FORM-6 Patient Handbook - A Helpful Guide
E-Mail & Phone Communication
Phone Calls: Our phone number is (513) 924-5300. Call us with any needs you may have. We work very hard to answer the phone with a live person but missed calls will get a return response within 24 hours. If you have an Urgent situation then please make that known at the beginning or your message. If it is a true medical Emergency, then please call 911 for immediate assistance. We are not available 24 hours per day.
E-Mail: HippEvo is our software that will provide you with your own personal patient portal for any digital communication. The HippEvo messaging system is HIPAA compliant (protected). This provides you the most time efficient means of communication to ask clinical questions, change appointments, make administrative inquires and more. To access this platform simply go to www.Hippevo.com Go to the LEARN tab and find “A Guide to Using HippEvo” in the right hand column. The video there will walk you through the steps of accessing your patient portal.
HippEvo Website
HippEvo is our website that offers a wealth of informational articles, videos, and other tools for your use. Your patient portal, found on HippEvo, will house all treatment sheets, lab orders, some lab results, clinical directives and education from your doctor, and the messaging system. This is a critical link to our office and your best health. Please become very familiar with it.
Prescription / Medication Refills
Medication refills are typically addressed during your office appointments so make your practitioner aware of medication needs at that time. If refills are needed in between appointments, have your pharmacy send us that request.
- Allow 72 hours for completion of refill requests.
- Do not wait until you are down to the last 3 doses of your prescription – plan ahead.
- Governmental agencies such as the DEA have laws in place regarding medication refills. If you have not been seen by your doctor or have not completed the proper labs to assess your health status then the DEA will not allow us to refill your medication.
- Patients receiving hormone therapy, including thyroid treatment need to be seen every 6 months in order to receive refills.
Lab & Test Results
See our website, www.Huberpm.com menu bar “Patients” >> “Labs” for lots of helpful information on how to complete your lab test properly. We strongly recommend that you complete lab requests thru Labcorp. If you elect to go to a lab other than Labcorp then you accept responsibility for getting us the results prior to your appointment. We will not reliably receive your labs from any lab other than Labcorp.
Your Labcorp test results will be available on Labcorp website once completed. Please create an account at: https://patient.labcorp.com/. All labs are available to you directly via this portal.
For some specific testing we may employ a peripheral lab outside of Labcorp. These are often urine or saliva tests that you collect at home. We will provide you these kits and offer instruction for proper specimen collection.
Timing of labs: It will often take 2-3 weeks to get complete lab results so allow for this time window when scheduling your lab and office appointments to best facilitate a great experience. Some Labcorp results along with ZRT, Heavy Metal tests, Great Plains Lab often take 3 weeks to get results.
Lab Pricing: We have arranged discounted “Pre-Paid” lab options through LabCorp for your benefit and convenience. Please see our website [ www.huberpm.com ] and go to “Patients” >> “Labs” >> “High Deductible”. We have taken great measures to keep your health care costs affordable in order to help pave the way to your ideal health. Don’t overpay for labs.
Lab Review: We review all your lab results in detail with you at the time of your appointment. It is impossible to interpret lab results without speaking with you about how you are feeling. A complete review of all lab results via e-mail is not practical nor safe. It’s an involved conversation, not a quick glance.
Appointments
We will make every effort to be available to you in a manner that fits your schedule. This is personalized care and we are committed to serving your needs. If we are unable to keep a previously set appointment, then we will notify you well in advance and make alternative arrangements. Given our commitment to our patients we try to make the best use of each day.
Appointments that are missed without providing notice means that someone who needed care was unable to receive it. If you are unable to make your appointment, then we respectfully request 48 hours notice so that we can open up that time space for someone else. Appointments that are missed with inadequate notice will be billed at the discretion of the practitioner. Our office policy is to keep your credit card on file in a secured location and will not be used without your notification.
Payment for Services
We are a self-pay facility and do not participate with any insurance plans or Medicare. Our services may be covered by your insurance as “out of network” care and we suggest you check with your insurance company for details. Payment is due at time of services. We will provide a classic “superbill” with appropriate billing codes for your insurance, but you are responsible for submitting insurance papers for reimbursement. We do not keep a copy of your superbill. If you have a flexible spending account or health savings account, our treatment sheet serves as a prescription and can be submitted for reimbursement.
Letters of Medical Necessity
We are happy to help you with any necessary paperwork such as work excuses, school notes or letters of medical necessity of any kind. We provide this as a service to you at no charge and are happy to help with simple requests. Some companies or public entities have developed very involved questionnaires and processes. If the forms you've request us to fill out require an excessive amount of time or chart review then you may be billed at the discretion of your practitioner. We do not process disability paperwork or claims.
HSA & FSA Needs
Your treatment sheet is a PRESCRIPTION. It contains the doctors signature and his medical license number. This can be submitted to your FSA or HSA and meets all of the requirements as an explanation for medical need and service.
Duplication of Medical Records
If your insurance company requests a copy of medical records, they will be forwarded a prepayment invoice before records are sent. Other requests to duplicate medical records will incur a fee determined by number of pages and will be commensurate with the complexity of the issue. You have access to all of your own labs and test results via HippEvo portal.
Returns/Exchanges of Botanicals, Nutraceuticals, Vitamins, etc:
If you experience difficulty with any recommended or prescribed supplement, then simply discuss this with your practitioner and we will make a correction to ensure your success. We accept return of any unopened products that are not near their expiration date.
Returned Checks
We require a credit card number on file for all checks written. Checks returned for insufficient funds will result in a $60 fee plus the amount of the original check charged to your credit card.
EMERGENCIES
We will always make every attempt to be there to support your ongoing medical and health needs but our office functions as a consultant rather than as a primary care office. We are not equipped to provide 24-hour service and are not available on weekends or holidays. We do not provide emergency services. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact your primary care physician or your local emergency medical service or call 911.
Students
Your scheduled appointment is YOUR time and we want you to feel at ease as you move your health forward. Dr. Gary Huber and Dr. Tony Bianco are Adjunct Clinical Professors for pharmacy and medical students as well as medical residents. Occasionally we host a student in our office as part of their educational rotation. If we are hosting a student you will be asked if these students have your permission to sit in on your appointment and observe. The students are well-educated and often very helpful. If their presence makes you uncomfortable, then you may request they not be present – this is not a problem as they have many other duties that they can attend to. It is important that you feel comfortable and relaxed for your office visit.
By signing this form, you are stating that you have been shown the office policies and agree to the terms set forth. As always, we are here to help and will work with you at any juncture to ensure a happy and healthy journey.
Patient signature___________________________________ Date: _________