Health First Physicians Guidelines
Our mission is to provide quality, comprehensive healthcare to patients of all ages. Our practice includes doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical assistants, technicians, receptionists and office managers who share a commitment to providing you with the best possible care.
At Health First Physicians, we hope to be your medical home base for coordinating all your healthcare needs. (In the healthcare profession, it’s also called a “medical home.”) Your doctor and the entire care team strive to develop long-term, healing relationships, to take care of you when you are sick, and also when you are well. We’re not just focused on your current medical problem; we take into consideration your whole health and well-being, while keeping track of your health history.
We encourage you to establish a relationship with one of our primary care providers so that you have access to a medical professional and his/her team who you know and trust to coordinate your health needs, now and in the years ahead.
You can be assured you’ll receive quality care. Our clinical team follows guidelines based on accepted scientific evidence and supported by professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Family Practitioners.
Access to Your Physician and Care Team Our care team is available during regular office hours. When calling the office with a medical question, a message will be forwarded to the doctor, if the clinical staff is unable to address your concern immediately. Urgent calls are given priority. All calls are returned within 24 hours.
Your Office Visit Please arrive at the office at least 10 minutes early to complete the necessary paperwork. Our goal is to have you in the exam room and prepared to see the provider at the time of your visit.
The team at HFP will coordinate your care by documenting your complete medical history and monitoring your health over the years. When you come to our office, you may be asked to complete a questionnaire about your health history, such as a list of your medications and any services you’ve received from other providers. Your answers to the questionnaire help build your comprehensive health record. This information will be reviewed by your doctor or nurse practitioner and discussed with you.
At every visit, you will be asked to verify your address and phone number and may be asked to present your insurance card. If we do not have a photo of you for our records, you may be asked to have your picture taken when you check in. While this may seem like an inconvenience, we do this to safeguard your identity so we can protect your health information.
Scheduling an Appointment When you need an appointment, we ask that you call our office during regular business hours. We make every effort to see patients with an urgent problem within 24 hours.
A receptionist or clinician will take your basic information and will ask you the reason for your visit. This is important so enough time can be scheduled for your appointment. If there are multiple issues you’d like to discuss during your appointment, make sure to let us know so enough time will be scheduled. Otherwise, during your visit, you may be asked to make another appointment to review the additional, non-urgent issues.
Medical Treatment of Minors Patients under the age of 18 must have a parent/legal guardian present to complete initial paperwork and treatment consent. All minors must have written parental consent with each subsequent office visit, even if they are accompanied by an older sibling, babysitter or grandparent. Without parental consent, the child’s appointment will have to be rescheduled. A parent/legal guardian or another adult with the parent’s consent must be present when injections/vaccinations are given.
Sick and Wellness Appointments An important benefit of being under the care of a primary care provider is in the prevention and detection of possible diseases. During a wellness visit, your doctor can review your medical history, recommend appropriate tests and screenings, review previous test results and help you learn how to take better care of yourself.
When scheduling an appointment, please indicate if you are scheduling a wellness or a sick visit. Occasionally, patients will ask to combine wellness and sick appointments into one office visit. We are able to accommodate the request, if sufficient time has been scheduled. (Some insurance plans require that two co-payments be collected in this situation.)
Follow-up Appointments We strongly encourage you to schedule your follow-up appointment before leaving the office. This ensures you are able to see your provider in the proper time period. Even if you are unsure of your schedule, let us make the appointment for you as you can always call and reschedule.
Coordinating Your Healthcare If you need care beyond the scope of our primary care office, we can refer you to a specialist or other healthcare service. We collaborate with a network of healthcare professions, such as diagnostic facilities, specialty physicians and therapists. Our office can also get you connected with support groups, health educators and a wide-range of community resources.
After-hours Care In the event that you have a medical issue after hours or on the weekends, HFP has physicians available 24 hours a day. Please phone the office for instructions to contact the on-call physician. The on-call physician will evaluate your condition and determine the next steps. If you need care after hours, the on-call physician can direct you to an urgent care facility in the community.
Please understand routine medication refills will not be called into the pharmacy after office hours, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Medications and Refills If you are on any medications, you may need refills. When your physician prescribes a medication for you, he/she will generally allow a certain number of refills to last until your next visit. Follow-up appointments to monitor your progress on the medications are very important. Usually, running low on your medications indicates you need to schedule your appointment so you do not run out prior to being seen. If you are not due for a follow-up, please request a refill well in advance by calling your pharmacy. We require a 48 hour minimum notice for refills.
Missed Appointments We realize that circumstances may cause you to arrive late or miss an appointment. We ask that you call the office at least 24 hours in advance in cases where you know you are unable to keep your appointment. Please call us as soon as you know you will be late. Arriving later than 15 minutes without advance notice may require you to reschedule your appointment.
If you repeatedly miss appointments without giving advance notice, you may be charged $30 or more for the missed appointment time. A pattern of missed appointments may result in your dismissal from Health First Physicians. If you are a new patient and you miss your first scheduled appointment without prior notification or significant extenuating circumstances, you will not be accepted into any of the Health First offices for future appointments.
Office Charges and Copayments We participate in a large number of insurance plans and Medicare. Please contact your insurance company to verify that your visit will be covered at our office. We will file a claim with your insurance company for the services provided in our office. It is important that you verify your correct insurance information in our records. Any insurance copayment you have will be collected at the time of service. If you do not have insurance, your visit is your responsibility and payment in full will be due at the time of service.
We accept cash, personal checks, Visa and MasterCard. If your copayment or minimum payment is not paid at the time of service, Health First reserves the right to assess a $10 fee to your account.
There is a fee for the completion of some forms, such as FMLA and insurance eligibility forms. Please ask the receptionist for information about specific costs.
Billing Office If you have questions or concerns about your bill or need to set up payment arrangements, please feel free to contact our billing office directly at (513) 619-6800.
Waivers You may be asked to sign a waiver accepting financial responsibility for certain procedures or lab work that may not be covered by your insurance. Please check with your insurance plan for any coverage questions.
Referrals Before seeing a specialist, please call your insurance plan to find out if a referral is needed. If required, please contact us with the following information:
- Patient name, Date of birth and Phone number
- Name of specialist or facility
- Appointment date and reason for appointment
- Name of insurance company
- Indicate if referral will be picked up or to be mailed to patient’s home address.
Please allow 72 business hours for referrals.
Release/Transfer of Medical Records Should you ever need a copy of your medical records, you will be required to complete and sign an authorization for release of the records. Your first request is free of charge. Additional requests and requests for duplication of medical records for third parties, such as insurance companies or legal counsel, will be subject to fees in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code 3701.741.
