Dear Valued Patient,

Thank you for choosing Associated Physicians of WNY. It is our privilege to care for you and to provide you and your family with the quality service you deserve. The heart of what we do centers on caring with compassion and treating you like family. That means your safety and well-being are our top priority. Our caregivers are passionate and dedicated to being there for you at every step of your health and recovery journey.

By now, you have likely heard a great deal about the new Coronavirus. Coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19, is an infectious disease first detected in China and now making its way to various parts of the world, including the United States.

Symptoms of Coronavirus includes

• Fever
• Respiratory symptoms, such as cough
• Shortness of breath.

COVID-19 is in a family of viruses similar to the common cold and therefore it is believed to spread - like other respiratory illness - through coughs or sneezes, or by touching an infected surface or object and then touching your own mouth, nose or eyes.

At Associated Physicians of WNY, we take the safety of our patients and our employees very seriously. Therefore, we are taking the following precautions to reduce the risk of spreading illness:

• If you have recently traveled to any country on the CDC’s high-risk list for COVID-19 exposure(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html), DO NOT VISIT us without first calling us for medical advice. Current CDC guidelines are for travelers to these countries to stay home (“self-quarantine”) for 14 days. The guidelines apply even to returning travelers who have no cold symptoms. If you have an appointment for a physical or a routine matter, please call our office, and we will reschedule your appointment. If you have respiratory symptoms or are concerned about your travel history, please call so we may assist you.
• We are not seeing patients on a walk –in basis.
• If you have not recently traveled to one of the countries on the CDC travel list and you have active respiratory symptoms, please call our office to speak with a nurse. Influenza, bacterial pneumonia and non-COVID-19 infections are very common this time of year and are treated differently from COVID-19. When appropriate, we will provide medical guidance or treatment over the phone. If you are asked to come into our office, you will be given a mask to wear during your visit. If you are having severe respiratory symptoms, you may be directed to visit the nearest Emergency Room for evaluation and management.

We will soon be offering telehealth visits for sick patients using either your cell phone or via computer. To learn more about our televisits please download the Healow App to your cellphone.

We greatly appreciate your assistance and understanding as we learn more about the Coronavirus. A great source of information on this evolving situation is CDC.gov.

 Here are a few things you can do on your own to help keep yourself and those around you healthy:

• Wash your hands frequently, or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol.
• Avoid touching your face, eyes or nose to reduce the spread of germs.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow. Infections like the coronavirus spread through the tiny droplets in coughs and sneezes.
• Stay home if you feel sick. If you have flu-like symptoms or otherwise feel unwell, stay home and rest. Call your provider to reschedule your appointment for a later date. This will reduce the risk of spreading your illness.

Thank You

 

 

 

Provider visits are by appointment only. Due to the nature of the schedule, walk-ins are discouraged, but emergencies are never refused. Patients are seen according to their scheduled time and not by time of arrival to the office, with the exception of a true emergency.

In the event your usual physician is not available, an associate provider will be offered to you. Please remember to check in and out with our receptionists at every visit.

Since appointments are scarce at certain times, and always needed for urgent visits, you will be charged a non cancellation fee for a missed appointment if adequate notice is not given (24 Hours). Repeated missed appointments may result in discharge from the practice.

A missed/un-cancelled new patient appointment will not be rescheduled.

Please discuss your questions or concerns during your scheduled office visit whenever possible. Our automated telephone response system will direct your call to the appropriate triage nurse, medical secretary or billing personnel. Every effort is made to handle your inquiry in an efficient manner. Be assured the medical advice you are given by our telephone triage staff has been given under the direction of our providers. Return telephone calls to the triage nurse (when you are left a message by them) should be made Monday-Friday between the hours of 9am - 12 pm or 1pm - 4pm.

Should an emergency arise outside regular business hours our answering service will contact the provider on-call if necessary.  Please limit these calls to emergencies or urgent problems. Notify our office if you have gone to the Emergency Room or Urgent Care Center without our directive.

Forms should be brought to your office visit to complete when appropriate. If a form is needed between visits please allow enough time for completion. Depending on the complexity of the form a fee will apply. This fee is not covered by insurance. Allow up to 7- 10 business days for completion.

All prescriptions refills should be requested during your office visit and will be electronically sent to your pharmacy along with any new prescriptions. If a prescription is not received by your pharmacy when expected, please contact us and inform the staff or on-call provider immediately so we may resolve any problems. Pharmacies can request routine refills electronically from our office. Your medications will be reviewed and reconciled at every visit. Therefore, bring a complete, updated list to your visit, including over the counter drugs, herbal supplements and vitamins.

As of 3/27/2016 all controlled/narcotic medications will be sent electronically as mandated by NYS law. Patients must contact office 48-72 hours prior to completion of refill to allow for authorization process. Controlled drug refills will only be completed during regular business hours. Patients must be seen every 2 months minimally when prescribed these medications.

If the need arises for you to see a specialist, we ask that you please contact the office at least one (1) week prior to our appointment. You may be requested to be seen in the office before a referral is issued. Insurance Referral requests are handled Monday through Friday 9am-4pm. A voicemail message may be left.

APWNY participates with most health insurances. Please bring your insurance card and prescription card with you to every visit. In accordance with State, Federal and Managed Care Requirements, copays and deductibles are your responsibility. Payment of any non-covered service is expected to be paid at the time of your visit. Cash, personal check, or credit/debit card (MasterCard/Visa, Discover) are accepted for payment. Please advise us if you have any special financial difficulties. We will make every effort to work out a mutually satisfactory payment plan.

There will be a $15.00 fee for returned checks.

Questions

Questions regarding your account may be directed to our billing department Monday through Friday 9:00am - 12 noon and 1:00pm - 4:00pm at 829-1100