TO OUR PATIENTS

We appreciate your selection of this office to serve your medical needs.  The staff and physician will do all that we can to provide you with the most competent care possible.  In order to do so, this patient information page has been prepared to acquaint you with our office and it’s policies.  We feel that the more you know about our policies and methods of practice, the more we can be of service to you and avoid possible annoyances and frustrations through unnecessary misunderstandings.

APPOINTMENTS

            The office is open between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. with lunch taken between the hours of 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Office visits are by appointment only.  We urge that you telephone as far in advance as possible for your appointments.  When calling for an appointment, please furnish our receptionist with the reason or the need for the visit, or the nature of your problem.  This will allow us to give priority to your needs as well as to reserve sufficient time for your visit with us.

            We urge that you be on time for your appointments.  If an appointment cannot be kept, reasonable notice should be given to this office to cancel the appointment.  This time has been reserved for you and without notification from you of a cancellation, another patient may be deprived of an appointment.  Failure to cancel or reschedule an appointment 24 hours in advance could result in the charges authorized for that time slot.

              We try to keep our schedule on time as best as possible. If you schedule your appointment in the middle of your workday, please be advised that typically patients spend up to ˝ an hour in our office for follow up visits, and up to 1 hour for new patients.  Inevitably, there are emergencies or patients who may need more attention than previously planned.  Please try to be patient.  We do respect the value of your time and if the delay becomes longer than one hour, we will try to let you know.  You will then have the opportunity to reschedule your appointment within the next several days.  Please remember that good medical care cannot be rushed… 

            If you are a patient of Dr. Krishna Pinnamaneni and have children below the age of 12 years, we ask that you leave them at home with a responsible adult.  We appreciate your compliance with this request.  While we like children, we cannot allow yours or Dr. Krishna’s time and attention to be distracted by small children in the exam room.  It is in yours and the child’s best interest to remain at home as well as for safety reasons, such as, to avoid exposure to radioactive materials that are used in some of our office medical procedures.  Besides, some of our elderly patients expect a peaceful waiting room.  If you cannot comply with this policy, we will be constrained to reschedule your appointment with the doctor until such time you can find a babysitter.   Also, please turn off all audio equipment (cell phones, beepers, etc.) while you are in our office.

            Please be advised that the doctor must perform an evaluation from his specialty point of view, which includes a complete history and physical.  This requires you to undress completely and change into a paper gown before the doctor can examine you.  If you desire a chaperone during your first exam with the doctor we ask that you reschedule your appointment for a time that allows you to bring another adult with you as a chaperone.  If you want a chaperone during your follow-up visits, we also require you to bring an adult of your choice as a chaperone.  If you do not desire or decline to undergo an examination, as required for appropriate care, please advise us before you waste your time in doing the paperwork.  We will cancel your appointment and will provide you with the names of other physicians you can go for your health care.

TELEPHONE

            Our telephone number is (480) 838-2277 and will be answered by one of the staff or the voice mail system during regular office hours and by our answering service at all other times.  The Doctor’s assistant will handle calls first concerning a question.  If need be, we will return your call at a specified time.  Please try to have your telephone free at this time.  Remember that most illnesses cannot be treated effectively by phone unless the Doctor has recently evaluated your condition.  An office visit is required before the Doctor can be sure of your health situation.  Our doctors do not provide medical care over the telephone.

            If you have a question or problem concerning billing or insurance forms, your questions will be directed to our bookkeeper.  The Doctors do not discuss or deal with your billing or insurance questions.

INSURANCE

            We are contracted providers for several PPO/HMO plans as well as Medicare and Champus.  If you are insured by one of these plans and have a proper ID card, you are required to pay your potion of the bill at the time of service and we do the billing for the rest as a provider.  If a referral is required, the patient is responsible to obtain this before each visit.  If we are not contracted with your specific insurance company, you will be required to pay the full charge for the visit at the time services are rendered and we will issue you a complete receipt with all the necessary information to be submitted by you for any reimbursement you are entitled to.

            We ask that you keep a copy of the receipt that the receptionist gives you as you leave; this receipt contains all information for tax and insurance purposes.  Your insurance has a contract between you and your employer.  We are not a party to that contract.  We cannot and will not get involved in your insurance contract matters, such as denials, etc.  Our contracts with PPO/HMO companies are independent of your agreements.  You need to deal with these matters on your own.

            And remember, we appreciate your business.

EMERGENCIES

            Emergencies will always receive priority.  If you have an emergency, call 911 at any time.  In a non-emergency situation (NES), and when the office is closed, the answering service will get in touch with Dr. Pinnamaneni or the Doctor on call.  You will be advised as to what action to take, based on your condition.  If it is an extreme emergency, you must call 911 to go to the Emergency Room.  Also, if you do not hear back from the Doctor in time, please proceed to the nearest emergency room in any NES and they will contact the Doctor on call.

CONSULTATIONS

            In situations of personal preference or when a serious or difficult diagnosis is made, the need for a second doctor’s opinion may arise.  You are urged to discuss freely and openly any desire for consultations or referral to another of the specialists in our immediate area or to any medical center in the country.  A fee is charged if we mail copies of your medical records more than once.  If you are unhappy with our care, please advise us and we will assist you in finding another doctor.  We do not want you to keep coming for your healthcare if you are not happy with our care for any reason.

LABORATORY

            Our office uses an outside laboratory to do the actual testing of the specimens.  Our office will charge you a fee for drawing, processing, and interpreting the tests.  In addition to our fee, you will receive a bill from the outside lab for performing the testing.  That bill could come from an out of state Home Office for the outside lab services. 

            If you choose to use your own doctor’s or tour health care insurance company’s lab to receive this testing, you are responsible to bring the labs with you.  You can pick up you lab results from your doctor’s office or form the laboratory.  If your labs are not available at the time of your appointment, we will have to reschedule at a later date.

REFILLS ON MEDICATION

            For refills on medication, please contact your pharmacy at least 48 hours in advance.  They will then contact us with the correct dosage and prescription information.  Prescription refills will not be approved after office hours or on weekends.

            Medication refills will not automatically be approved.  You must have seen Dr. Pinnamaneni in the last 1-3 months.  There are also certain high potency medications that will not be refilled without following up with the Doctor first.

FEES AND COLLECTIONS

            We do require that you be prepared to pay your medical charges at the time of your office visit.  We accept cash, checks with proper ID, Visa, and MasterCard for payment of your account.  Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in keeping our collection costs to a minimum.

            The issuing of bad checks is a misdemeanor offense.  This means that a person who does not respond in 12 days to an initial warning that he pays a check that has been returned to us is subject to prosecution by the County Attorney.  A returned bad check will result in a charge of $25.00 to your account.

TRANSFER OF MEDICAL RECORDS

This office neither accepts nor transmits medical records via fax or e-mail to protect your confidentiality under statutory guidelines. This office is happy to provide you with a copy of your medical records one time at no cost upon receipt of your written request.  There may be a fee for additional copies per guidelines of the Statue A.R.S. 12-2295 (under article 7.1) and A.R.S. 12-351, regarding cost of reproduction of records. Original medical records and scan pictures are property of this Practice.  They shall remain as permanent records until such time required under statutory limits. If you or your future physician need copies of scan pictures, they can be obtained, but you may be assessed actual costs to reproduce scans. We have 2 weeks to process your request to release your medical records.  If your request arrives when our doctor is out of town, we will process your request as soon as our doctor returns to the office.  It may take a few more days in such a scenario. Meanwhile, if your physician needs to know your medical information, we are only a telephone call away for your doctor to call and discuss your case with our doctor(s) on call.