When to come in? Patients should plan to see us on a recurring schedule throughout the year. Patients with asthma and other chronic lung problems may have serious lung abnormalities even when no or few symptoms are present. These periodic re-examinations are critical for identifying illness issues early, preventing serious complications, and ensuring continued good health and well-being.
For immediate care. If your child has been having recent trouble breathing or during the previous night and you would like them to be seen the next day, please call before 9 am so that we can try to work them into that day’s schedule. When calling the office to schedule an appointment, PLEASE specify whether the visit is routine, or related to an acute respiratory problem.
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please notify the office as soon as possible. This courtesy allows us to be of service to other patients.
Office Hours. The office is open weekdays Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The office is closed on weekends and major holidays.
Our communication plans. We recommend that you bring a list of written questions or concerns with you to your appointment. We will make every effort to fully address your questions and alleviate your concerns. You have the right to be fully informed of our findings.
Our goal is to always fully explain your child’s condition and treatment plan to you. DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS IF SOMETHING IS NOT CLEAR TO YOU.
Our staff has been chosen and trained with much thought and care, so that we may provide to you and your child quality medical services in a pleasant, efficient and friendly atmosphere. If you have suggestions regarding our services, please let us know.
How much time to allow for visits. We make every effort to be respectful of your time and see patients during the designated appointment window. Some of our patients come in with an acute illness that requires immediate attention and extended treatment, which may cause delays in the schedule. We will do everything we can to minimize schedule delays, and we greatly appreciate your understanding if you are impacted at the time of your visit.
At some time, your child may require evaluation for an acute illness in our office. These services may potentially save you time and money versus a hospital emergency room visit. We do our best to be efficient, and we will never sacrifice excellence or safety for the sake of rushing you in and out.Our office has an automated telephone answering system operational 24 hours a day, which may be accessed by calling the office phone 972-668-5864 (LUNG). It is not possible during the daytime schedule for our physicians to interrupt seeing a patient to answer phone calls from ill patients. The nurses return these calls involving health related issues. They discuss all issues with our physicians. Phone calls about illness are directed to our nurses through the nurse call back selection in our automated telephone answering service. Calls are answered on a first come basis.
If you believe the problem is an emergency, then listen to our Daytime Greeting and select option 0 to be forwarded to a live person.
For calls after hours on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays, select option 0 to leave a message for the on-call physician to call you back. For non-urgent calls that can be returned the next business day, listen to the After Hours Greeting to select the appropriate non-urgent option.
Refill requests are generally completed within 48 hours. Sometimes these require insurance authorization which can take time, so refills should be called in sufficiently early so that your child does not run out of medication. Children with chronic medical conditions require routine monitoring and our office will not refill medications if you have failed to comply with follow-up visits.
Transfer of medical records is sometimes necessary because of family relocation or insurance changes. We will be glad to provide a complete copy of your medical record after receiving a signed, written request as required by law. If we have records from prior physicians in our chart, we will also forward these if you specify their release in your request. All requests for medical records will be assessed a nominal fee, as specified by Texas Law. The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners requires us to provide the records within 15 days of receipt of payment, unless a medical emergency exists.
Important: Please notify the office of any changes in address or telephone numbers. Whenever leaving town, make certain that the person caring for your child has a notarized statement giving them authority to obtain medical care. If a patient is a minor (anyone under the age of 18), a parent or legal guardian must be in attendance to give consent for treatment and to be the responsible guarantor unless the parent or legal guardian provides a signed written consent for treatment and responsible guarantor.
