Authorization for Treatment
In the modern healthcare environment, treatment cannot be given until it has first been authorized in writing. Healthcare plans with more expensive premiums allow greater freedom of choice and often have automatic or rapid authorizations. Other healthcare plans that have less expensive premiums are more restrictive and have more complicated authorization processes that can often become delayed. The fact that medical conditions often have urgent needs does not seem to be a factor in the design of the system.
Surgical Scheduling
Patients are given the maximum opportunity to determine their own date of surgery. Elective surgery is performed five days a week. Patients cannot be confirmed on the official surgical schedule until all authorizations have been obtained. The order of the surgical cases on a given day is not set until that morning. Only the first cases of the day are assigned an actual time. All subsequent cases are scheduled to follow the first but do not have an actual start time, only a rough estimate.
Medication Refills
Requests for medication refills must be called in to the office during regular business hours. Patients must take responsibility for checking the amount of medication left and calling in with enough advance notice to get a refill. Requests for medication refills will not be answered after business hours, which is reserved for true medical emergencies.
Canceling Appointments and Surgeries
The courtesy of canceling clinic appointments and surgeries with minimum 48 hours notice allows another patient who needs care to receive treatment. The practice policy, however, is not to charge our patients who fail to recognize this courtesy period of notification.
