Getting Your Labs Done
- All labs should be done fasting unless otherwise stated by your doctor. (Fasting means not having any food or drink except for water at least 8 hours prior to blood work.)
- Lab orders expire after 3 months. (Doing labs promptly is recommended.)
- Lab orders are done electronically. (You do not need a paper copy of lab order. They will be in the computer system when you arrive at the lab.)
- We do not use “standing orders.” (This means you need to have an order placed by your doctor before going for blood work. If you are not sure if an order is in the system, please call our office prior to going to the lab.)
Getting Your Lab & Test Results
- Good Sense Medicine will notify you of all lab & radiology results. (We do NOT believe in the idea “No News is Good News.”)
- If you do not receive results within 2 weeks, please notify our office.
Webview
- Secure EMAIL messaging of results directly from your physician
- This option will enable you to view all lab results & radiology reports including your doctor’s interpretation. You may also message back any questions/concerns to your physician.
- To utilize this option you need to be registered with WebView.
Medication Refills
- Please contact your pharmacy if you would like to request a refill. The pharmacy will then contact the doctor for authorization if necessary (many times refills will already be available).
- Refills are not available after-hours by the on call doctor.
- Refill requests for medications that are not taken daily typically require evaluation in the office. For example, we don't prescribe medications including antibiotics for urinary tract infections or bronchitis without first evaluating the patient.
- Please allow 48 hours for refill authorization.
Emergency Care
What to do in an emergency: Seek care at the nearest emergency facility or dial 911 (if your area has emergency response service). If a delay would not be detrimental to your health, call us first, if possible. If you are admitted to the hospital, have a friend or family member notify our office as soon as possible.
Referrals
As your primary care office, we will coordinate all of your medical care. Please consult our office whenever you have questions about your health and obtaining specialist care. We will be able to help you select the proper specialist and continue to coordinate your care with the consulting doctor. Many times, follow-up care can be provided through our office. However, if it is medically necessary for continuing care to be provided by a specialist, we will help arrange this for you. Please make sure that we are aware of any medications that a specialist prescribes for you. Please allow 24 hours for referrals to be processed.
Telephone Calls to the Office
We welcome your telephone calls and encourage you to call the office if you have any questions or concerns. If you have a question for your physician, we will most likely take a message and have him/her call you back during a break in our schedule, at the end of office hours, or by e-mail on our secure website. This allows the physician(s) uninterrupted time with all patients.
If you need to make an appointment, our office staff will assist you in doing so. When calling for a sick visit, please call as early in the day as possible so that we can see you that day. You may be asked to speak to a nurse so that we may arrange the most appropriate plan for your care.
If you need to cancel an appointment, please call the office as soon as you are able. Twenty-four hours’ notice is requested when possible; this allows us to offer the appointment time to another patient.
Urgent Calls
A physician is on call at all times. If you have an urgent medical problem, call the office immediately. During scheduled office hours, provide your name and a description of the situation to the receptionist. When the office is closed, our answering service will take your call. Please indicate that you are calling regarding an urgent situation; the answering service will contact the physician immediately. A physician will guide you in your urgent care.
Telemedicine
Did you know we are offering virtual office visits?
You can visit with face-to-face with one of the clinicians at Good Sense Medicine over your mobile smart phone or over your computer.
Telehealth or telemedicine is a normal medical consultation between a patient (located in a remote location, usually your home) and a medical professional (usually in the office) using video conferencing software and an audio and visual link over the internet.
What are the advantages of Telehealth?
Every patient’s situation is different but in general the benefits of this service are:
- reduced waiting time to see your health care professional
- reduced travel time and costs
- reduced absence from work
- care received at home
