Welcome to our Family Practice!

We are glad--and honored--that you have considered our practice as you seek help in achieving (and maintaining) good health. By this point in your life, you have no doubt realized what many younger people fail to appreciate: that true enjoyment of life requires good health (physical, mental, even spiritual), and that good health doesn’t just “happen,” without working at it a little.

That’s where we come in. We’re a fairly small medical practice which feels very much like a family in many ways. We don’t just have a couple of doctors and a handful of nurses or secretaries all doing separate jobs. We’re a team of people who all work together toward the same goal: to assist you in the process of achieving good health.

Many folks in America have gotten used to having to see many different specialists: a cardiologist about heart problems; a dermatologist about skin cancer, etc. At our practice, the doctors are board-certified specialists in primary care. That means you can come to us first, no matter what the problem is—a lot like the old-time “G.P.,” but with a lot more training. If you need a different type of specialist, we can arrange the referral for you smoothly and effectively “doctor to doctor” (instead of leaving it to you to try to figure out who to call about what) so that any consulting physicians can pick up where we left off.

Our patients get to know us quite well over time since we’re available for just about any health concern that comes up, and because we try to run things so that you always see the same person about those problems every time you come. If you need to be admitted to a hospital, the same doctor who has taken care of you in the office is the one who takes care of you there. Our doctors work out of both Ocala hospitals. We’re available 24-hours by telephone for matters which can’t wait until office-hours (true emergencies only, please!)

As you’ve probably also discovered, Medicare can be a very complicated, sometimes very difficult system. We’ve spent a long time learning how Medicare runs itself, and have become quite effective at helping patients with Medicare matters. But we’ve learned one thing more clearly than almost anything else: it doesn’t work if we’re the only ones working at it! So let’s get started. Please read the next couple pages. We can help you with any questions when you come for your appointment.

Important Points to Know Before Your First Visit

• We are “Participating” Providers.
  All physicians’ offices which treat Medicare patients must choose to function either as a “participating provider” or as a “nonparticipating” provider. The main difference has to do with how fees are established and who pays. Basically, nonparticipating providers are allowed to charge higher fees and require patients to pay the full amount to the office-even after the deductible has been met-with Medicare reimbursing the patient weeks or months later. Participating providers have agreed to reduce their fees substantially and to collect only 20% of that specially reduced fee from the patient (after the deductible has been met.) The other 80% of the discounted fee is reimbursed by Medicare to the office. The office must agree never to charge the patient for the balance between this discounted fee and the fee paid by “non-Medicare” patients.
  
  
• Not All Medical Services Are “Covered” by Medicare.
  Periodically a patient might need a medical service which Medicare does not cover, or which Medicare does cover, but only in certain circumstances, such as a chest x-ray. For example, the patient in room #1 might need a chest x-ray because she has pneumonia. The patient in room #2 might need a chest x-ray because she has a chronic cough, but does not have pneumonia. Medicare “covers” (pays for) the first patient’s x-ray, but not the second patient’s x-ray. Because of this Medicare policy, the first patient will only pay 20% of the discounted x-ray fee, but the second patient will have to pay 100% of the fee which non-Medicare patients are charged. We do our very best to notify patients about these situations before the services are rendered.
  
  
• Getting Established.
  In order to take proper care of you, we need to know who we’re taking care of! This requires that we spend a little time very early in your relationship with us (usually your first or second visit) where we ask you about your past medical history, your family history, your lifestyle, your allergies, etc. It almost always requires some very basic additional tests, such as blood work, EKG, etc. Meaning, a patient might feel “All I need is to have my blood pressure prescription refilled and my last doctor up north took care of my “physical” just recently.” Once we become responsible for refilling a prescription, we become responsible for knowing your current medical details. Ironically, this “get-acquainted” evaluation is often only partially “covered” by Medicare, or sometimes completely “non-covered.” Nonetheless, it is still the most important part of your becoming enrolled as a patient in our practice. Happily, at our office we can usually figure out how much Medicare will cover and how much—if any—remains as the patient’s responsibility, which is surprisingly affordable, considering the amount of medical material our office can take care of for you (instead of multiple other physicians), our 24-hour availability, hospital privileges, etc.
  
  
• Deductible
  Each year (beginning January 1st) Medicare requires that patients pay a deductible before Medicare itself begins to pay benefits. After meeting this deductible, patients pay only 20% of specially reduced fees. Therefore, it is very important for us to know when you have met your deductible! If your deductible has been partially met or fully met elsewhere (i.e. in another doctor’s office or hospital) it is necessary that you bring us a copy of your Medicare statement which indicates this. Please remember that any charges which Medicare does not “cover,” of course, do not count toward meeting the deductible.
  
  
• Secondary Insurance
  Many patients have “secondary insurance” in addition to Medicare to help pay for some of the things Medicare does not pay for, such as the 20% co-pay, and even the deductible. Due to the amount of paperwork involved, we have become unable to bill secondary insurance for our patients (which is usually for a very small dollar amount). We can help; however, by providing a copy of our charges which the patient submits to the secondary insurance company along with the Medicare Explanation of Benefits statement or “EOB” that the patient receives from Medicare. Patients are then reimbursed directly for anything their policy covers.
  
  
• Payment at Time of Service
  Our participation in the sometimes overwhelming Medicare system is a courtesy which we respectfully offer the seniors of our community. We ask in return that all patients plan to pay any co-pay, deductible, or noncovered services on the day services are rendered. For the convenience of our patients, we accept Visa, MasterCard, cash and personal checks.

We look forward to meeting you in person!

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