Patient Information
Medical Insurance
Medical insurance has evolved into a truly complex world that can confuse patients, their families, executors of estates and at times, even the medical offices that try to help process the insurance claims. All this complexity and confusion can come at a time when patients and families are overwhelmed by illness. Insurance issues are sometimes the last thing that people want to think about.
At Pulmonary and Internal Medicine Associates of Greater Hartford, PC, we participate in almost all of the major insurance programs available in the Greater Hartford area. With most of the major insurance carriers, we accept assignment. We make every attempt to ease the process of insurance reimbursement for our patients. Billing and collections are done personally in our office rather than through an outside service. This means that we can be contacted directly for billing problems and other issues. Most of our claims are submitted electronically as a service to our patients. We personally follow through on all claims to be sure that the claims are not lost and that the information is transmitted accurately and is correctly coded.
We have years of experience in dealing with insurance carriers successfully and should be very helpful to our patients when it comes to claim resolution. Feel free to contact the billing department of the practice with any concerns or complaints.
Appointments
We try to see all patients on an appointment basis. To enable a better selection of the time and day, please call for routine appointments 1 month in advance. If you are unable to keep an appointment, please notify our office 24 hours in advance. For emergency/urgent situations we will do our best to respond to your needs in a prompt and efficient manner. We make every effort to honor all appointments and request that you extend the same courtesy to us. On occasion unavoidable delays may unfortunately occur due to hospital emergencies. We appreciate your understanding on these matters.
In the event of an emergency situation at night or during the weekend, our physicians are on call 24-hour basis.
Prescription Renewals
All prescriptions and routine authorization for renewals should be requested during normal office hours: Monday - Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm. Telephone the office with the name of the medications, the doses and the name and telephone number of the pharmacy. Patients should try not to run out of important medications and request refills at the last minute. We do not, as a general rule, refill prescriptions written by another physician. We do not refill narcotic prescriptions on weekends.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When are normal office hours?
The office staff is in the office to take telephone calls from 9:00 am
to 4:30 pm Monday thru Friday. Physician hours to see patients vary depending
on their other commitments in the hospital and at other institutions.
Generally, a doctor is available to see patients at some time each business
day.
2. How do I contact a physician after normal office hours?
The answering service accepts telephone calls after regular office hours
Monday thru Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. The service is able
to contact a physician for emergencies after normal business hours. The
telephone number is the same: 860-278-3812.
3. What happens when my doctor is not on call?
A board certified physician or physician extender is always available
for emergency calls after hours and can be reached through the answering
service. All physicians in the coverage group have extensive experience
in Internal Medicine and in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. The
telephone number is the same: 860-278-3812.
4. What do I do if there is an emergency and the office is closed?
If there is a true emergency, the best thing to do is dial 911 and request
that an ambulance be dispatched. Rapid action may be important to save
a life and sometimes, it may be best not to wait until the doctor calls
back. Usually the covering physicians will call back in a timely manner
but sometimes other commitments prevent them from immediate response.
Use your best judgment in any true emergency. During office hours, our
staff will do their best to help sort out any difficulty.
5. How do I make an appointment?
Call for an appointment during normal business hours - 9:00am to 4:30
pm, Monday thru Friday.
You can also submit a request for an appointment on our appointment request
form at this web site. A member of the staff will call to confirm the
appointment. Sorry, we do not accept walk - in visits.
6. How does the office handle requests for urgent office visits?
Usually, a patient who is truly ill will be seen by a physician or our
physician assistant on the same day. Our staff is well trained to help
assist in any urgent medical matter. Please call the office first to make
necessary arrangements.
8. How do I request that my medical records be sent to another
physician?
The office will be happy to forward any records to any physician with
some advanced notice. A formal "Release
of Information" form must be signed before records can be released.
Contact our office staff for details.
9. Does the office accept my insurance?
This office accepts most of the major insurance carriers. At last count,
we have worked with over 70 different insurances at one time or another.
A simple call to the office will answer most questions but it is the responsibility
of the patient to be sure that they are covered.
10. Do I need a referral?
The patient must check with his or her own insurance carrier to answer
this question. Remember, back dating of referrals is illegal and cannot
be done to accommodate the patient who forgot to get a referral first.
In the case where a valid referral is not in place, it is the patient's
responsibility to pay for the visit.
11. Do I need to pay a co-pay for each visit?
If a co-pay is required by your insurance carrier, it should be paid at
the time of each visit. Check with your individual insurance carrier to
learn the details for your individual policy.
12. Will a copy of the medical record for my visit be sent to
my primary care physician?
Every attempt will be made to send a copy of the medical record to your
primary care physician and any other specialist that works with your doctor.
We will also do our best to notify all of your doctors about any important
changes in drugs as a result of our care.