Patient Care Information and Office Guidelines

This page includes important information regarding appointments, prescription refills, pulmonary testing instructions, after-hours communication, and contacting your physician.

After-Hours Calls

For a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911 immediately, or use an urgent care facility if appropriate. If an emergency room visit is required, call our office for instructions to reach the physician on call.

For urgent, after-hours matters, please call our office, and you will be directed to the physician on call. The on-call physician will not authorize routine refills, provide pain medication, or give test results, as they do not have access to your medical file.

For non-emergent matters, such as messages or questions for your provider, appointment requests or cancellations, prescription refills, and samples, please use our Patient Portal. Portal messages will be returned by our staff the next business day and frequently require less time on the telephone to complete your request.

Instructions for Pulmonary Function Testing

If you have had a recent diagnosis of COVID-19, RSV, upper respiratory infections, Influenza A or B in the last 30 days, please call us to discuss it prior to your appointment.
Albuterol, Proventil, Pro-Air, Airsupra, Ventolin, or Xopenex can be used up to 4 hours prior to testing.
Only nebulized breathing treatments with Albuterol or Xopenex can be used up to 4 hours prior to testing.
Please stop the use of all other maintenance inhalers 2 days prior to testing
No smoking 4 hours prior to the appointment.
If you are unable to keep this appointment, please contact the office 48 hours prior to your appointment to cancel or reschedule.
There will be a $50 charge if you do not show up for your appointment.

Instructions for the 6-Minute Walk Test Only

If you have had COVID-19, RSV, upper respiratory infection, Influenza A or B in the last 20 days, please call us to discuss it prior to your appointment.
Please wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes.
No smoking 4 hours prior to your appointment.
Albuterol, Proventil, Pro-Air, Airsupra, Ventolin, or Xopenex can be used up to 4 hours prior to testing.
Only nebulized breathing treatments with Albuterol or Xopenex can be used up to 4 hours prior to testing.
If you are unable to keep this appointment, please contact the office 48 hours prior to your appointment to cancel or reschedule.
There will be a $50 charge if you do not show up for your appointment.

Appointments and Prescription Refills

Appointment Requests

The easiest and quickest way to request or cancel an appointment or to refill a prescription is via our Patient Portal. The portal will ensure your requests are routed to, and addressed by, the appropriate staff.

Using the patient portal for these requests allows you to communicate with the office any time of the day or night, rather than being restricted to our practice hours.

Virtual and In-Person Visits

We offer both virtual and in-person appointments. The schedules vary based on the physician’s availability.

For virtual appointments, we recommend that you verify your coverage with your insurance company. If you are symptomatic with an illness, our physicians will see you virtually.

Preparing for Your Appointment

When calling to make an appointment, you will be asked a series of questions about your condition. Please be specific when describing your symptoms.

Please have your insurance information available when you call. You will be told if you need a referral from your primary care physician. If a referral is required, it is necessary that you have this information for us at the time of your visit.

Prescription Refill Requests

If you are calling to refill a prescription, please call at least 48 hours in advance.

When you call, you will be placed into our automated refill system. Please have the name and phone number of your pharmacy available, along with your prescription information.

Your request will be reviewed by your physician, who can authorize the refill. Refill requests are handled during routine business hours, Monday through Friday.

Medication Samples

Patients requesting samples may leave a message in our prescription refill queue.

We have limited supplies of most drugs due to changes that the pharmaceutical companies have made. If you have prescription coverage, you may be offered a prescription in lieu of samples or coupons for many drugs to assist you in covering the cost.

Healthcare worker multitasking with phone and laptop

Contacting Your Physician

Messages regarding acute or urgent issues will be addressed promptly.

Messages for routine matters can also be completed via our Patient Portal. Messages are given to physicians daily. Your doctor or a member of our medical staff will return your call.

Please understand that to properly diagnose and treat most medical conditions, an examination is necessary. If acutely ill, you will likely be instructed to go to your local Emergency Department.

Access Patient Portal Resources