Welcome to CI Medical Center. For your first appointment we ask that you arrive about 20 minutes early to fill out the necessary paperwork. We will be obtaining your insurance information before your appointment so that it may be verified ahead of time and avoid delay and confusion the day of your visit.
Remember to bring your insurance card and a picture ID as insurance plans require us to obtain this. Please also bring with you any old medical records you have, your vaccination records, and all of your bottles of medications, both prescription and over the counter vitamins and supplements. If you have old medical records to send for, bring the name and address of the medical facility.
You may fill out, print and fax a copy of three forms to our office prior to your appointment time to expedite your check in time or you may fill them out at your appointment time. The forms include: i) Patient Information ii) Health History Questionaire and iii) Insurance Verification.
Patients are expected to pay at the time services are rendered. No refunds will be granted for either services or medications dispensed. Health Department regulations will not allow us to accept any returned bottles once they leave our premises, regardless of their conditions.
When another doctor requests a copy of medical records, they will be mailed to the doctor (with written authorization) at no charge. There is a charge for copies of medical records in all other situations (law firms, insurance companies, etc.). There is also a charge for letters, narratives and special forms to be filled out.
The office is open for appointments and staff is available to answer routine calls from 9:00 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, and 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday. There is voice mail on which to leave NON EMERGENCY calls at other hours. Our policy is to answer your messages promptly.
If you have an urgent problem, please call us so that we may determine how to best serve you. There are many urgent conditions that are more appropriately handled in a hospital Emergency Room. Occasionally, if I am out of the office or my schedule is full for that day and you have an urgent problem, you may be given the opportunity to see my associate Dr. Loi Vu. As a courtesy to us and your fellow patients we ask to call 24 hours in advance if you will be unable to keep your appointment.
Results
To receive lab and test results please call the office at least 5 working days after they are completed.
Refills
For refills of routine maintenance medications please call your pharmacy and ask them to contact us if refill authorization is needed at least seven (7) days before you run out of your medications. Phone requests for non-maintenance, non-emergency refills should be made during office hours.
Emergencies and Hospitals
For major emergencies you should call 911 or proceed to the closest emergency room.
For minor urgent problems that occur when the office is closed, need to be seen in person by a physician, and cannot wait until the office opens you may go to any urgent care center that accepts your insurance plan.
The hospital to which you would be admitted if such a need were to arise is determined by your insurance plan and by where the physician who is admitting you has staff privileges-this may be me, one of my associates, or a specialist you are seeing.
If your plan is accepted at Hermann Memorial Southwest Hospital or West Houston Medical Center, I recommend you go to either one of these facilities. I will usually be asking the Internal Medicine hospital based specialists ("hospitalists") or my other associates to follow my patients while they are in the hospital. I will be resuming your office based care upon discharge.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. We are accepting new patients and I welcome your kind referrals of friends or family.
