Aiken Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates, P.A.

OFFICE HOURS AND APPOINTMENTS

 

Our office is open every day Monday through Friday, 8:00a-5:00p. Please call for an appointment. Although some of our most popular appointment times are booked far in advance, we will always find time to see you for very urgent or emergency problems. Please call if you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment.

 

New patients are ALWAYS welcome.  We appreciate your referrals!!

 

After hours, one of our doctors is always on call to handle emergencies. If you have a problem that is not an emergency, please call during office hours so that we may have ready access to your medical records and can help you in the best possible manner.  On weekends, we share call with Dr. Hoover.

 

TELEPHONE

 

We welcome and encourage you to call the office if you have a problem or a question or need to get in touch with us for any reason. Please make non-emergency calls between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. when your records are readily available.

 

After hours, our practice accepts emergency calls from patients. However, patients must provide a working call-back phone number. All privacy director and anonymous caller rejection filters must be turned off in order to receive a call from the physician on call.

 

During office hours, we have installed a voice processing system to ensure that your call is handled quickly and properly.  Please choose the appropriate voice prompt with your telephone touch tone pad, and you will be directed to the appropriate extension. If the individual you choose is not available, you will be directed to their voice mail, and your call will be returned before the end of the business day.  Please leave a number where you can be reached, and please keep the line available so that we will be able to reach you.

 

If we reach an answering machine, we will most likely leave a message that says ONLY that you are to call your doctor's office.  All medical information is confidential, and we cannot leave a message that relates to your medical care.  We can only discuss your medical care with you, or to whomever you have given us written permission to do so.

 

If you are calling to check on laboratory reports or a progress report on your condition, you may leave that request with your physician's nurse. She will call you back at her earliest opportunity after speaking with your physician. Should you wish to speak with your physician directly, he or she will make every effort to return your call at the earliest possible time. Sometimes this may be after office hours or the next business day.

 

If you are calling to have a prescription refilled, we ask that you call during office hours so that we will have your chart available to make certain that a refill is the best course of treatment. It is a good idea to have the phone number for your pharmacist available in case the physician wants to discuss the medication with him or her.

Obviously, emergency calls are accepted at all hours. The physicians in this practice alternate night calls.

Controlled substances are not prescribed by phone after office hours.

 

MEDICAL RECORDS AND CONFIDENTIALITY

 

All your medical records are confidential. We will release the records only with your written authorization.

Medical records are processed in accordance with South Carolina law.

Similarly, we will not discuss your case with anyone, including your spouse or family members, unless you have given us specific written permission to do so.

 

FEES

 

We strive to maintain our fees at a reasonable level commensurate with the level of care you will receive and the high level of training by the physicians in this group practice. Please understand, however, that some insurance plans may set their reimbursements at arbitrary levels that bear no relationship to the cost of rendering medical care. Our primary concern is your health, and that will be foremost in our minds at all times.

 

We have standardized charges for various procedures. These fees are listed in the office and are available to you at all times during normal business hours. If you have any questions about fees, please feel free to discuss them with our office manager.

 

Charges for office visits are expected to be paid at the time of the visit. Payment may be by Cash, Check, Money Order, Visa, Mastercard or Discover.

 

The fees for obstetrical care include nearly all medical care from your first visit through your prenatal care, your delivery, and your visit following delivery. Extra charges may be made for special laboratory tests, ultrasound, and treatment of unusual or high-risk problems. If a cesarean birth is needed, an extra charge is made for surgery.

We recommend that you discuss fees for obstetrical or gynecologic surgery with our office manager to arrange payment schedules that will be convenient and acceptable. She will be happy to discuss any and all fees with you. If any financial problems arise, please let our office manager know.

 

INSURANCE

 

We are pleased to say we participate with the majority of health care plans in this area. We DO have participation agreements with Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO, Cigna, United Healthcare, and Aetna as well as many others. If we are not listed in your preferred provider list, please call our office at (803)649-7535 and inquire as to our participation. If you are enrolled in a plan in which we do not participate, our office is pleased to file your claim as a courtesy.

 

Your insurance is generally a contract between you and your insurance company. You are responsible for your bills regardless of what your insurance pays.

 

We currently participate in the Medicaid program for Obstetric (pregnant) patients.  Our Nurse Practitioner accepts Medicaid for Gynecologic patients

 

CARE DURING PREGNANCY

 

We deliver all of our patients at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. We are pleased to say that our hospital has been awarded a Level II certification for our neonatal care unit. This was determined on the basis of our skilled hospital nurses, equipment, and facilities available at our hospital.

 

Each of our obstetricians is fully trained and qualified to deal with high risk pregnancy complications. Should an unusual situation arise, you can be assured you will receive the highest quality care in the region.

Obstetrical anesthesia, such as epidural anesthesia, is available for your comfort and safety around the clock through the hospital's Anesthesia Department. That same department offers a one hour informative class which is provided free of charge.

 

We strongly encourage you to attend the Childbirth Education Classes given at the hospital. We will also discuss appropriate reading material and educational information.

 

This is a group practice, and although you will choose one of us to be primarily responsible for your continued care during your pregnancy, it is possible that one of the other physicians in our group may be on call at the time of your delivery. During the course of your pregnancy, you should have ample opportunity to meet each of our obstetricians.

 

A group practice such as ours assures that you will have access to continuous and consistent medical care. A doctor and your medical records are always available. When one of the doctors is on call at the hospital, the other doctors are seeing patients in the office.

 

GYNECOLOGIC CARE

 

You will have the physician of your choice as your primary physician for your periodic checkup and scheduled visits.

There may be times when you have an emergency situation arise when your personal physician is not in the office. In that case, one of the other physicians in the group or our nurse practitioner will be available to take care of your health needs. Each of us has access to your medical records so that if an emergency does occur, we will be familiar with your medical history.

 

We offer a full range of gynecologic services including periodic checkups, infertility evaluations, hormone replacement therapy, office and outpatient gynecologic surgery, major gynecologic surgery, subspecialty referrals when necessary, and coordination of care with other specialists. As noted below, we provide medical imaging services such as Referral for Mammography, Ultrasonography, and Osteoporosis screening.

 

We do not perform elective abortions.

 

ULTRASONOGRAPHY

 

These imaging studies are performed in our office, for your convenience.

Ultrasound is available in our office, aiding in diagnosis without a delay. Michelle, our sonographer is a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.  We perform pelvic (gynecological) and obstetrical ultrasounds, both trans-abdominal and trans-vaginal, as well as breast ultrasounds.  She has had many years of clinical experience in Ultrasonography.