. Making an appointment
Call 269-695-5540 to make appointments with our providers. Routine checkups are best scheduled in advance. If you are ill, however, we can make you a “same-day” appointment with one of our providers – the time being dependent upon our schedule. To cancel appointments, please give 24 hours notice if possible.

. Reaching a provider after hours
Call the pager at 574-236-0862 to reach the provider on call. When you reach the pager message, you will need to enter your full telephone number on a touch-key phone. If you have an emergency, call 911 and/or go to the nearest emergency room.

. Messages for your provider
To leave a message for your provider, call our office at 269-695-5540. Be sure to let the receptionist know if it is an urgent matter that requires attention within a certain time frame. Non-urgent calls may be returned by providers later in the work day, evening, or even the next morning. Therefore, your message will need to also contain all the phone numbers where you can be reached.

. Prescription refills
Our staff strive to ensure that all your prescriptive medicine needs are cared for at your appointments. Please advise our staff at your appointment of any needed refills and whether your insurance requires certain brand names, quantities prescribed, number of refills, etc. Occasionally, if you need a refill outside of an appointment and it is not time for your next visit, you can call our office at 269-695-5540 and speak to a clinical secretary or nurse. Please be advised that there may be a small fee for refills outside of an office visit.

. Hospitalization
Our providers care for patients at Lakeland Hospital in Niles, Michigan, a multi-specialty hospital providing a variety of services.

. Nursing care facilities
Our providers care for patients in several area nursing homes, residential facilities, and adult care homes. If you wish for one of our providers to care for yourself or a family member in such a facility, please make an appointment to discuss such arrangements. We also are willing to make home calls when circumstances warrant such.

. Laboratory services
We perform a few routine lab (laboratory) services in our office. The majority of lab services, however, are done at an outside lab – either Quest Diagnostics or Lakeland Hospital Lab. If your insurance requires a particular lab, please advise us of that when you make your appointment and again when our clinical staff obtain the specimen.

. Obtaining test results
Time frames for test results to be returned can vary from a few days to a few weeks. When your test is arranged, ask our clinical staff when you may expect the results. If you do not hear back in the specified time, call our office at 269-695-5540 and ask for a clinical secretary.

. Insurance and payment for services
We participate with a number of insurance plans – ask our staff for a current listing. We ask that payment of copays and deductibles be made at the time of service. We do not “write-off” copays as insurances view such action as inappropriate. Occasionally, in extenuating circumstances, you may make arrangement for payment in installments.

Last Updated: 12/17/10