We look forward to providing you with the highest quality medical care and service so that you can live a longer and healthier life. We know that men are primarily looking for convenience in a doctor’s office. These patient policies are designed to help you understand how ProPartnersMD operates so you can most efficiently access the healthcare you need. We greatly appreciate any feedback that you feel would help us serve you better.

In-Office Care
a. Scheduling Appointments
b. Keeping Appointments
    i. Preparing to see the doctor
    ii.The order patients are seen
    iii. Total time in the office
    iv.Office delays
    v. Cancelled/missed appointments
c. Office Visit Guidelines
   i. Situations requiring physician office visit
   ii. Recommended frequency for Health Assessments


After-Visit Care
a. Telephone Calls
b. Urgent and After Hours Calls
c. Calls for Medical Concern
d. Prescription Refills
e. Test Results
f. Referrals and Scheduling
g. Hospital Care
h. E-Mail Policies
i. Medical Records and Paperwork Requests
j. Questions / Concerns / Complaints / Grievances
k. Termination

Narcotics Policy


In-Office Care

Scheduling Appointments

As a courtesy to all of our patients, we ask that you abide by the following guidelines related to the scope of each office visit. You will appreciate that you are typically able to get an appointment with a doctor on the same day you call. This will only continue to be possible if our patients limit their discussions with the doctor to the medical problem or preventive visit that they agreed to when the appointment was scheduled. Any “Oh, by the way” concerns that you may bring up put the doctor in a no-win situation where he must choose between disappointing you or making other patients wait past their scheduled visit time. Your appointment will be scheduled to allow ample time to fully address the primary reason for your visit.

We see patients in our office by appointment only. Office visits are categorized as Health Assessments (preventive “well patient check-up” visits) or General Medical visits (to address a symptom or an established medical diagnosis). When you call ProPartnersMD to schedule an appointment, our scheduling staff is required to designate your visit as one of these types. If you have a general medical concern and also require a Health Assessment, you should schedule the General Medical visit first. When all of your specific symptoms and medical problems have been addressed, you can then schedule your Health Assessment visit. In order to accommodate all of our patients in a timely manner we ask that each General Medical visit address only one new complaint. General Medical follow-up visits may address as many as three medical problems that have previously been treated by one of our physicians. Please indicate everything that you wish to address with the physician at the time your appointment is being scheduled. The length of your time with the physician will be based on this discussion. We strive to offer same-day appointments for pressing medical concerns. In most cases, if you call with a new complaint on a weekday morning, one of our physicians can see you the same afternoon.

Keeping Appointments

Preparing to see the doctor

There are several administrative and clinical tasks that must be completed on every visit before you can see the physician. Some are your responsibility and some must be performed by our office staff. We need your help to have all of these tasks completed “on-time” so you can see the doctor at your scheduled appointment time. Whenever possible, we encourage you to complete your paperwork and return it to us prior to your appointment day. Our office staff will explain these details and encourage you to arrive early to insure that all administrative tasks are completed well before our nurses are scheduled to take you back to see the physician. Depending on your visit type, these administrative tasks may take 30-45 minutes and the nurse’s check-in tasks may take an additional 15 minutes. If you do not arrive at the time indicated by our staff, you risk not being ready to see the physician at your scheduled appointment time. If you arrive 15 minutes or more later than the time you were asked to arrive, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment for another day.

The order patients are seen

ProPartnersMD has a number of physicians, dietitians, fitness trainers, and medical assistants who provide services to our patients. Patients are here for a variety of reasons and are rarely “taken back” in the order they arrive and the sequence of being taken to an exam room does not correlate with the order the physicians see patients. Our goal is to keep every patient as close to their scheduled appointment time as possible and to inform you if we are experiencing any delays.

Total time in the office

The amount of time you should plan to be in our office depends on the reason you are here. In general, first-time patients and men who are here for Health Assessment visits take more time. The table below shows what you should expect, based on visit types. Please allow at least this much time in your schedule so we can provide the quality of healthcare you deserve.

TYPE OF VISITTIME IN OFFICE
New Patientgeneral medical complaint1 - 1 ½ hours
“basic” Health Assessment2 - 2 ½ hours
Milestone Health Assessment3 – 4 hours
Established Patientnew general medical complaint1 hour
follow-up visit30-60 minutes
new general medical complaint45-60 minutes
“basic” Health Assessment1 ½ - 2 hours
Milestone Health Assessment2 ½ - 3 ½ hours

Office delays

Sometimes for reasons beyond their control, every medical office will run behind schedule. Physician, office, and surgical emergencies impact schedules and result in unpredictable waiting periods. We make every effort to maintain our schedule and minimize any inconvenience to you. However, emergencies do occur and people do not schedule their illnesses. If a delay occurs we will inform you as soon as possible and we will gladly reschedule your appointment if you would prefer not to wait. (If you do choose to wait, feel free to logon to our high-speed wireless internet connection, watch a game on one of our plasma TVs, take a tour of our fitness facility, or ask for a healthy snack or drink.)

Cancelled/missed appointments

If you will not be able to keep a scheduled appointment, please notify our office as soon as possible so we can use that appointment time for another patient. If by chance you forget your appointment and do not call to cancel within 12 hours of appointment time we can elect to charge you a missed appointment fee. As mentioned above, there are also times when you may have to reschedule due to late arrival. If you miss or are late for multiple scheduled appointments without notice, our physicians may elect to release you from the practice.


Office Visit Guidelines

Our clinical practice guidelines, state board of medicine, malpractice insurance carrier, and/or your health insurance plan require a physician to see you in the office under each of the following circumstances:

ProPartnersMD physicians recommend a “Milestone Health Assessment” for all men at age 40 and every 5-10 years thereafter. These assessments are very thorough and provide excellent baseline information for your ongoing health and medical care. Our office staff will provide you with detailed information about several types of Milestone Health Assessments.

In addition, a basic Health Assessment (preventive check-up visit) is recommended as follows:


After-Visit Care

Telephone Calls

ProPartnersMD staff makes every effort to answer the phone when you call during our normal office hours. Our staff will answer your questions and transfer calls to the appropriate person to help you as quickly as possible. At times we experience a high volume of calls and our automated system becomes activated to assist you. The auto attendant will list departments available for various patient needs and allow you to transfer to the appropriate department. If a staff member doesn’t answer your self-directed call, please leave a voicemail message and someone will call you back as soon as possible. If you’re calling after 3 PM or on the weekend, we may not get back to you until the next business day.

Urgent and After Hours Calls

If you believe you have a TRUE MEDICAL EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY and do not attempt to contact ProPartnersMD. If you are an established patient of ProPartnersMD calling at any time of day or night with an urgent medical problem and no staff member answers your call, please direct your call through the automated attendant to our “Urgent Mailbox”. To access the Urgent Mailbox call our main office phone number at (913) 451-4776, press “2” (for medical assistance) and then “1” for the Urgent Mailbox. Leave a detailed message including a phone number where you can be reached. The physician on-call will be notified and someone from our office will call you back within one hour.

Calls for Medical Concern

All patients are encouraged to call the office with any questions they may have related to their medical care. If your call is not answered directly and you must leave a message for our nursing staff, please give a brief description of why you are calling and the best number and time for us to return your call. Our staff will not be able to answer your phone call without accessing your medical record and, in most cases, your questions will need to be discussed with one of our physicians before your call is returned. As you know, our physicians and nursing staff are very busy during the day giving our full attention to patients in the office. If you’re calling between 6 AM and 3 PM Monday through Friday, every effort is made to return your call the same day. If you’re calling after 3 PM or over the weekend, we may not get back to you until the next business day. Due to the time demands on our physicians, our patients do not typically speak directly with the physician by phone.

Prescription Refills

Prescription refills (including pain medications) are provided during office hours only. If you are currently taking a medication and would like to request a refill, please call your pharmacy directly. They will fax your request to our office. If your refill request is approved by the doctor, it will be faxed or called to your pharmacy within 48 hours (of the time that we receive the request from the pharmacy). All refill requests received over the weekend will be handled by Tuesday. If your refill is not approved, you will receive a call from one of our nurses. Please pay attention to the number of refills remaining on your prescription(s) and the amount left in the bottle. Typically, being out of refills of chronic medication indicates that you are due for an annual Health Assessment or follow-up General Medical visit. If you need to talk with our nursing staff prior to having a medication refilled, please leave a message on our Nurses’ Line and you should receive a return call within 48 hours. Please provide all pertinent information including: name of medication, any questions or changes you are requesting, as well as the pharmacy name, address, and phone number. If our clinical practice guidelines or the physician notes in your medical record indicate that you are due for an annual Health Assessment or follow-up visit, your will need to schedule the visit prior to any prescription refills being authorized.

Test Results

Depending on the laboratory and or type of test you have performed, it takes anywhere from a few hours to weeks for our office to receive results. Laboratory and other test results are received and routed directly to the ordering physician’s email box to be reviewed. Our physicians will review and take action on all results within 48 hours of receiving them. In most cases, the physician will notify you of test results directly via email. If there are abnormal results that require discussion or treatment, you will be asked to return to the office for a General Medical visit so that action may be taken. If there are significantly abnormal results that require immediate action, our nursing staff will contact you directly. Please call our office if you have not received the results of any tests within one week. You may also contact us if you would like to receive the actual lab results report via fax or US postal service.

Referrals and Scheduling

ProPartnersMD nursing staff arranges referrals to specialists and schedules tests and procedures that are done outside of our office. Depending on your insurance plan, our nurses may need to obtain a “pre-certification” before scheduling your referral or test. In many cases, it will be more convenient for you to schedule the consultation or test yourself, directly with the office you are referred to. Our nursing staff will help in every way needed to instruct you and answer all your questions concerning the process. They will also be happy to schedule the appointment or test for you, if you or your physician prefer.

Hospital Care

ProPartnersMD has contracted with a group of internal medicine physicians who specialize in in-patient medicine to take care of our patients who need to be admitted to a hospital. These “hospitalists” are on staff at numerous hospitals in the greater Kansas City area and are always available to see ProPartnersMD patients who are referred from our office or by an emergency medicine physician in any hospital Emergency Department that they staff. We have found that our patients receive better quality care and service if our physicians focus on office-based care and our hospitalists manage our patients in the hospital. Ask our staff for a list of the hospitals that are staffed by our hospitalists and then check your insurance plan to determine which of these hospitals that they also participate with.

E-Mail Policies

There are many cases where email correspondence is the fastest, most accurate, and least expensive way for our staff to communicate with you. If you provide us with your email address, we will use it whenever practical to send you medical and office paperwork, test results, recommendations, appointment reminders, billing statements, general health information, announcements concerning our medical practice and its services, among others. Your email address is only used according to the “PATIENT CONSENT FOR USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION” form that every new patient of ProPartnersMD signs on their initial visit. If you are uncomfortable with the use of email for these purposes, or if you do not check your email frequently, please do not provide us with your email address.

Medical Records and Paperwork Requests

Medical records are the property of ProPartnersMD. Because we adhere to strict confidentiality regulations (HIPAA), we must receive a written request form with your original signature and a copy of your driver's license in order to release or forward your records. This request must include: the patient’s full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and the full name, complete address, and phone number of the physician/facility where the information is to be sent. Our office staff will provide this form to you in our office or by email. There is no charge to have your medical records sent directly to another physician's office or medical institution. Our physicians and office staff receive frequent requests to write, complete, and/or send various letters, forms, medical records, and other paperwork for our patients. We are happy to provide these services and can often provide them at no charge if requested during an office visit. Otherwise we charge a minimum of $10.00 for completing a form or letter. The fee is higher for longer letters and forms that require a summary of your medical history. We also charge a fee for copying, handling, and mailing medical records at the rates established by Kansas law. If you require any of these administrative services, please ask our office staff about current fees.

Questions / Concerns / Complaints / Grievances

ProPartnersMD staff is dedicated to the delivery of quality health care and patient satisfaction. However, we recognize that concerns may arise. We ask that you first try to resolve the concern with the person involved if you are comfortable doing so. If there is no satisfactory resolution, you may contact any of the following for assistance: the Office Manager, the Medical Director, or the Director of Customer Service. If there is still no resolution, the Director of Customer Service will explain the grievance process and other options that may be available to you. You also have the right to notify any of the state or federal regulatory agencies governing healthcare organizations.

 

Termination

As a patient of ProPartnersMD, our physicians have an ethical and legal obligation to provide medical services to our patients. There are occasionally instances when we will no longer be able to provide these services to you. Our medical practice reserves the right to terminate the physician-patient relationship for any reason but will do so only according to our practice guidelines after a determination by our Physician Review Committee. The steps involves in such a termination will include: written notice delivered to the patient by certified mail, a brief explanation of the reason(s) for termination, availability for the patient to continue to receive medical care and services for 30 days following written notification, recommendations for finding another primary care physician in the area, and an offer to transfer medical records to a newly-designated physician upon signed patient authorization to do so.

Narcotics Policy

The ability to prescribe narcotics is a privilege that is granted by the DEA. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has strict regulations governing the prescribing of narcotics. The physicians at PPMD take this privilege very seriously. This policy is designed not only to safeguard this privilege, but to also ensure that PPMD provides appropriate patient care.

Narcotics are prescribed for short-term use only. If required for periods longer than a few weeks, and a definitive diagnosis has not been established, a diagnostic evaluation (which may include referral for consultation with one or more specialists) will be initiated to determine the diagnosis. If the patient chooses not to pursue a diagnostic evaluation, PPMD will not be able to continue to prescribe narcotics.

If / when a diagnosis has been determined, the patient will be referred for definitive treatment or to Pain Management if long-term chronic pain management is required. The physicians at PPMD are not trained in Pain Management. Chronic pain management is not a part of our practice, nor is it a service that we provide.

Violation of, or refusal to comply with any of these guidelines may result in narcotics no longer being prescribed and / or dismissal from the practice.