Co-payments are due before service is rendered and to be paid in full with each office visit. Co-payments are set by your insurance plan and will be required before you see the provider. Deductibles and Co-insurance are due before the next office visit, unless a payment plan has been set up with the billing department. We accept cash, credit cards and checks.
We do not accept the following:
- Family Planning Medicaid
- Carolina Access Medicaid (if there is another doctor’s office on the card, it must be changed at the medicaid office, and a new card must be received before you can be seen)
- Third (3rd) Party Liability Insurance
*ALL patients must present a VALID picture ID at their first appointment.
Insurance coverage however varies from contract to contract and employers may change insurance coverage annually. Please remember to present your insurance card at every visit to ensure that we have your most current information on file. It is also your responsibility to contact your insurance company to make sure that we are a participating provider, and important to know what your benefits are. You will be responsible for co-pay and deductibles at each office visit. Should you have questions concerning fees and/or payments schedules, please call our business office Monday through Friday between 9:00 am- 5:30 pm at 704-588-9997.
Past Due Accounts
If there is a past due balance on your account and you are aware of it, please contact our billing department to make payment arrangements. If no payment arrangements are made on your account and it continues past due, your account may be referred to an independent collection service. This is very costly to both you and the practice. Your account will be charged $25 or a 25% fee for all accounts placed in collections.