Office Hours
Our office is open from 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. In addition we appoint office visits to 6:30pm on Monday evenings.
Telephone Calls
In order to minimize provider interruptions during office visits, our ancillary staff will answer and respond to incoming telephone calls and emails as directed. If you have an emergency, which is defined as an injury or illness which may represent a danger to life or limb, call 911 or go directly to the Emergency Department of Mt. Vernon Hospital or the nearest hospital. Each of our providers has a Medical Secretary that monitors their voice mail throughout the day & is your liason to your provider. Please keep in mind that a return call may take minutes or hours and this is not advised in a true emergency. Our office is not equipped to care for emergencies and we refer them to the Emergency Department of Mt. Vernon Hospital or the nearest hospital.
After 5:00pm and on weekends call 911 or proceed directly to the Emergency Department of Mt. Vernon Hospital or the nearest Emergency Department. If you are unsure and would like to speak to an on call Physician regarding your injury or illness you may contact our answering service by calling our office number until 11:00pm on weekdays and between 10:00am and 11:00pm on weekends and holidays. Please keep in mind that a return call may take minutes or hours and this is not advised in a true emergency.
Medication/Prescription Refills
Please contact your pharmacy for your refill request needs. We do not initiate refill requests. Initial prescriptions are to be completed during your scheduled appointments. We try to refill maintenance prescriptions for 6 months to a year depending on how closely your medical condition needs to be monitored. You must be seen in person for each Class III prescription (prescriptions which require a written prescription and cannot be refilled), at least once every 3-6 months for controlled substances, and every 6-12 months for prescriptions of non-controlled medications. It is your responsibility to anticipate your refill needs and to schedule your appointments accordingly. We do not refill prescriptions at night and on weekends.
Because of the time required associated with a request to renew medications there may be a charge of $15.00 per prescription for refills (written, phoned or faxed) that are not completed as part of a regularly scheduled appointment. Requests for prescription refills not completed as part of a regularly scheduled appointment may take up to 3-5 days for processing on our end. Please keep in mind when contacting your pharmacy for a refill that the entire process between both parties may take up to 7 days depending on the pharmacy protocol.
Referral Requests
It is the responsibility of the patient to obtain a referral prior to a visit to a specialist. Referral requests are to be completed during your scheduled appointments. In some instances we may complete a referral request without an office visit if we previously referred you to a specialist for diagnostic reasons & subsequently the specialist has communicated a plan of treatment to the provider & the referral is part of your ongoing care. Requests for referrals not completed as part of a regularly scheduled appointment may take up to 3-5 days for processing. Referrals must be picked up by the patient, we do not mail or fax them.
Pre-Authorization of Prescriptions and Referrals
It is the responsibility of the patient to make sure that they have notified us as the PCP that they need pre-authorization prior to filling certain prescriptions, obtaining certain diagnostic testing and having certain speciality treatments. Pre-authorization requests are to be completed during a scheduled appointment.
Payment of Fees
Payment of fees not covered by your insurance plan is due on the day of your scheduled appointment or the day of the service provided. Such fees include copayments, deductibles, patient balances, collections balances, phone consultations prescription refills, missed appointments or administrative services. You may pay by cash, check, or credit card. We require that you complete a credit card authorization form for the file to cover any such fees. Any fees not paid at the time of any appointment will be billed to your credit card the day after fees are due.
Insurance Benefits
We will file your insurance claim as a courtesy to you. If your insurance coverage changes for any reason you must notify us of your new information right away & present your new ID card(s) at your next visit with us. We will do all that we can to process insurance claims, however, you must keep in mind that your coverage is a contract between you and your insurance company. Any balance that your insurance company does not pay for that is considered a non-covered service is due from you or your responsible party. If you present to the office without your insurance ID card you will be asked to sign a payment waiver. If your insurance card has a providers name on it that is not an employee of MVPCA, you will be asked to pay for all services rendered at that visit in full & it will be your responsibility to seek reimbursement from your insurance company.
Many insurance companies require a deductible to be satisfied each year by the patient or responsible party before insurance benefits begin. If the deductible has not been satisfied or there is a question whether the service we provide is a covered service it is the responsibility of the patient or responsible party to provide payment at the time of service. If the service is adjudicated to be a covered service the payment will be applied to any balance on the account and difference refunded or credited to the account as requested by the patient or responsible party.
Additional Services Not Covered by Insurance
Please be aware that there are different requirements for different types of physicals and limits to what each insurance considers a complete physical. Because of this an additional office visit is often required to address routine medical issues that that are not a part of the complete physical examination.
Consultations by Phone or in Person, Written reports or Letters, (to patients, family member, schools, lawyers, etc.) and Court Testimony, Depositions, School or Administrative Conferences are charged as administrative or legal services in 15 minute increments. Travel time is included in these charges. These charges are not covered by your insurance policies and are payable in advance. Please inquire for availability and fees.
Photocopies of medical records are provided to our patients by contractors. Please allow 5 to 10 business days to receive records once they have been copied. We are not paid for this service. These contractors have a standard fee which is limited by law. This fee is billed to you directly by SMART Corporation.
In some instances when time and staffing permits, our medical records department will copy items from charts. Please inquire for availability and fees.
Regarding Appointments
Although we try to adhere to our appointment schedule the best we can, there are many times when this may be impossible depending on the complexity of a patients medical condition that we were not aware of prior to the arrival of the patient. We also take emergency call from hospitals regarding our patients & may need to be interrupted from patient care during your visit. The appointment times with the least waits are usually the first appointment times of the morning or afternoon session of the day. We try to limit the time spent with each individual patient so as not to inconvenience those patients being seen later, however, there are times and circumstances when this is not possible. We realize how disruptive and frustrating this can be and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Please be prepared to make a follow-up appointment while you are in the office. This will save you time and allow you to make an appointment more convenient to your schedule.
We require 24 hour (1 business day) advance notice of a cancellation. If a cancellation is less than 24 hours and we are unable to fill the appointment you will be billed a fee of $50.00.
We appreciate the trust you have placed in us and consider it an honor to serve as your Physicians and Nurse Practitioners.
Michael D. Lieberman, M.D. Stephen W. Rex, M.D.
Patty Adams, CF.N.P. Ellen Hodges, C.F.N.P. Andrea Farwell, C.F.N.P.
