Policies and Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding our policies will help us provide you with the best service possible!
Scheduling Appointments
You are urged to call as far in advance as possible to schedule appointments since office visits are by appointment only. Every effort is made to see you at your appointed time. Although there is no overbooking of appointments, occasionally emergencies can cause problems in the schedule. When making an appointment, please be specific regarding your complaints in order to schedule an appropriate amount of time. Routine office visits are scheduled for 15 minutes; new patients, 30 minutes.
Canceling Appointments
If it is necessary to cancel an appointment, please call at least 24 hours in advance. This allows the office enough time to schedule another patient who might not otherwise be able to be seen.
Prescription Refills
If you need a prescription refill and do not believe that you need to be seen prior to this, leave a message with the receptionist one to two weeks prior to running out of the medication. Be sure to leave your name and telephone number, the name of the medication and dosage. You will need to drop by the office to pick up any prescription refill. Please remember that you must be seen on a routine basis for prescription refills. If you call after office hours, the on-call physician does not refill prescriptions.
Emergencies
Should you have an emergency, call 911 for immediate response and ambulance services or go directly to the hospital. Direct the ambulance to The Villages Regional Medical Center or Leesburg Regional Medical Center. If you are seen in the emergency room, identify Dr. Cai as your physician to be notified. Many times, Dr. Cai will refer you to a specialist to better take care of your special needs. For minor illnesses and injuries, call the office for a work-in appointment if the schedule permits. If you go to a freestanding, urgent care center, please bring a copy of the records or drop them off prior to your next appointment with Dr. Cai. Let the nurse know if you have been recently seen in an acute care setting. If you are having records sent, please check with the receptionist prior to your appointment to assure that they have been received.
Telephone Calls
You are encouraged to call with any questions regarding your medical problems. Our telephone number is 352-259-0238. Please leave a complete description of your medical problem with the receptionist in order for Dr. Cai to help you via the telephone. Most illnesses cannot be treated by telephone unless your condition has recently been evaluated in the office. Usually an office visit is required before treatment can be rendered. The office staff is trained to answer many questions and will consult with Dr. Cai if needed. Most calls are generally returned on the same day received; if not, the next business day.
Your Office Appointment
To best use appointment time efficiently and to provide for meaningful visits, please have a clear idea of the purpose of your visit and convey the most important concerns to the nurse early in your appointment time. This could possibly avoid the necessity to schedule another appointment.
Dr. Cai requests that you please bring all of your medications including all over-the-counter and herbal supplements each time you have an appointment. It is better to bring the bottles but a complete listing including dosages will suffice.
Laboratory and X-Ray Results
Most lab and x-ray results will be discussed with you during your follow-up visits. If your lab or x-ray results are normal, you will not be called. In certain circumstances, you may be asked to schedule a more immediate office visit to discuss results with Dr. Cai. All unusual test results will be addressed at your next office visit. A copy of your lab or x-ray report is available to you at any time during regular office hours if you would like to pick them up. We respect our patients confidentiality, we will not leave any detailed messages in answering machine and we will not discuss with anyone else other than patient regarding his/her medical condition unless approved by patient in writing.
Fees and Payment
Dr. Cai currently is a participating provider with Medicare. For patients with Medicare only, it is our policy to collect 20% co-pay and/or the deductible at the time of your visit. However, if you have a policy secondary to Medicare, we will be happy to file that insurance before billing you. For patients with insurance plans other than Medicare, the billing personnel will gladly file claims with your insurance company before billing you. At the time of your visit, we will collect any co-pay and/or deductible.
In all cases, approximately thirty days from the filing date of any insurance, the balance will become your responsibility. Any other arrangements must be made with the Business Office Manager prior to your visit. If you have questions concerning billing practices, specifics insurance plans for which Dr. Cai is a provider, or any other insurance matters, the Office Manager will be happy to discuss them with you. The phone number is 352-259-0238
It is your responsibility to update your record with any changes in your insurance policy. Acceptable forms of payment are cash, check and Master Card/Visa Card.