OFFICE HOURS Our office is open for routine business Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. EMERGENCIES/AFTER HOURS A physician is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you have an emergency after routine office hours, please call 967-8291. Our answering machine will instruct you how to contact the on-call physician. Of course, if you have a life-threatening emergency, you should call 911 or go immediately to the nearest emergency room. Please use our after hours service for urgent or emergent problems. Prescription refills, appointment scheduling, and long-term illnesses should be handled during routine office hours. APPOINTMENTS Office visits are by appointment. Please schedule them in advance. If you develop an urgent problem, please call the office first so that we can arrange to see you promptly. We recognize that your time is valuable and, therefore, we will try to see you in a timely fashion for your scheduled appointment. You will be asked to come to the office at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment to allow time for updates to your contact information, address, and insurance. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible. You may be charged a fee if office visits are not cancelled at least 24 hours prior to a missed appointment. Walk-in visits are discouraged. Unscheduled walk-in visits should only be used for truly urgent problems, as they create schedule problems for everyone. Emergencies may best be handled in another setting (e.g. ER) rather than the office, so please call first so we can advise you on the best approach to ensure appropriate medical care. TELEPHONE CALLS Our phones are open during routine office hours. A nurse is available for phone consultation every day. In general, doctors cannot interrupt patient visits to answer your phone calls. Messages will be returned as soon as possible, usually at the end of the morning or afternoon. Good medical care cannot always be accomplished over the phone, so we may advise you to schedule an office visit to discuss your concerns, problems, or test results. FEES Fees, co-payments, and insurance deductibles are due and payable at the time of service. If your children are being seen, be sure they are prepared to pay as well. Payment by cash, check, or credit card will be accepted. At the end of your visit, you will be given a form showing the fees for your visit and any prior balance. If you have questions about your bill, please discuss them with our business manager. Please have all your insurance information with you at each visit, since policies and coverage can change. If you don’t have your insurance information with you at the time of your visit, you will be expected to pay in full for services the day you are seen. Health insurance is a contract between the patients and their insurance companies. We will provide you with all the information necessary for you to get reimbursement from your insurance. In the case of prolonged illness, large bills, or other financial difficulties, monthly payment schedules can be arranged to allow you pay off balances due in equal payments over six months. Please notify us of any changes in your address or phone number. A copy of our financial policy is available here and at the front desk of our office. MEDICAL STUDENTS Our practice hosts four to six medical students per year from the UNC School of Medicine as part of their training in family medicine. We may ask that you be interviewed and examined by one of our students in conjunction with your physician visit. If you do not wish to be examined by a student, please let us know. TOP Chapel Hill Family Medicine, PA · 120 Conner Drive · Suite 200 · Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Phone 919-967-8291 · Fax 919-967-3627