Carolina Diabetes and Endocrine Clinics is a consultative Diabetes and Endocrine practice that specializes in the following areas:

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office policies

Patient Information pdf

Welcome

The physician and staff of Carolina Diabetes and Endocrine Clinics, a division of Carolina Clinics PA, welcome you to our practice. We believe in providing the highest quality diabetic and endocrine care and management in a warm and pleasant environment.

The information that follows is intended to answer any questions you may have and help you to be well informed. If you have any questions, however, please ask them. Our physician and our medical staff understand the importance of your health. We have experience accommodating the special needs of adult patients with diabetic and endocrine disorders. We take pride in our work and welcome your comments and suggestions.

With warmest regards,

The Entire Staff at Carolina Diabetes and Endocrine Clinics

Who we are

We are a specialty consulting medical practice providing diabetic and endocrine care by a board-certified physician who makes it a priority to establish a personal relationship with each patient. We specialize in the diagnosis and ongoing care and management of diabetes and other endocrine problems.

We have four locations in both North and South Carolina to better serve our patients. See the last page for a listing of the locations and clinic hours at each location.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to promote patient wellness and awareness with comprehensive care and educational programs that empower patients to manage their own disease. We encourage our patients to participate in their disease management and communicate with us to continually improve their quality of life.

Office Hours, Appointments, Cancelations

We prefer to see each of our patients on an appointment basis; and so, we request that you call in advance in order to reserve a time. We have offices in four different locations to allow convenient access for patients. We encourage you to call the office most convenient to you and schedule a time with the doctor. Urgent conditions and emergencies are given special consideration.

We encourage new patients to arrive 15 – 20 minutes prior to their appointment so that we can properly register you and collect information from you to help the doctor with your care.

If you must cancel or reschedule an appointment, please call us at least 24 hours in advance. Failure to call to reschedule or cancel your appointment may result in a late cancelation fee of $25.00.

We make every effort to be on time for our patients and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us. Should an emergency occur which would delay seeing you promptly, we will make every effort to notify you. We ask for your understanding in this matter.

Confirmation Calls

We will call you one or two days prior to your appointment to confirm the time of your appointment. To save time, we will pre-register new patients on the day you call to make your appointment. We will ask the usual questions regarding name, address, and phone number, and we will ask you for specific information from your insurance card. We require that you bring your insurance card(s) to your appointment as we need to make a copy for your chart. We will also make a copy of your driver’s license or other photo id.

Medical Records

The information contained in your medical records is strictly confidential. We value the trust you place in us to keep this information confidential and we will not release information without your signed permission. If you wish to have a copy of your medical records, please call the office to have a release form sent to you. When we receive this completed form in our office, we will copy and send your records. If multiple copies are requested you may be charged for copying and handling. Please allow at least two weeks for this process.

Your First Appointment

Listed below are several items we request that you bring to your first visit.
*Please Note that the forms listed below are available on our website: www.CarolinaClinics.com

A completed Patient Registration Form that is enclosed with this pamphlet or located on the website.
A Diabetes Complications Screening Questionnaire for diabetic patients.
A completed Patient History Sheet that is enclosed with this pamphlet. This will assist your physician in making a diagnosis, assessing, and treating your present problem. This form also requests a list of your current medications, the dosages, and how long you have taken each one.
Your insurance card(s), driver’s license or other photo id, and social security number. We must make a copy of your insurance card(s) in order to properly process your claim for you. We require your driver’s license and social security number for identification purposes.
Any lab test results, films, and copies of medical records you may have. Lab results are particularly important as they will enable your doctor to reach a diagnosis and begin effective treatment more quickly.
A referral from your insurance plan (HMO) if one is required. We realize that insurance requirements can be difficult to understand, so we encourage you to learn all you can about your plan’s requirements by calling the customer service number on your card. If you still need help, please call the experts in our office who can help ensure that you receive all your entitled benefits.
A referral from your Primary Care Physician (PCP) to our physician is necessary. This can be as simple as a written note on your primary physician’s prescription form.
Any questions you may have for your physician. We encourage you to write down your questions so that you do not overlook any. We want you to be informed and will answer your questions so that you fully understand your care and treatment.

Phone Calls

All of our patients are encouraged to call our office during regular office hours with questions concerning medical problems. Laboratory test results are discussed with patients at the next office visit, but if you wish to know the results prior to your visit, please call our office. The office staff has been trained to answer many of your questions, but in some cases, they may take a message for the doctor to return your call.

Emergencies

If you find it necessary to contact your physician after normal office hours, please call the office number (888) 900 ENDO which is (888) 900-3636 and you will be put in touch with our answering service who will reach our physician.
A life-threatening condition should be treated at the nearest emergency room. The hospital staff will contact your physician.

Test Results

Results from laboratory tests that the doctor has ordered are generally returned to our office within one week. These results will be discussed with patients at their next visit. However, if you wish to learn the results of your test, we request that you call the office and give both a day and an evening phone number where you can be reached. A member of the medical staff will return your call to discuss the results with you. Some patients may require an appointment to discuss results.

Blood Draws

Staff at each office will draw blood for testing ordered by our physician. Please call the office of your choice to learn about the hours this is done. If you choose, you may go to another site or hospital facility, or to your Primary Care Physician to have your blood drawn. Please ask these facilities to send results to us at the Monroe office. (Fax: 708-296-2743)

Prescription Refills

We encourage you to call your pharmacy and have the pharmacist call or fax a request for a refill to us during normal business hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for prescription refills. Better yet, please request refills at the time of your appointment. Please call well before you are out of your medication so that we have time to properly process your request. We require at least 48 hours for the processing of any refill requests. If you have not seen your physician for some time, it may be necessary for you to come in for a visit or to obtain some laboratory tests before he can refill your medication.

Insurance & Referrals

We ask that you bring your insurance card(s) and driver–s license with you to each and every visit made to our office. We offer you the courtesy of submitting your charges to both a primary and secondary plan. Our professional, experienced staff deals with over 200 insurance plans and can help negotiate the complex maze of requirements. Familiarity with your particular insurance plan will minimize the potential for delays or limited coverage associated with your visit or surgery.

HMO plans, and some other plans, require that patients seen in our office bring a referral to each visit. Referrals are obtained from Primary Care Physicians and are your responsibility to provide. If your plan requires a referral, we cannot see you without it.

Paying for Your Visit

In our practice, we expect payment at the time of service for patients who have no insurance coverage. If you are covered by an insurance plan, we expect co-payments required by your plan to be paid when you register for your appointment. We offer you the courtesy of submitting charges to your primary and secondary insurance plans; and we expect that any remaining balance due will be paid in a timely manner, certainly within 30 days. If you have additional plans, we will provide you with the papers necessary to send claims to them.

In order to make it easier for you, we accept cash, checks, money orders, VISA, Discover, American Express or Master Card for payment. All may be given as payment at the front desk or sent with your statement for payment of your balance.

We send monthly statements to inform you of any balance due, and we will also remind you of money due when you call to schedule an appointment and when we call to confirm appointments. We expect that patient due balances will be paid upon receipt of our statement or at your next visit. If it becomes necessary to place your account with a collection agency, all costs of this process will be your responsibility.

While our billing professionals will do all they can to help you in communicating and negotiating with your insurance plan, we must inform you that any balance remaining on your account that is 60 days old will be considered your responsibility and billed to you.

Should there be an issue with your ability to pay, we encourage you to call our office and schedule a consultation appointment with our financial advisor, who can help arrange a payment plan for your balance due.

This Chart outlines our policy in more detail.

If you have...	You are responsible for...	Our Staff Will...
“Regular” insurance or commercial insurance also known as indemnity insurance.	Payment of balance remaining after insurance payment and/or any balance older than 60 days.	Answer any questions for you. File insurance claims to your primary and secondary insurance as a courtesy to you.

Managed Care plans with which we have a contract. A list is available at the reception desk.	Payment of all applicable copays and deductible at the time of the office visit.	Answer any questions for you. File insurance claims on your behalf.

Managed Care plans with which we have no contract and/or patient has no referral.	Payment of all applicable copays and deductible at the time of the office visit.	Answer any questions for you. File insurance claims on your behalf.

Medicare	Payment of balance specified by Medicare. Payment of any services and supplies not covered by Medicare at time of your office visit.	File claims on your behalf to Medicare and your secondary or Medigap insurance.

No Insurance	Payment in full at time of visits.	Work with you to settle your account. Please speak with our staff for assistance.

Public Aid Or Medicaid	Presenting our office with your current HFS card and a $2.00 payment before each visit if 18 or older and not pregnant. Payment of all medical supplies.	File a claim to Public Aid on your behalf.