General Information

Office Hours

Office hours are from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays.

Insurance

The receptionist will ask to verify your insurance information, address, and telephone number at the time you check in for your appointment. This is necessary in order to correctly process your insurance claim.

Billing

In most cases, we will bill your insurance company or health plan. You are responsible for payment of your deductible, co-pay, and any non-covered services. These charges need to be paid at the time of the office visit. If you have any questions about the billing process, please call our billing department at (505) 855-5525.

Emergencies

A physician is on-call 24 hours per day if you have an emergency. If you need help when the office is closed, call the answering service at (505) 857-3844. If you have a serious medical problem that requires immediate medical attention, dial 911 or proceed to a hospital emergency room. We are on the consulting medical staff for Presbyterian Hospital and Lovelace Medical Center. If you need to be hospitalized, physicians called "hospitalists" will manage your care while you are in the hospital. We prefer that you use one of the downtown hospitals, because they are full-service facilities that can handle all types of problems.

After Office Hours

If you have a medical problem or concern that cannot wait until regular office hours, then call the answering service at (505) 857-3844. You will be called back by your physician or the physician on-call.

Medications

Your medicine may be an important part of your treatment. It is vital that you understand as much as possible about your medicines, and that you take them properly.
1. Learn the name and dose of each medicine you are taking. If you cannot remember this, keep a list with you at all times, or bring your medications with you to each office visit.
2. Never stop taking a regular medication without checking with the physician first.
3. If you think you may be having a serious side effect from a medicine, call right away.
4. Plan ahead. Make sure you have enough medication to last until your next appointment. If you are taking a trip out of town, take along an ample supply of medicine.

Prescription Refills

We will always try to give enough medication to last until your next regular appointment. If you run out of medicine, it usually means you are late for your appointment. If you must call for a telephone refill, please allow up to one week for the request to be processed. Antibiotics and narcotics will never be prescribed over the phone.

Appointments

Appointments are made by calling the receptionist during office hours. If you have an urgent problem that cannot wait until a routine appointment time, please tell the receptionist so that we can arrange to have you seen as soon as possible.

Hospitalization

We are on the consulting medical staff for Presbyterian Hospital and Lovelace Medical Center. If you need to be hospitalized, physicians called "hospitalists" will manage your care while you are in the hospital. We prefer that you use one of the downtown hospitals, because they are full-service facilities that can handle all types of problems.

Referrals

If you think you need a referral to another physician for a consultation, you must first make an appointment to see your primary care physician for evaluation. If a referral is necessary, we will contact your health plan within a few days. You need to call the office of the consulting physician to arrange the appointment. If you wish to confirm that your referral went through, then the day before your appointment you can call the physician to whom you were referred, or you can call your health plan directly. Referrals will be made by phone only in cases of emergencies. *Referral requirements are dependant on Health Plan Benefits

Telephone Calls

We receive a tremendous number of telephone calls every day. We must ask for your help in keeping the calls to a manageable level. If you have to be put on hold when you call, we will do our best to make the time as short as possible. Please do not call us to check on the status of referrals to other physicians (see previous section for the correct way to do this). We will call you within a week of receiving the final report of any tests that are done, unless arrangements are made for a follow-up visit to do this. If you do not hear from us on any test, do not assume that it is normal. Call the office to be sure we received the report and get the results.

Privacy

Read our Privacy Notice.

E. Michael Lewiecki, MD                                    
Lance A. Rudolph, MD

This page update 01/10/08