About Your Visit
Appointments
Patients are given appointments by calling 910-276-4611, Monday through Thursday between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm or Friday between 8:30 am and 12:00 pm.
We make every effort to avoid unnecessary waits, and one of our doctors will see you as soon as adequate time is available for your examination. Injuries to the musculoskeletal system must be seen soon after the Emergency Room visit or surgical procedure. Injuries occur unexpectedly; therefore, many patients must be worked into our regular appointment schedule. This problem may cause delay and some patients may have to wait. We try to give you an appointment as soon as possible. There may be a waiting time involved because we take the amount of time necessary to treat each patient's problems. If you are kept waiting, it is because someone else is getting the type of attention that you expect and will receive. We trust that you will understand.
Emergencies & Telephone Calls
One of our physicians is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have an orthopedic emergency, you should first go to the Emergency Room at Scotland Memorial Hospital, or to the Scotland Urgent Care Center. Their physicians are trained to perform appropriate initial care and can refer you to one of our physicians for follow-up evaluation and treatment if necessary. If the orthopedic injury is complicated or severe, we will respond to the Emergency Room Physician's request.
Telephone calls made to Scotland Orthopedics, P.A., will be handled by the appropriate personnel. Questions about your medication, dressing, cast, or orthopedic condition are usually handled by our Physician's Assistant or Certified Orthopedic Technologist, often in consultation with the physician. Our office receives numerous phone calls everyday and it is impossible for the physician to handle each of these on an individual basis. Your doctor will be in the examination room with patients or frequently at the hospital in surgery.
Weekends & After Hours
In case of after hours or weekend emergencies, one of our physicians can be contacted through Scotland Memorial Hospital Operator, at 910-291-7000. Arrangements can then be made to meet you in the emergency room, if the problem cannot be handled over the telephone. Because of the significant problem of drug abuse, and the unavailability of complete medical records after hours, it is our policy not to refill medications in the evenings or on weekends. Please try to handle such routine problems during our office hours.
Fees
The professional fees in our office are carefully scrutinized and are customary for orthopedic surgeons in our area. We make every attempt to keep your overall medical expenses to a minimum. The cost of operating a large, modern orthopedic practice is significant and this is reflected as part of our fee. Billing costs are a portion of this overhead, and in an effort to keep this cost to a minimum, it is expected that fees for office visits and X-rays will be paid at the time your service is rendered. This gives you a clear understanding of your bill and an opportunity to discuss any problem. If you have insurance, you will be provided with a copy of your bill, which is completely acceptable to your insurance company and may be mailed to your company by you so that you may be reimbursed. We do not want any patient to suffer undue financial hardship because of their misfortune. If you are having difficulty with your account, please do not hesitate to request a conference with our accounting department where a confidential discussion may help resolve your problem. For your convenience payments for your office visits may be made in cash, check, or credit card.
Insurance & Payments
For office visits, payment is expected on the day of your office visit. You will be furnished information and a form to use in claiming the reimbursement from your insurance company. We do file claims for BCBS, N.C., Medicare and Workers Comp. Our physicians have provided service to you, not your insurance company. In this context, you will be responsible for payment.
For surgical procedures and other services performed outside of our office, we may agree to file with your insurance company for payment to be made directly to us. This will allow you to avoid paying a large fee and having to wait to be reimbursed. Frequently you will be asked to talk with our accounting department prior to your surgical procedure to make certain that we have appropriate insurance information for your account. We will do whatever we can to assist you with your insurance claim, but we have no knowledge of what your particular policy will cover.
If your injury is related to an accident that involves legal action, this will not be an acceptable reason to delay payment to us. Our office is providing care for you and will expect payment promptly. We hold the person who has received our services responsible for the bill, regardless of any pending legal action. Once your fees have been paid, we will furnish any necessary information to your legal council.
|