Patient Information

Prenatal Packet

Download our Prenatal Packet here

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Patient Education

We believe that patient education is one of our most important tasks in helping you stay as healthy as possible. We encourage you to become an informed and educated patient so that you may take an active role in your health care decision making.

We are committed to explain your medical condition and treatment options clearly and concisely. If you do not understand your diagnosis, procedure, treatment or any other instruction, please ask us for clarification. As an integral component of the care we provide, our physicians and nurses routinely conduct individualized patient education. To compliment this education, we offer numerous printed materials on a wide range of topics to help you take an active role in maintaining your good health. Additionally, we sometimes suggest that patients participate in support groups and other programs to help change unhealthy lifestyle patterns.

We encourage obstetrical patients to participate in a variety of educational programs including childbirth education, prenatal exercise programs, lamaze classes, parenting classes, and/or lactation counseling. If you desire additional information about the educational programs that are available, please ask us.

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Your Appointments

Patient examinations are scheduled by appointment and on an urgent 'must see' basis. Please call several months in advance when scheduling routine examinations so that we may best accommodate your schedule.

For your safety, we ask that you be sure to bring all your medications, including any over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies that you may be taking to each appointment. In addition, be sure to inform us of any medications that you may be taking that were ordered by another physician.

If you have an urgent health situation that requires our care, please call us during regular working hours so that we may arrange for your care on a non-emergency basis. It is our policy that any patient requiring care will be examined as soon as possible. Any one of the physicians with an opening is available to you for an immediate appointment. If you call to schedule a same-day appointment, please call early in the day. Our office staff is trained to ask pertinent questions about your medical needs. When calling to schedule an appointment, please be thorough in explaining your condition so that we may schedule the appropriate amount of time for your visit.

Please understand that we respect your time and strive to honor your scheduled appointment on time. Your physician's schedule, however, may be delayed periodically due to an unscheduled delivery, a patient with complications who requires immediate care, or simply a patient who requires additional time. If a delay occurs, we will make every effort to minimize your inconvenience and we ask for your patience and understanding.

If you are late for an appointment, you may be asked to reschedule. We will do our best to work you into the schedule, however, on time patients will be seen first.

We understand that circumstances may arise that require you to reschedule an appointment. If you find it necessary to change your appointment, please notify our office at least 1 working day prior to your scheduled appointment, so that this time may be made available to another patient requiring care. As is customary, we?reserve the right to charge for missed appointments.

Our offices are closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. To protect the safety of our patients and staff, we may change our office schedule during inclement weather. If you have any questions about whether our office is open, please call us to confirm your appointment.

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Office Etiquette

We ask that patients be respectful of one another by refraining from using cell phones in the reception area and placing ringers on "silent" mode. Small children must be in the presence of their guardian at all times. To help us maintain a comfortable and clean environment, please refrain from eating or drinking in the office.

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Emergencies & Health Complications

In the event of a life-threatening or limb-threatening medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest Hospital Emergency Department.

During Office Hours: If you experience a sudden illness or injury that requires our attention during office hours, call our office.

After Office Hours: If a situation occurs after office hours that requires the attention of your physician, please call our office at (757) 395-4455. You will automatically be connected to our answering service. Our on-call physician will respond to your call as soon as possible. If you do not receive a response within an hour, please leave another message with our answering service, as your initial message may not have been transmitted properly. We ask that you limit calls during these times to non-life threatening medical situations only. Non-emergent questions, prescription refills and other non-urgent matters should be requested during regular office hours

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Questions & Concerns

At Elite Women's Care we are committed to address all of your concerns about your OB-GYN condition and care. We welcome and encourage you to ask us if you have a question or concern about your health and well being. During your visit, our physicians and nurses will take the time necessary to respond to your questions, and to provide you with pertinent education on your condition and treatment options. If you have additional concerns after your office visit, please call us. Please place all non-emergency calls during regular working hours, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., when our staff can readily access your medical record. Since your physician will most likely be caring for another patient at the time of your call, please leave a detailed message. We receive numerous telephone calls each day and respond as quickly and efficiently as possible to each. Our physicians and nurses return telephone calls throughout the day and after working hours, so be sure to leave a daytime and evening telephone number where you can be reached. Please remember that oftentimes good medical care requires the benefit of an examination before a diagnosis and/or treatment can be determined.

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Test Results

A member of our staff will mail or telephone you with test results as soon as your physician has had the opportunity to review the information. If your report indicates an abnormal finding or if your physician feels additional testing is needed, you will be contacted regarding her recommendations or possibly requested to come in to the office for consultation. Please remember that some test results, such as pap smears, take several weeks to be analyzed and sent back to us for review. Depending upon your insurance carrier, you may receive a separate bill for diagnostic testing. If you have questions, please call your insurance carrier or the company that sent you the bill.

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Prescription Requests

Prescriptions necessary to treat an acute problem require an office visit. This allows for us to properly assess and document your need for treatment.

Please request prescription refills during your office visit. If you are not certain if you have another refill remaining on your prescription, call your pharmacist. If there are no refills remaining, please call your pharmacy or our office, during regular office hours, at least 5 working days before you deplete your current supply of medication, to allow adequate time for review of your medical record and to determine if a refill is warranted.

In the event that a prescription needs to be refilled prior to your appointment, please allow 48 hours for the prescription to be called into your pharmacy after you have provided your pharmacy telephone number and medication name. No prescriptions will be ordered after office hours or on weekends. When requesting a prescription refill, be sure to have your prescription bottle available when you call, so that you can provide the information necessary to complete your request. To minimize your waiting time, you may wish to call your pharmacist to make certain that your prescription is complete before going to your pharmacy.

For prescriptions written on a yearly basis, such as birth control or hormone replacement therapy, your annual exam must be scheduled prior to the date that your current prescription expires.

If you utilize a prescription purchase service that requires special instructions, please inform us when requesting the refill, so that the prescription can be written to meet those requirements.

Federal Law prevents us from ordering refills for certain medications, such as narcotics, over the telephone. To best assure our patient safety, it is our policy that we do not prescribe new medications without the benefit of a patient examination.

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If You Need Hospitalization

Elite Women's Care?physicians are active members of the medical staff at Sentara Leigh Hospital.

When non-emergency hospitalization is necessary, as a courtesy to you, our staff will obtain the required approvals for hospital admission from your insurance carrier. During your hospital stay, one of our physicians will visit you daily to assess your medical condition, make changes in your regimen, and order any testing that is necessary.

Prior to your hospital discharge, you will receive specific instructions regarding your follow-up care. Please follow all instructions very carefully. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our office.

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Referrals To Other Providers

Some insurance plans require you to obtain a referral from your primary care physician before visiting a specialist's office. It is your responsibility to acquire this referral prior to your visit with Elite Women's Care. It is also your responsibility to keep track of the start and end dates of the referral as well as the number of visits allowed. It may be necessary to reschedule your appointment if a required referral is not obtained prior to your visit. If you express a desire to be examined without having the required referral, you will be asked to sign an agreement, stating that you will be responsible for payment in the event that your insurance carrier denies payment for the services you received.

Throughout the years, our physicians have developed a network of other health care providers who compliment the services that we provide. Rest assured, if you need any subspecialty or specialized services, we will refer you to experienced providers who are well respected in their field and support the high level of standards that we believe to be vital to our practice of medicine.

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Your Medical Information

At Elite Women's Care, your medical information is strictly confidential. We will not release any information about you, to anyone, including your family members, without your written permission to do so.

If you have an "Advance Medical Directive", a "Living Will", or any other medical directives, please provide us a copy for inclusion in your private health information. It is your responsibility to help keep your private health information current.

To comply with legal requirements, we create a record of the care and services you receive from us. Our "Notice of Privacy Practices" describes how we may use and disclose medical information about you, obtain payment for our services, to perform our daily health care operations, your rights to access and control your medical information as well s other important information. Copies are available upon request.

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Copying Medical Records & Forms

We will gladly provide copies of your private health information for referring physicians or other medical professionals who may need them to provide you care. Please allow 14 business days for copying medical records. There is a prepaid copying and processing fee based upon the number of pages for the personal copy or transfer of your medical records. There is a $10 prepaid fee to complete each single page of a medical disability form and a $25 prepaid fee for each set of multiple page forms. We ask that you complete your section of the form prior to submission. Please allow 10 business days for completion of the forms. You will be contacted when your records are available to be picked up. Notes for missed work or school will be written subsequent to being seen in the office. Documentation in your medical record after treatment validates the necessity for your missed days.

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Insurance & Financial Policies

Your insurance coverage is a contract between you and your insurance carrier. It is very important that you are familiar with the terms and conditions of your insurance coverage. Please present your current insurance identification cards at each visit so that we may process timely insurance claims on your behalf. If you do not have your insurance card, it may be necessary to re-schedule your appointment. Elite Women's Care participates with most major insurance carriers and Health Maintenance Organizations. If you have any questions regarding our insurance participation, please contact us at (757) 395-4455.

As a service to our patients, we will file the necessary claim forms for reimbursement with your insurance carrier. We do not routinely file secondary insurance. If requested, we will gladly provide you an itemized statement for you to send to your insurance carrier along with your reimbursement claim.

Please be prepared to pay any co-insurance and deductibles that are required by your insurance carrier as well as any charges for services that you agree to have performed, that are not covered by your insurance plan. If you are uncertain about the amount of these required payments, please review your insurance policy and coverage agreement prior to your appointment. Payment from self-paying patients is due at the time services are rendered.

If you have any concerns about your insurance, please contact your insurance carrier. It is your responsibility to help keep your medical record up-to-date, so please advise us of any changes in your name, address, telephone number or insurance carrier. If you have any questions regarding your statement from Elite Women's Care, or if you are uninsured or experiencing temporary financial difficulties, please contact our us at (757) 395-445, so that we may help you establish a mutually acceptable payment plan.

Fees for our services are established within the customary range for our area and reflect the level of care you will receive from our highly trained and experienced physicians. The global fee for non-complicated obstetric care includes antepartum care, delivery, and post-partum examination. There are generally additional charges for special laboratory tests, procedures, or complicated obstetric care. All obstetric fees, not covered by insurance, are required to be paid by the seventh month of pregnancy.

For your convenience, we accept cash, checks, money orders, VISA and MasterCard. There will be a $30 fee for returned checks.

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