FAQs

For your appointment, kindly bring the following items:

• Your State ID
• Your Insurance card (if applicable)
• Preferred payment method
• Bringing along your previous medical records or prescription containers can be beneficial, especially for initial visits
• New patients are advised to bring along a printed copy of their completed New Patient registration forms, available in the New Patients section of our website.

We request new patients to arrive 15 minutes before their appointment time to allow sufficient time to complete necessary paperwork and check-in procedures. Established patients should aim to be here 10 minutes before their scheduled appointment to allow for a smooth check-in and payment process. To respect everyone’s time and maintain our schedule, we rely on everyone’s effort to arrive a bit early for their appointments.

Bear in mind that your appointment reserves a specific slot of your provider’s time exclusively for you. If an appointment is not canceled or altered 24 hours in advance, it prevents us from providing services to other patients who may require immediate attention. To avoid a Late Cancellation fee, appointments should be canceled or rescheduled at least 24 hours in advance. Patients who either cancel late or fail to attend 2 or more appointments at any point during their treatment will be released from the practice. This measure is necessary as consistent no-shows or cancellations compromise our ability to deliver quality care.

Patients arriving more than 15 minutes past their allocated slot may face rescheduling of their visit and the imposition of a late cancellation fee.

Follow-up appointments are vital to ensure patient safety, particularly for those undergoing medication maintenance therapy. The frequency of these appointments depends on your clinical condition and the specific medications in use.

While we strive to attend to all incoming calls, high call volumes might occasionally necessitate voicemail responses. In such cases, please leave a message with your name, date of birth, a concise description of the issue, and your contact details. We endeavor to respond to all messages within 24 business hours.

Our clinic staff is equipped to address general inquiries concerning payments, insurance, and appointments. More specific medical queries will be resolved by our clinic staff in consultation with your provider. For concerns regarding medication adjustments or symptom exacerbation, we will request you to schedule an appointment, as we do not make medication changes via phone. If direct discussion with your provider becomes necessary, please note that such calls are restricted to a maximum of 5 minutes. Any calls exceeding this duration may incur additional charges, inclusive of telephone consultations with family members.

Should you have an urgent medical concern outside of our standard operating hours, you can reach the on-call clinician by calling our office number and following the instructions on our recorded message. After leaving your name, contact number, and a brief description of the issue in the voicemail box of the on-call clinician, you can expect a prompt callback. Please note that if the matter is not of an urgent or emergent nature, you might not receive a callback from the on-call provider.

Indeed. Non-urgent matters (for instance, medication refills, scheduling, and billing issues) can be handled via email or by leaving a voicemail for our clinic staff. Calls regarding non-emergency concerns may incur charges for after-hours care. Similarly, non-urgent or non-emergency matters may not prompt a return call from the on-call provider.

In a life-threatening situation, you should immediately call 911 or head to the nearest Emergency Department. Do not risk delaying care by waiting for a response from our on-call provider.

We accept most leading insurance providers. At present, we are in-network with the following: Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United, Humana, Aetna, Seton Health Plans, Sendero Ideal Care (excluding Medicaid), Seton Health Alliance, WellMed, Multiplan, Oscar, Tricare East.

We are legally bound to collect the amount deemed due by a patient’s insurance provider for the services we provide. We strictly adhere to this principle and do not charge more or less than the amount approved by the insurance for patients’ visits. In the event of financial hardship, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We empathize with your situation and are committed to working with our patients to achieve the best possible health and happiness outcomes.

Please direct any billing-related inquiries by calling us at 302-670-7374 or filling out the form at our contact us age.

A large number of insurance providers offer coverage for one wellness assessment per annum, typically without any out-of-pocket expense to the patient. These exams often include certain tests intended to prevent disease or detect it in the early stages. Regrettably, most insurance providers do not extend their coverage to services that fall outside the purview of the physical examination. They may opt to only partially cover, or not cover at all, the cost of an office visit for separate health issues discussed during the exam. This includes discussions related to new or persistent health problems (like blood pressure, rashes, back pain, UTIs, etc.), in-office procedures (such as wart removal or ear wax extraction), or lab tests for injuries, illnesses, or chronic conditions. Services or conversations that might not fall within the coverage of a physical exam could include necessary immunizations not initially scheduled (like TB tests for work), pathology or Pap tests not deemed routine by your insurance, and tests not typically required given a patient’s age or health risk. Your doctor might recommend regular lab tests for health screening (such as cholesterol, thyroid, or complete blood count), but these may not be covered by your insurance or might be considered part of your deductible, resulting in you receiving a bill for them. Each insurance provider determines coverage on a case-by-case basis, and these decisions cannot be predicted by Pace Community Medical. If you have queries about what your health insurance plan covers for routine physicals or wellness exams, we recommend reaching out directly to your insurance provider or your organization’s Human Resources Department. Any costs not deemed part of a routine physical or wellness exam will be billed separately, and any items or services not covered will be the patient’s responsibility. Pace Community Medical regrets any inconvenience this might cause and appreciates your understanding that we are required to adhere to the insurance company’s billing guidelines to process claims on behalf of our patients.

While we do assist with prior authorizations where applicable, please bear in mind that these services are extended as a courtesy. We strive to obtain insurance coverage for the prescribed medicines, but the onus ultimately falls on you to liaise with your insurance company to ascertain which medications are covered or to appeal decisions on coverage.

We require that all renewal requests be placed at least 3 business days before your medication runs out, and this also applies to controlled substances. Several avenues are available for you to request medication renewals. You can contact us at 302-670-7374 to converse with an associate or leave a voice message. Please note, your provider only reviews renewal requests at the end of the business day, so it is important to plan. Be advised that under no circumstances will we be able to renew medications after business hours, on weekends, or during holidays.

Please note that we only renew medications for active patients who regularly attend their scheduled appointments. If you have not been seen within the follow-up period recommended by your provider, your renewal request may be denied. If you’re overdue for a follow-up and require a medication renewal, please arrange an appointment; at this point, your clinician may approve a temporary renewal. However, temporary renewals will not be provided for controlled substances.

Pace Community Medical has consistently complied with both state and federal guidelines regarding the prescription of controlled substances. This formal policy defines the relationship between Pace Community Medical providers and our patients.

No. We have maintained a policy of not prescribing opiate medications for the management of chronic pain.

Controlled substances are federally regulated medications that can lead to physical and mental addiction. Their usage and renewal are subject to stringent limitations. These medications are under strict regulation by the DEA. Controlled substances include, but are not limited to Vicodin, Adderall, Xanax, and Testosterone.

Any patient prescribed a controlled substance:

• Must only use the medication as directed and refrain from sharing the medication with others.
• Must adhere to regular follow-up appointments, with no more than 90 days elapsing between appointments for controlled substance refills.
• Must consent to their treating physician reviewing state data to ensure no other prescriber is also prescribing any similar controlled substances.
• Must comply with regular urine drug screenings (a state law requirement).
• Must inform our clinic if any other controlled substances are prescribed by another medical practice.
• Can only receive refills at designated refill times. No early refills or replacements for lost or stolen medications will be provided.
• Could be issued a warning or dismissed from the clinic for any rude or disrespectful behavior towards staff.

Controlled substance refills are only processed from Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 5 pm during regular business hours. No refills will be processed outside of regular business hours. Regular after-hours calls requesting controlled substances refills could lead to a warning or cessation of medication.

Violation of the controlled substances rules could result in anything from a warning to dismissal from the clinic. Selling or abusing any controlled substance prescribed by our clinic or displaying aggressive behavior towards the staff, such as cursing, yelling, or threatening, will lead to immediate dismissal with no exceptions.

Under no circumstances will early refills be granted, irrespective of the situation (for instance, if medication has been stolen, misplaced, misused, or if a handwritten prescription is lost before filling, etc.). You must wait until the next eligible fill date for a new prescription.

Pace Community Medical adheres to state and federal guidelines regarding the use of urine toxicology screens to monitor controlled substance use. We order these screens before prescribing a controlled substance and randomly during the course of treatment. Refusal to undergo toxicology screens, the presence of non-prescribed or illicit substances, or the absence of prescribed medications in your sample could result in discontinuation of controlled substances and potential termination of care.

Pace Community Medical adheres to state and federal guidelines when prescribing controlled substances, including ADHD medications. Given updates to federal and state regulations regarding ADHD medications in May 2023, we are following these guidelines in our practice. Our clinic will not assume treatment of any patients’ ADHD medication if they were previously treated by an online or telemedicine ADHD/ADD group as of May 1, 2023. Such patients will be referred for face-to-face psychiatric evaluations. For patients receiving treatment from a psychiatrist or another physician through face-to-face appointments, we will need to obtain their records before potentially taking over the administration of any ADHD medications.

For the latest developments and insights regarding COVID-19, continue to visit this resource: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/whats-new-all.html.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 is a United States labor law that requires eligible employers to grant their employees job-protected, unpaid leave for specific medical and familial circumstances. Should a medical condition qualify for medical leave, our practitioners may, at their discretion, undertake the task of completing the FMLA paperwork. Please note that due to the extensive time required to review medical records, complete forms, and address any follow-up documentation, a fee will be levied for this service.

We can provide medical certificates, also known as sick notes, following a consultation with our doctors. The issuance of these notes is subject to the discretion of the doctor based on the findings from your visit.

If you have an HMO insurance policy, you may require a referral for specialist consultation. We strive to submit the referral to your insurance provider within 48 hours of your visit. However, due to varying processing times among insurance providers, it may take up to a week for your referral to be approved. We appreciate your understanding and patience during this process.