Appointments
Our physicians work by appointment and we encourage you to call before coming in for an evaluation. Please schedule your appointment by calling our office at 334-262-0342.
The physicians leave short appointment times available throughout the day to accommodate visits for acute illnesses, therefore if you are sick we can generally get you in right away. We will make every effort to see you in a timely manner when symptoms warrant. If there are no available appointments, you may be worked in to see one of our physicians. In this case, you might have a slightly longer wait, and you might not be able to see your regular physician. Each doctor in our practice has access to your medical record in order to provide you with the highest quality care.
New Patients should arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time to complete new patient information.
Please be sure to bring your insurance card, a list of your medications, and your pharmacy telephone number with you to your appointment.
If you find you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment, please call our office as soon as possible so we can make the time available to another patient. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will incur an administrative fee charge.
What type of appointment do I need?
The physicians of Primary Care Internists of Montgomery dedicated to helping patients maintain healthy lifestyles through the assessment of risk factors during screening exams in our office and through the evaluation of chronic and new conditions during annual exams or yearly physicals. Outlined below is general information that helps distinguish between the different types of services that are offered during office visits with our physicians.
Wellness Check
Some employers or insurance plans encourage yearly wellness checks for their employees or members. In some situations, these are done in the form of health fairs a t the workplace. When done in a physician's office, these visits are generally free to the patient with no co-pay.
A wellness check involves screening a patient's health risks, generally with a questionnaire. brief exam, and minimal lab. It does not involve managing existing conditions or addressing complaints, and these will not be addressed during a wellness check.
Complete Physical or Annual Exam
During a complete physical or annual exam, time is spent managing ongoing conditions and medications, addressing new concerns, and reviewing risk factors. A longer appointment time allows for necessary vaccines, tests, cancer screening / recommendations, review of family history, counseling, etc.
A complete physical or annual exam in which ongoing medical problems are addressed or prescriptions are renewed or in which one or more complaints are evaluated and treated. cannot be billed as a "wellness check." Routine co-pays and deductibles will apply.
Follow-Up
Anyone o n maintenance medications will have to be seen by their primary care physician on a regular basis to continue receiving refills. Generally a follow-up visit will be scheduled as you leave the office.
In the event either you (the patient) or the physician has to reschedule this appointment, you may be provided refills of necessary medications as deemed appropriate by your physician until the time of the rescheduled appointment.
Problem-Only Visit
Throughout the day, the physicians leave short appointment times available on their schedules to accommodate visits from patients with acute illnesses, such as sinus infections, sore throats, urinary tract infections, etc. These appointments are meant to allow patients to b e taken care of in a timely manner when symptoms
warrant.
During problem-only visits, chronic medical problems will not be addressed or discussed, maintenance medications will not be refilled, and routine labs will not be ordered or reviewed. Please limit these visits to one complaint or problem.
Physical Examination and Checkups
A physical examination/check up is a process utilized by physicians to inspect the body and its systems for the presence or absence of illness or injury. The physicians of Primary Care Internist of Montgomery. believe that examinations should be thorough and comprehensive and allow appropriate time for this type of appointment. With numerous diagnostic testing readily available on site, patients are usually able 10 see the doctor and have most additional work-up data performed with one trip to our office. Sometimes our physicians may need to order lab tests that require a patient to fast. In these instances, we schedule lab-only appointments in the morning for the convenience of our patients and emphasize that only water or black coffee should be consumed prior to having blood drawn for fasting labs.
Insurance plans vary in their coverage for this type of care. Patients should check with their insurance carrier and verify their benefits prior to arriving for an appointment. Our office will be glad to file your insurance claim for you but may ask for payment at time of service depending upon your individual policy.
