To make an appointment, simply call our office during business hours: 340-776-8112 or email us at appointments@caricarefamily.com

If it's been a year since your last check-up, call for a complete preventive care exam. Children should be scheduled for periodic well-child exams to monitor their growth and development and keep up with their immunizations.

If your address, phone number, or insurance has changed, please let us know while scheduling your appointment so that we can have the most up-to-date record for you.

- When you first arrive, please register with the receptionist.
- If this is your first appointment, plan to arrive a little early to complete your

registration and insurance information.

- Please bring your insurance cards, a valid photo ID, and your co pay to your appointment.
- Self-pay patients (those with no insurance); please be prepared to pay for your visit at the time of service.
- Please be courteous. We ask that you do not bring food or drinks into the waiting room. Once you are in the exam room, please turn off your cell phone.

Our staff will make every effort to see you on time, and notify you of any unavoidable delay. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify the office at least 24 hours in advance as this will help us make that appointment available to someone who may need urgent or sick care. We retain the right to bill you for a missed appointment. Patients missing several appointments cannot be guaranteed the same priority as other patients in scheduling new appointments.

Always bring your insurance cards and a second form of identification. Please notify us immediately of any changes in your information since you registered.

To provide the most efficient care to both patients who are in the office for scheduled visits and patients who are phoning in, our physicians do not usually interrupt patient care to accept phone calls during office hours. Instead, our clinical staff consults with your health care team and gets back to you with the information you need quickly.

Please be aware that, due to our Doctor's staggered hours, a message left may not be answered for up to 24 hours. When you call the office, let the receptionist know what type of problem you are having, as the most urgent calls are answered first. If you are calling for test results, let the receptionist know what kind of test, so she can make sure the result is on the chart when your doctor calls you. Please leave both your day and home phone numbers; our doctors will try to call you as soon as they can.

IF YOU HAVE YOUR PHONE BLOCKED FROM UNIDENTIFIED NUMBERS DIAL *87 BEFORE CALLING SO THE DOCTOR CAN GET THROUGH FROM HIS/HER PHONE!

If you have an urgent medical situation when the office is closed, our providers can be reached 24/7!

- When you call our office after hours, you will be directed to our answering service. The agent will take your call and forward your message to the on-call provider. Please use the answering service only for emergencies; for non-emergency matters, you should call when the office re-opens.

- If you are experiencing a medical emergency or you believe you are experiencing a life threatening situation, call 911 immediately, or go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital.

- If your urgent medical need is not life threatening, and it is during normal business hours, please call the office. We will help you determine the best plan of care.

We know that you want to know the results of your lab tests and other diagnostic testing as soon as you can. Our office usually receives the results within a week of a test. When test results are returned to the office, they are first reviewed by your doctor or provider. As soon as they are available, our nursing staff will notify you of your results either by phone or by mail.

- We ask that you call and inquire about your results after two weeks if you did not hear from us

- You may be asked to call the office and make a follow-up appointment with your doctor to discuss the test results and follow-up plan, if necessary.

When you need a general prescription filled, contact your pharmacy. The pharmacy will notify your provider through a secure electronic prescription refill system called Sure Script. Check with your pharmacy to see if they participate in the SureScript system. If they don't, your provider will provide you with hard copies of your prescription to bring to your pharmacy.

Please allow at least 24 hours for your prescription refill to be sent into your pharmacy. Do not wait for your prescription to run out. When you call, have ready the phone number of your pharmacy, the name of your medicine, the dose, and how often you take it. Leave a phone number where you can be reached if it becomes necessary to talk to you before calling in the refill.

CariCare authorizes prescription refills only during regular office hours – not after hours or on weekends or holidays.

If you need a refill for a controlled medication, please call the office. Your request will be forwarded to your provider. Please allow 24 hours for your refill to be completed.

We are happy to help you when we have advance notice and we gladly complete medically related forms that require your doctor's signature.

- First, fill out all of the information about the patient, like your name, address, date of birth, social security number, and employer. Make sure to sign your name if the form requires it.

- Then give the form to the receptionists at the front desk. They will forward your form to the forms nurse, who will then route it to your provider.

- We cannot complete forms for pick up on the same day. We will return the form to you within 7 to 10 business days. There is a $3.00 charge for all forms completed at this office. The charge will be collected in advance when you deliver the form.

You may request a copy of your medical record.

- When our patients are referred to a specialist or other facility for follow-up care, a complimentary copy of the medical record is forwarded to the doctor.

- Sometimes, our patients will need a copy of their medical record in order to transfer to another doctor. A records release form must be filled out in order for our records department to transfer your records.

- Our patients may request a copy of their medical record for themselves, an insurance application or legal representation. The patient, insurer, or legal counsel will be billed at $1 per page.

Payment for your visit is due at the time of service. We accept personal checks and cash. You are responsible for all fees due to bounced checks.

- We accept most major insurance plans. If we participate in your insurance plan, we will bill your insurance company directly. You are responsible to pay deductibles and copays, as well as charges incurred for services that are not covered benefits of your insurance plan.

- Please familiarize yourself with your insurance plan benefits as it is your responsibility to know and understand the requirements of your particular plan. We are happy to help address any questions you might have. You may contact our Billing Department at 340-776-8112, or email us directly at billing@caricarefamily.com