Emergency and After- Hours
In the event of a severe emergency; go directly to the emergency room at Cannon
Memorial Hospital or to the closest available emergency room to be evaluated.

If the situation  is not that severe, and arises when the office is closed, call the Cannon Memorial Hospital Switchboard at (828) 737-7000 so the switchboard operator can
forward your call to the doctor on call. You will receive a response as quickly as
possible.

/f an urgent situation arises  during office hours, call the office and leave a message for the doctor; your call will be returned as quickly as possible with instructions on where to meet for further care.

Appointments
A// patients are seen by appointment. When you schedule an appointment, please, let us know what the purpose of your visit will be, so we can allow enough time for your visit. If, after that, your needs further extend beyond the time allotted, we hope you will allow us to set up another appointment to address all the important issues. Please bring all your medications to your appointment to allow us timely refill of your prescriptions
We do our best to see all patients on time; however, appointments that run beyond the allotted time, birth deliveries, and emergency patients may cause unforeseen delays. In such a case, we ask you to bear with us.

Cancellations
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please notify the office as soon as possible, and preferably with at least 24 hours notice, so that we can reschedule you, and re-allocate that time to another. Canceling your appointment also prevents the office from having to charge you a "No Show" fee for the reserved, but unused, time.

Prescriptions and Refills
Please give us 24 to 48 hours notice on all prescriptions. (All prescriptions and authorizations for refills are processed after 5 pm.) Please don't wait until after office hours, the weekend, or until a holiday to request refills on your medication.

If you want prescriptions to be filled outside the local area, please provide us with the FAX number of the chosen pharmacy.

Our Office FAX: (828) 737-7694

Insurance Fees and Payments.
Please bring all insurance information with you to your appointment. Our front desk receptionist will be glad to take your insurance information and help clarify what your plan offers. Most insurance plans are intended to cover some, but not  all, of the cost of your treatment. Most include co-insurance, a "deductible", and certain expenses which are to be paid by the patient. We will work with you to assure that you receive the maximum benefits to which you are entitled. We make every effort to keep down the costs of your medical care. You can help by bringing the necessary insurance papers with you, and by paying for your treatment at the time of your visit. Any "co-pay" will be due prior to seeing the physician. If financial hardship stands in the way of you obtaining health care, please, notify our receptionist.