New Patients
Thank you for choosing TPMG for your health! We hope that your first visit will begin a long relationship with us. New patients, and patients who have not been to our practice within the past year, are requested to arrive 15-20 minutes early to complete the registration process. For your convenience, registration forms can be printed and completed prior to your appointment by visiting your office’s webpage on our website. Prior to your initial appointment, be sure to contact your previous primary care physician or specialistto request that your medical records be sent to us.
Please bring the following to your first appointment:
- All medications you are currently taking (including prescription, over-the-counter and herbal remedies)
- Your current healthinsurance card
- Photo identification
- A referral from your primary care physician, if required by your insuranceplan
- A list of allergies to medications and/or dyes
- Immunization records for children
- Payment for any required co-pays, deductibles, non-covered services
New patients are encouraged to call their insurance carrier to verify that our physicians are currently participating with their specific insurance plan in order to minimize out-of-pocket expenses.
If you have medical images taken outside of TPMG, you may now transfer them to your TPMG physician/office. TPMG makes it easy to share medical images electronically to PowerShare™, as a service to our patients. Once a PowerShare™ account is set up, patients can:
- Upload and share non-TPMG image studies with TPMG.
- Share patient images with doctors and specialists as needed.
- Upload past exams from personal CDs to patients’ accounts.
Use our new convenient and secure portal to upload your medical images online.
We look forward to providing you, your family members, and your friends with the best care possible!
Your Appointment
It is our policy to care for patients requiring immediate medical attention as soon as possible. Our office staff is trained to ask pertinent questions about your illness or injury. 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. If you call to schedule a same-day appointment, please call early in the day.
Please be sure to bring all your medications, including any over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies that you may be taking to each appointment.
For Specialists and the TPMGImaging and BreastCenter services, please obtain any required referrals from your primary care physician prior to your appointment, should your insurance require a referral. We request that you allow at least three (3) working days for us to process your request for a referral with your insurance carrier. If you do not have the required referrals, you will need to either assume financial responsibility for the services we provide or reschedule your appointment.
Our physicians are committed to providing each patient the appropriate amount of time required for the evaluation of his or her individual problem; however, there are times when emergencies or events beyond our control will delay our appointment schedules. If this occurs, please know that we recognize the value of your time and strive to minimize any inconvenience to you. If your physician is significantly delayed, our office staff will make every effort possible to notify you prior to your scheduled appointment and offer you the option of rescheduling.
Condition Concerns
We are committed to addressing all of your concerns about your medical condition and care. During your visit, our physicians and staff will take the necessary time 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. Our officereceptionists will gather information regarding your inquiry and forward your message to the appropriate physician or staff member. We receive numerous telephone calls each day and respond as quickly and efficiently as possible to each. For many questions, good medical care requires that your medical records be reviewed by your physician, who may be with another patient when you call.
Depending upon the nature of your concern, one of our physicians or staff members will return your telephone call. Please provide our receptionist with a telephone number where you can be reached both during the day and in the evening. Telephone calls are generally returned following morning and afternoon appointments.
We recommend that patients enroll in TPMG Patient Portal for convenience in communicating with the office, scheduling appointments, requesting refills, reviewing plans of care and/or results, and paying for services rendered.
Please remember that oftentimes good medical care requires the benefit of an examination before a diagnosis and/or treatment can be determined.
Specialty Referral
When appropriate to your health, TPMG physicians consult with the appropriate specialists or other healthcare entities and work together with these experts as a team to offer you the most up-to-date diagnostic services and treatment options.
If your insurance carrier requires a referral to a specialist, please contact your primary care physician before you go to a specialist to ensure the referral and medical records are available prior to your arriving for your appointment. Most insurance carriers dictate that patients must schedule an appointment with their primary physician prior to obtaining a referral to a specialist. Otherwise, your appointment will be rescheduled or you will need to assume financial responsibility for the services provided by the specialist. Insurance contracts also prohibit primary care physicians from issuing retroactive referrals.
Changing your Appointment
We understand that circ*mstances may arise that require you to reschedule or cancel an appointment. If you find it necessary to change your appointment status, please notify the officeso that this time may be made available to another patient requiring care.
TPMG offices require advance notification of an appointment change in order to avoid a fee to the patient. This fee is the responsibility of the patient and is not billable to insurance. TPMG reserves the right to charge a fee for missed appointments.
Patients who consistently no show, reschedule and/or cancel appointments may be dismissed from the practice. Your health is our top priority, and we hope it is the same for each of our patients!
