Office Visits
Your First Appointment
At your initial visit, our receptionist will ask you for personal information such as your address, phone number, and social security number. Then, the receptionist will make a copy of your insurance cards. He or she will then review your insurance coverage as well as our billing and reimbursement procedure.
At CHO, we respect your time and try to honor your scheduled appointments. Please let the receptionist know if you have been waiting more than 30 minutes - this should only happen in the event of an emergency, and we apologize in advance if you are inconvenienced.
Before you leave our office, please ask your physician when you should return and the reason for your next visit: physician appointment, chemotherapy or radiation treatment, or a nursing appointment. Whatever the occasion for your return, our receptionists will try to find an appointment time that's convenient for you.
In-between Visits
Calls and Emergencies
We encourage patients to call us if a question or problem arises in-between
visits to the office. Your physician or nurse will return calls as quickly
as possible. If you feel your call is an emergency, please tell the receptionist
(or the answering service). Note that one of our physicians is on call
24 hours a day, 7 days a week - so please don't hesitate about calling
our office if you have a problem!
If you call your physician's office after 5:00 p.m., our answering service will automatically pick up. The physician on call will then be paged and will receive your message. When the doctor returns your call (allow up to one-half hour before calling again), please identify yourself. Have a friend or family member do the same if they are calling for you. It is very important that you turn off your caller ID or call blocking if you want the doctor to call you back after hours. Also, have your pharmacy's number handy if the doctor needs to call in a prescription.
If you want to check on test results, note that your physician will generally have the information in two to three days. If the results indicate a need to change your treatment, your doctor will call you immediately. Otherwise, the results will be discussed with you in person at your next appointment.
If you have been in the hospital between visits to CHO, ask your doctor when you need a follow-up visit; then call us for an appointment.
Prescriptions
For your convenience, Commonwealth Hematology-Oncology maintains a supply of chemotherapy medications and other intravenous treatment drugs in each of our offices or clinics. If you require oral medications, we will give you appropriate prescriptions.
You can refill many prescriptions by simply calling your pharmacist - early in the day, if possible - with the name of the medicine and the prescription number. Your pharmacist will then call our office for refill approval.
Certain types of prescriptions can't be refilled over the phone, so you or a family member will need to come to our office to pick them up. Once you obtain a written prescription for these medications (e.g., M.S. Contin, Dilaudid, Duragesic, Percocet, etc.), take it to your pharmacy right away to have it filled. Please note that narcotic prescriptions must be filled within three days of the date shown, or they will be void. Therefore, you should request the prescription before your supply runs out. It's also a good idea to see if you'll need a refill before holidays and weekends.
Many insurance plans provide a mail-order prescription service that allows a three-month supply of medicine. Please let us know if you are eligible for this.
