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We see all patients on an appointment basis. Please always arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. The reason for your visit will determine how soon you need to be seen and how much time to allow for your visit. Please schedule a physical/preventative care visit at least two months in advance. If you are unable to keep an appointment, please notify us 24 hours prior to your appointment. Our after-hours office answering system allows you to leave an appointment cancellation message when our office is closed.
Appointment Hours:Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 4:30pm
Watkin, Nipple Associates would like to clarify the utilization of our office in emergency situations. While we understand your primary care provider (PCP) may know you best, there are some symptoms that can change rapidly and could represent potentially life-threatening emergencies.
In many of these situations, timing is critical. You may require immediate attention to prevent progressive damage to vital organs. The emergency department of the nearest hospital is where this care is best provided.
These symptoms/situations may include, but are not limited to, the following:
If you are uncertain of how to manage a particular situation, please do not hesitate to call our office. However, do not delay accessing emergency services while awaiting recommendations or a return call from our office.
Most importantly, if a life-threatening emergency arises, please go immediately to the nearest emergency department or call 911.
At Your Office Visit: We want our patients to take the correct medication and the correct dose. To ensure this we strongly suggest you keep a written record of your medications and bring it with you to every visit.
Give the list of medications for which you need refills to the nurse as you enter the exam room.
We want you to obtain all refills at your regular office visit. This is most efficient for you and for us.
Check all your bottles for refills needed BEFORE your next regularly scheduled office visit (you know how often your physician usually sees you; make sure you will have refills to last that long). If you are unsure, you can bring your bottles of medications and check at each office visit.
It is our strict policy NEVER to refill controlled substances (narcotics, etc) after-hours or on weekends. Plan ahead! Your regular provider will refill all controlled substances.
In order to process each patient referral, we must have at least three working days notice. This will ensure there is adequate time for your physician to review your chart and the referral department to prepare your referral. It is the policy of both your insurance company and this office that paper referrals be hand carried to the specialist. Advance notification and timely pick-up of your referral form will maximize the efficiency of the referral process.
Please remember that most insurance companies require us to authorize all CT and MRI studies. Please ensure these authorizations have been obtained by the office who ordered your diagnostic study.
The referral desk is happy to answer any questions or assist you in any way between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00pm Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
Our receptionists have been trained to ask the nature of your problem when you call. They will discuss your questions with one of the providers and relay the answers and instructions to you. You can reach our office between the hours of 8:00am and 4:45pm. Unless there is an emergency, our stall will not interrupt the providers while they are seeing patients. Emergency calls received outside these hours will be handled by our answering service. Phones are signed out to our answering service from 11:45am to 1:15pm for lunch.
ROUTINE calls for non-urgent scheduling, prescription refills, billing department, and referral department should be made between 9:00am -4:30pm Monday through Friday. *Please be aware Monday morning is a high-volume call day. If it is appropriate to call later in the week, please do so.
WEEKEND phone calls should be of an URGENT/EMERGENCY nature which cannot wait until Monday morning.