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Change in Hospital Staff
06/07/2008
I am no longer on staff at Porter Adventist. Soon I will be joining the Swedish Hospital medical staff. As always you may go to your preferred hospital and I will stay in touch with the hospitalists caring for you.
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No More Housecalls
06/01/2008
I regret that I am no longer offering house calls for new patients. I will continue to see all of my current home visit patients and any of my patients that need home visits in the future. I know there is a shortage of doctors doing housecalls in Denver, but I found myself stretched too thin by trying to be in the office and out in the field as well.
Thank you for understanding.
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No Longer Doing Hospital Care
06/01/2008
I am no longer doing hospital care for my patients. While I have always enjoyed providing hospital care for my patients, it has become too difficult to be in the office and try to get to the hospital for rounds as well. The presence of hospitalists enables me to oversee your care, while remaining in the office full time. Thanks for your understanding.
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Prior Authorizations
01/09/2008
If your health insurance plan requires a prior authorization in order to get certain prescription drugs, I am happy to take care of that for you. Some insurance companies make it quite easy, other nearly impossible. It has taken me up to 45 minutes in some cases to get the authorization completed.
To make the process more efficient, I have set aside time on Friday of each week to handle these requests. So please plan ahead if you need a refill of a drug that requires this kind of clearance. You might have to wait up to a week for me to have the time to make the call.
Insurance companies are requiring more and more of these prior authorizations as a way of trying to get out of paying for more expensive drugs. I am seeing more and more of these this year. I suspect it is because we have had the Medicare part D drug benefit for a year now.
So please be patient as I work through the ever increasing piles of paperwork. I will do my best to take care of these requests for you as efficiently as possible.
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Shingles Vaccine
01/01/2008
Should you get the shingles vaccine? I recommend it to those whe fulfill the following criteria.
1. Age over 65
2. You have previously had chickenbox
3. You have never had shingles before.
The vaccine is covered by some Medicare Part D plans and certain private insurance plans. If you don't have coverage the price usually runs about $180. It is well worth the cost considering the costs involved in treating the disease itself and its consequences.
The vaccine is available at most Walgreens pharmacies. Since as a solo practioner I have to pay an extra $40 per vaccine, I have found it is not cost-effective for me to provide it in my office. I regret the inconvenience, but since I loose money on each shot, I just can't afford to offer it.
Thanks for understanding.
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