Office Policies

ON-TIME ARRIVAL POLICY: We ask that all new patients arrive at least 30 minutes before their scheduled appointments and all established patients arrive at least 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment so that they may have an adequate amount of time to complete any necessary documents and/or forms. Patients who arrive more than 10 minutes late for their scheduled appointment may have to reschedule their appointment for another day and pay the cancellation and missed appointments fee since our physicians make a strong effort to adhere to their pre-arranged schedule at all times. However, please note that sometimes we may have unexpected delays due to the urgent or complex needs of other patients and will make every effort to get you seen by a physician within a timely manner.

CANCELLED, RESCHEDULING, AND MISSED APPOINTMENTS: Patients must cancel or reschedule their appointment at least 24 hours in advance. Cancellations and rescheduling of appointments can be done by speaking to someone from the office in person or on the phone or by leaving a voicemail message. If a patient misses an appointment and/or does not cancel or reschedule their appointment within 24 hours, a fee will be charged. New patients will be charged $250, follow up visits will be charged $150, and infusion* patients will be charged based on the amount of the infusion* generally takes ($150 per hour). Please help us serve you better by keeping your scheduled appointment. Patients who miss or fail to keep two or more appointments in a twelve (12) month period, without any type of notification, will be discharged from the practice.

*when and if infusions are provided

REFERRAL/AUTHORIZATION: Most medical insurance companies require a referral from a patient's provider in order to see a specialist. Therefore, if a patient chooses to access specialty services without prior authorization from their provider, or elects to use a Point of Service option, or fails to notify Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center that their insurance plan requires specific outside vendors, such as laboratories, to perform referred services, the patient may be financially responsible for the services rendered and needs to be aware that their insurance may not cover the costs of these additional medical services.

MESSAGES: By signing this document, patient consents that Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center is authorized to leave messages on their voicemails and SMS/MMS text messages with detailed information about them and of their care. Patients will respond to voicemails and text messages in a timely manner.

ANCILLARY SERVICES: Patients may be billed separately for services such as laboratory, imaging, or other ancillary services depending on their individual medical insurance.

SPECIAL LETTERS AND FORM COMPLETION: Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center charges fees for any forms/letters describing any medical conditions and/or treatments for their patients. This fee is based on the length and complexity of the form or requested letter. Payment must be presented at the time of letter and form request. Please allow 5-7 business days for our office to complete them. Additional time may be needed, depending on the request and provider’s schedule. All forms must be submitted with patient portion of the document fully completed. Any forms related but not limited to disability, FMLA, or employment accommodations that may involve extensive chart review and/or examination, may require an appointment.

MEDICATION REFILLS: Medication refills may take up to 48 business hours to be completed. For patient safety, patients are required to follow up on a regular basis with necessary lab results for our providers to continue medication refills. Refill requests may be done in person at the appointment, via phone or voicemail, or via letter to the office. Prescription refill requests from pharmacy will not be filled or authorized. Prescription refill requests must come directly from the patient. Please be aware that Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center does not call individual pharmacies. In addition, if a patient's prescription requires a prior authorization, Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center may require up to 72 business hours to complete this request. Furthermore, please note that some prescriptions will not be authorized by a patient's insurance company. It is the patient's responsibility to file any necessary appeals and know what medications are covered under their pharmacy benefits. Lastly, to best serve the patient's medical needs, please ensure that Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center has the patient's most current pharmacy information on file.

PRIOR AUTHORIZATIONS: The office will work with insurance companies to file prior authorization as a courtesy to the patient. The authorization process can take up to 2 weeks and may be longer if the insurance denies and an appeal is needed. If multiple appeals are needed, charges may apply.

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE PRESCRIPTION: Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center reserves the right to not prescribe controlled substance medications and will not prescribe continuous pain medication. Controlled substances will not be prescribed for new patients on the initial visit until a complete work up has been performed and all medical records have been received. If the patient is prescribed a controlled substance medication, the patient is responsible for the medication and prescription. Patients who require continuous controlled substance medications will be referred to their primary care physician or a certified pain management physician.

FEE FOR MEDICAL RECORDS: A signed medical release form (which is valid for minimum of 30 days) will be required for any copies of patient medical records. Furthermore, Oasis Rheumatology Medical Center charges a fee for all copies of patient medical records, whether they are copied, faxed (if applicable), mailed or picked up from the medical office. This fee is based on the size of the chart, the amount of time it takes to be copied, and any additional forms or documents that are required to be filed out for the medical records. The fee must be paid in full before any records will be released. It may take up to 72 business hours to have a patient's medical records prepared.