Practice Policies

 

The following policies outline our operating procedures and should answer many questions you may have about Smokey Point Family Medicine's services. If you have a question that is not listed please contact us (360) 659-4440. Printable forms are available in the right box, under the Practice Forms header. These may be printed and filled out prior to coming into the office.


Appointments

Appointments can be made during regular business hours. If you are unable to keep your appointment, we ask that you be considerate of other patients who may need to be seen by canceling as soon as possible. We will bill you a cancellation fee for a missed appointment without proper notification. If you arrive late for your appointment, we will make every attempt to work you in, however your appointment may have to be rescheduled. All co-pays are due at the time of service. For new patients, and patients that have transferred their records from Cascade Valley Clinic, we recommend filling out our pre-visit forms to minimize the waiting time.

 

Walk-In Appointments

Appointments are available on a walk in basis during designated times. Walk-in patients may have to wait at least for one hour if there are scheduled patients before them. Walk-In patiens will be assigned to providers based on availability. If you are an unscheduled patient, we recommend printing our recommended pre-visit forms to minimize the waiting time.

 

No Show and Cancelations

Failures to fulfill office appointments (“No-Shows”) will be recorded in patients’ charts. To cancel an appointment with your family doctor, we require 24 hours notice. This policy makes it possible for us to see other patients who might not otherwise be treated. There is a $20.00 charge for appointments canceled without at least 24 hours (1 business day) notice.

 

Insurance Policy

Before your first office visit, it is essential to verify your insurance coverage. If you changed insurance since your last visit, please call your insurance provider to confirm that Smokey Point Family Medicine or Dr. David Dunnington at Smoking Point Family Medicine is accepted under your insurance. Dr. David Dunnington has changed locations, so your insurance policy may need to be ammended in order for your insurance to pay for the visit. If your insurance company requires you to pick a Primary Care Physician (PCP), Dr. David Dunnington must be the PCP listed on your insurance card.

 

Although Humble Family Practice’s friendly staff is here to assist you, your health insurance contract is between you and your insurance company. Any questions or complaints regarding your coverage should be directed to your insurance carrier.

 

Each time you arrive for your appointment, you will be asked to present your insurance card and verify your address and phone numbers. Although this might be an inconveince,, we have found that many insurance companies make slight changes to coverage that are important for us to know. Please be prepared to present your insurance and current address and phone information when checking in for your appointment.

 

Waiting Time

While we make every effort to reduce patient waiting time to less than 20 minutes, it may be possible that there is a medical emergency or a patient who requires more than their scheduled time. Please be patient, remember that it could be you who requires our extended attention. Please fill all forms appropriately to minimize waiting times. Please have list of all your medications with exact doses to minimize time spent on trying to obtain this information which could affect waiting time for other patients.

 

Financial Policy

Patients who have a self-pay insurance policy will receive a 20% discount to their visit. We ask that self-pay patients bring at least 100 dollars at the time of service to cover their office visit.

 

HIPAA & In-Office Medical Records Privacy Policy

Smokey Point Family Medicine complies with HIPAA, the federal health safety act. Patients are required to sign a Notice of Privacy prior to treatment. Please read a copy of our Privacy Policy, which is located here. You should also sign the Privacy Acknowledgment form here.

 

Telephone Calls

Our phones are answered by our staff from 8:30 to 6:00. Our trained staff accepts all calls from patients, enabling the Doctor to spend more time with the patients in the office. A nurse or medical assistant will try their best to return all calls received before 4:00 pm by the end of the day. Calls received after 4:00pm will be returned by the end of the next business morning

 

Medication Refills

Prescrtion refills will be provided at the physicians discretion based on need to see patient prior to issuing such requested refill. Please allow 5 business days to complete such medication refills.

 

Test Results

 

Narcotics Policy

Short course narcotics will be provided if determined medically appropriate for acute issues. We are not accepting any new patients with prolonged or chronic pain problems. Any new patients are required to send their previous health records for review before becoming established patients at this clinic.

 

Life Threating Emergencies

Smokey Point Family Medicine is a primary care facility. We are not equipped to treat life threatening emergencies.In event of such life threatening emergencies we will provide basic life support measures and promptly call 911 to transfer patients to an appropriate medical setting.