Policies

Late Fees: 

We have a strict 72 hour cancellation policy in effect. If you do not cancel your appointment more than 72 hours before the time of your appointment, a $50 late fee will be applied.

Prescriptions & Refill Requests:

What is your refills policy?

Refills are granted at the time of your office/phone appointment and not in between visits. Please DO NOT ask your pharmacist to call the office asking for a refill. When you are running low on your medication, it is a reminder that you are probably due for an appointment. I prescribe enough medication to last until your next appointment.

How much medication can I get at the time of my appointment?

If you have no issues and you are stable on your medication you can get a prescription for up to a year’s supply (depending on issues and particular medication).  During your first year as a patient and/or if you have issues that are not under control then you need to return at least every 3 months for medication and evaluation (thyroid problems, for example). Some people who have dangerously out of control issues have to come back in a shorter time frame.  You MUST have an appointment at least every 12 months to receive refills. Otherwise, I can not safely prescribe for you.

My other doctors refill over the phone.  Why don’t you?

The average medical office is inundated with refill requests and they often need to hire lots of staff to handle the sheer volume of refill requests. More than a quarter of phone calls to the average office are related to refill requests. We have a firm boundary around this so that we prevent this from causing a bottleneck in our practice.

Why is it my responsibility to keep track of my medication?

It is impossible for physicians to track every prescription outside of regular appointments. Pharmacists may be out of a particular medication, leaving you in the lurch if you wait till the last minute to ask for a refill. Please keep track of your medication so you can ask in advance of using your last pill. It is best to schedule an appointment while you still have a several weeks of supply left.

If you take a look at your prescriptions and try to get them renewed on the same cycle such as every 3,6,9 or 12 months then you will have them all in sequence and easy to remember the renewal date on all of them.  Ask each time you go to the pharmacy to make sure you know when you will run out. Keep that list in your wallet so you will know when you come to your appointments.

What if I know you wrote me a longer supply than the pharmacists says I have left?

This can be caused by insurance coverage issues. Tell the pharmacist to pull the “hard copy” and make sure that the prescription was entered into their system correctly.

Are there exceptions?

Pharmacists will usually give you a 3-day supply to tide you over in an emergency. You may also contact your primary care provider (required, since I am a consultant only) for last-minute requests – but what works best is for you to create a sane, reasonable plan for your refills.

Please note that prescription refills are only filled for patients who have had an appointment in the last 12 months.