We accept most major insurance plans; such as Tricare, BCBS of TN, Medicare, United Health Care, Aetna, Cigna, Mailhandlers, TennCare Select. If you are not sure whether we participate in a specific insurance, contact your insurance carrier to see if we are listed as participating providers.

All patients will have access to appropriate medical care within a reasonable length of time. Appointments will be made according to type:

• Emergencies: will be seen that day unless we refer you to the Emergency Room at Gateway Health System.



• Urgent: within 24 hours (ie, high fever, animal bites, flu, severe pain, etc.)



• Routine Care: within 9 calendar days of initial call (ie. mole removal, consultations, etc.)



• Well Care: within 6-8 weeks (ie. complete physical, well woman exams)



• Walk-ins: will be accommodated if possible. However, we do urge all our patients to call for an appointment. If all practioners are booked, and it is not an emergency, you may be asked to schedule an appointment.
  
  
• After Hours: The answering service will forward your message to the on-call physician. The on-call physician is available for emergency and urgent medical needs only!



• Tardiness: If you are 15 minutes late you will be asked to reschedule.



• New Patients: We request that all of our new patients arrive 30 minutes prior to their appointment time. We will need you to complete a patient information form and will need to obtain information verification.
  
  
• Missed Appointments: If you miss (3) or more appointments without providing 24 hour notice, you risk dismissal from our practice. We must be given 24 hr notice for cancelled appointments. If 24 hr notice is not given, a $40.00 fee will be charged to you. This fee must be paid before you will be seen again.
  

Our office will facilitate a referral to another physician if needed. Please allow 72 hours to obtain a referral (unless it is an emergency). You must see your primary care physician for the illness/condition before a referral can be made to a specialist.

1. Please bring a list or actual bottle of the medications you are taking to each of your visits.
2. No prescription refills will be done on holidays or after hours unless it is an emergency.
3. At the discretion of the provider, No refills will be given if you are over due for a follow up visit.
4. Samples of medication are intended for starter packs for patients and will not be given out on a routine basis.
5. All patients on narcotics, tranquilizers, and/or barbiturates for chronic pain will have to sign a Controlled Substance Medication Agreement. No controlled substances will be refilled without the patient being seen.

Note:
** If you participate with a national pharmaceutical company, we will no longer be able to call or fax in your prescription. Due to the enormous amount of calls these companies receive, we experience long periods of hold or busy signals. We will be happy to write out the prescription for you to send in or call it into a local pharmacy.

Test results will be called or mailed to you within 10-14 days of the test (sooner in most cases.) Please allow 14 days before you call and request the results. If a physician outside our practice ordered tests on you, please call that office for the results.

One of the goals of our practice is to keep cost of medical care as low as possible. In order to do this we ask that you adhere to the following:

1. Present your health insurance card at each visit and update your records whenever a change occurs. You will be asked to update annually.
2. Uninsured patients will be expected to pay in full the day of the visit.
3. As a courtesy, we will bill your insurance company. We will assist you in getting the benefits you are entitled; however, the responsibility for payment is ultimately yours.
4. If special financial arrangements need to be made, you should contact our office manager. If your account is over 90 days and no payment arrangements have been made, you will be turned over to our collection agency.
5. If you are unsure of what your insurance plan will cover, please contact your insurance carrier prior to your visit.
6. Routine / well woman physicals are not covered by medicare. Other insurances may or may not cover physicals under your plan. You will be responsible for charges incurred that are not covered by your insurance.

Payment is expected at the time service is rendered The receptionist will ask for payment of your copay, if applicable, prior to being seen. We accept Visa, Master card, cash or checks. Returned check fee is $30.00.

Your original records are the sole property of Gateway Medical Associates, P.C.. In order to receive or transfer a copy of your records, you must sign a release of medical records form, which is available at our front desk. There is a minimum charge of $20.00 for the cost of reproduction, copying and mailing of such records. The fee is due and payable by the patient at the time of the request. Please allow 10-14 days for your request to be processed and completed.

This is an adult clinic and we don't allow children into the clinic for the following reasons:

1. The waiting room is often full of adults with illnesses that are easily transmitted to others. Your healthy children are placed at an unnecessary risk of infection.
2. Clinical exam areas contain many interesting objects for little hands to explore. Unfortunately, these interesting objects can be very dangerous to the child or others.
3. Children can often be distracting, and by making other arrangements for your healthy children, you can concentrate on the vital information your health care provider is giving you.
4. Out of respect for those patients whom are sick.

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA for short) was signed into law in August of 1996 by former President Bill Clinton. HIPAA is a large and complex piece of legislation that deals with many issues. The privacy portion of HIPAA became effective April 14, 2003. For patients and health care workers HIPAA raises awareness for the privacy of an individual's protected health information to a level not previously known. HIPAA affects everyone in this country in some way. For the patient it insures a level of privacy protection. We at Gateway Medical Associates, P.C. (GMA) have always respected the privacy and confidential nature of our patient's information and it is our intention to be compliant with the HIPAA standards.

GMA's Position on HIPAA.

At GMA the privacy of your health information has always been at the forefront of our emphasis. Employees are trained in the confidential nature of what we do and then are required to reaffirm annually the commitment to maintain a high standard for privacy. GMA believes in the standards for the privacy of your health information and will continue our commitment to privacy and confidentiality by complying with HIPAA standards. Notice of Privacy Practices.

Notice of Privacy Practices document for GMA is available for you to view. Click here to view this document.