Appointment Scheduling Guidelines

The office maintains patient appointments based on patient clinical need, patient preference, clinical staff availability, and time requirements for the type of appointment.

The office provides clinical services by appointment 8 hours daily, 5 days a week. Office hours are posted on the front door and reviewed with patients during their office visit. All patients have access to a physician on-call 24-hours a day. In emergency situations, patients are referred to the nearest emergency room.

During the week (Monday through Friday), patients needing appointments after hours are referred to the on-call physician.

Office appointments should follow the guidelines shown below:

Type of Appointment/Definition	Guideline for Scheduling Appointment
Annual Health Physical Examination: Comprehensive annual examination and physical appropriate for age and gender of patient.	Available within 30 days. Annual physicals require a 30-minute appointment.
Routine Care: Patient visit for routine preventive care other than a comprehensive physical examination.	Available within 14 days. Routine appointments require a 15-minute appointment.
Non-Urgent Examination: Conditions requiring clinical examination for patient complaints, signs, and symptoms of illness, with no immediate threat to the patient.	Available within 2 days, depending on patient circumstance.
Urgent Examination: Conditions requiring medical intervention on the same day.	Available within the same day or within 4 hours.
Emergency Care/Situation: Life-threatening or other conditions for which the patient needs to be seen immediately	Available immediately, or patient is referred to nearest emergency room.

Appointment Reminders

Call patients to remind them of regularly scheduled appointments 2 business days prior to their appointment. When applicable, send an email or text reminder as well.