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Family Health Center - FAQs
- What is a Family Doctor?
- Why is it important that my family and I have one?
- What should I do when I need my doctor?
- What if my doctor is not available?
- What is a Family Medicine Resident?
- What are Family Doctors able to do?
- What do I need to do to make an appointment?
- What do I need to bring to my appointments?
- Do I need an appointment to have forms filled out (such as disability or FMLA)?
- What do I do if I need a special referral that requires an authorization (such as an MRI or sleep study)?
- How can I get my prescriptions refilled?
- How do I get a copy of my complete medical record?
- What should I do if I am running late for my appointment?
- What if I have no insurance or cannot afford my copay?
What is a Family Doctor?
- A doctor that really knows you and your family.
- A doctor that you trust.
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A doctor that can take care of most of your family's problems.
Why is it important that my family and I have one?
We now know that when you need a doctor, you need someone who really knows you and has a broad understanding of medicine. When you see a different doctor for every problem, often the real answer is missed and the combination of medicines you take may cause more harm than good.
What should I do when I need my doctor?
Call the Family Health Center, 443-777-2000, and arrange to speak with or have an appointment with your doctor.
What if my doctor is not available?
Another provider is always available from the Family Health Center or on call. That provider can use the computer to see your health records. Our promise is that when another provider sees you, your family doctor will know and be able to follow up with you.
Remember, it is always better to talk to your doctor first. Many problems can be solved without a visit if your doctor knows you.
What is a Family Medicine Resident?
A Resident is a doctor.
A resident has graduated from medical school and is working under the supervision of faculty to become a specialist in Family Medicine.
The Family Health Center has trained over 230 Family Physicians since it was founded in 1972.
Residency lasts three years. While the residents spend time on many different rotations, your resident is available in the Family Health Center every week.
We also have students from all over the country rotate here, especially students from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
What are Family Doctors able to do?
- The care we provide to Family Health Center patients includes Well child care, well adult care, and we deliver babies
- We manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, HIV and Hepatitis C.
- We do home visits, take care of you in the hospital and we take care of patients in the nursing home
- We do sports medicine, gynecology and dermatology
- We provide counseling for problems such as attention deficit, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence.
We can take care of most of the problems families have.
Family doctors also keep you safe by helping you get the care you need from specialists, and making sure that the tests and medicines they order are right for you.
What do I need to do to make an appointment?
Call 443-777-2000 and ask for an appointment with your family doctor. The most important question in the Family Health Center is who's your doctor?
You have a Family Doctor here and it is important that you know your doctor's name when you call for an appointment.
What do I need to bring to my appointments?
Bring anything that you feel will help you and your family doctor:
- your medications
- inhalers
- over the counter medications
- information you have collected such as blood sugars and blood pressures
- calendars marking things you wanted to remember to tell your doctor
- any reports from other doctors or hospitals you may have visited
- your insurance card and your co-pay or provide a minimum payment to your account
Do I need an appointment to have forms filled out (such as disability or FMLA)?
Yes. We almost always need additional information from you and this ensures that the time is set aside to get that information and complete the forms.
Don't forget to bring the forms when you come.
What do I do if I need a special referral that requires an authorization (such as an MRI or sleep study)?
The FHC will need approximately 5 days to process this authorization before you can schedule it.
How can I get my prescriptions refilled?
Call the FHC when you are down to a one week supply of your medication. Be prepared to give your name, the name of the drug, the dosage and how often you take it, the prescription number and the drug store number. It may take two working days for prescription refills.
How do I get a copy of my complete medical record?
We would need a signed release from you. Once we receive it, we will need approximately 10 days to process your request.
What should I do if I am running late for my appointment?
Let us know as soon as you can. If you are late and the time for your visit is lost, you will have to wait for your doctor to finish with the other patients or reschedule.
If you have problems with transportation or other reasons that prevent you from getting to your appointments, talk to your doctor. We will also arrange for you to speak with our social worker to assist you.
What if I have no insurance or cannot afford my copay?
We also work with self-pay patients to provide affordable healthcare. You will be asked to pay for your visit at the time of service unless prior arrangements have been made. Financial counseling is available to help schedule a payment plan for those who cannot pay in full for their services at the time of visit or within 30 days. We offer a sliding fee scale for those who qualify financially. You will be required to complete the needed paperwork to apply for these benefits.We are also aware of some other programs that might be able to help you with your healthcare costs. Please ask us about these services
Thank you for letting us be your Medical Home
