FAQs

If you would like a refill on any of your medications, we recommend you first contact your pharmacy. For chronic medications, our doctors usually place 1 year of refills from your last visit. The pharmacy should check for available refills and if none are available, the pharmacy staff should contact your doctor for you. We have noticed pharmacies vary in their patient support, which can be frustrating for patients. Alamo Pharmacy is very good at doing this, which is why we recommend them. You may also request non-urgent refills or transfer of refills to Alamo Pharmacy through your Patient Portal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

HEALOW PATIENT PORTAL

Your doctor has prescribed a treatment plan utilizing medication that is considered “off-label”.  The term “off-label” is when an FDA approved medication is used in a way that has not been approved by the FDA. Off label prescribing is a legal practice and is utilized frequently by medical doctors.

Although your doctor has applied all appropriate medical diagnoses to justify medical necessity, many insurance companies will not pay for medications that are being utilized in a way that the FDA has not approved. They do this on the grounds that its use is considered “experimental’ or “investigational.”  Prescription drugs that are commercially available but not approved by the FDA are not considered a covered benefit.

We will forward all off- label prescriptions to Alamo Pharmacy to be processed through your insurance carrier.  We have found they are best equipped to maximize the potential for coverage. If at this point, your off-label medication is declined by your insurance carrier, there are two options that remain as a remedy for you:

• Schedule a return visit with your physician to discuss a new treatment plan.
• Pay for medication out of pocket. Our pharmacy partner will use all potential discount cards for your advantage.

Common misconceptions and misleading advice we have seen given to our patients:

“I was told the doctor didn’t code it right, and the note had to be changed.”

Unfortunately, there is no code adjustment that will get an off-label medication covered. (In effect, that would make it “on label.”)

“I was told I needed a prior authorization.”

Prior authorization does not allow coverage for an off- label medication.

We hope this information has helped you better understand the off-label process.

Please utilize the patient portal to reschedule here or email info@neendocrinology.com. We kindly remind you to please cancel your appointment within 48hrs to avoid a $75 no-show fee.

* We realize circumstances can change like rides, work, or childcare. Before you reschedule, remember you have the option of converting your appointment to a telemedicine visit, even on the day of the visit.

Per our No Show Policy we do require 48 hour notice in order to avoid a $75.00 fee.  We don’t like charging it, and you don’t like paying it. We provide a convenient option to cancel at your text message reminder. You may also utilize your patient portal for 24 hour access to communicate any schedule needs.

Patient Portal

* We realize circumstances can change like rides, work, or childcare. If convenient, you can keep your appointment by converting it to a telemedicine visit, even on the day of the visit. Help us help you!

Understanding medical bills in the United States is notoriously difficult. According to a 2016 public opinion survey conducted by Copatient, around 72% of American consumers are confused by their medical bills, and 94% of consumers have received medical bills they considered to be “too expensive.” Unfortunately, until there is systemic change, there is little we can do to simplify this, but we do make sure that it is correct.

This article contains tips on how to read your medical bill and Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to make sure you’re paying what’s owed and not a penny more. https://www.insider.com/explanation-of-benefits.

If you find yourself further confused by your medical bill and EOB, call your insurance agent if you have health insurance. They are a free resource that can walk through the bill with you charge by charge.

If you still have questions, please feel free to reach out to our billing department at 210-650-3360 ext. 905.

Portal messages will be returned within 48 business hours.

Due to the heavy volume of patient calls, portal messages and phone calls will be returned within 2 business days.

If your needs are more urgent, consider going to urgent care.

If you feel you are having a medical emergency, call 911.

We dislike them as much as you do. It’s an approval of coverage from your insurance company, not your doctor. Prior authorization is a restriction put in place by insurance companies, so they can decide whether or not they will pay for certain medicines. Even when they decide to pay, the medication may still wind up being very expensive. Because each insurance company determines which services and medications require prior authorization, you should contact your carrier directly to find out if a specific test or treatment option needs pre-approval.  We also strongly recommend Alamo Pharmacy which provides the highest level of patient assistance that we have seen in streamlining this process.

https://www.goodrx.com/insurance/health-insurance/prior-authorization-what-you-need-to-know

The short answer is, yes and we are excellent at them, but we like in-person visits.

Since COVID some offices have felt that telemedicine visits are a more efficient way to do business. Our doctors fall on the side that in-person visits are a preferred way to connect with patients, ensure understanding of a treatment plan, and provide services that can only be done in person. That said, we are at the forefront of telemedicine, with remote monitoring of diabetic technology, direct access to South Texas Radiology Imaging Centers (STRIC), and Quest lab integration – for the state of Texas – into our electronic medical record. Telemedicine can be an excellent way to ensure a treatment plan is going to plan, and patients appreciate that they don’t need to take as much time off of school or work. Plus, we give narrower waiting windows than your internet provider, appliance repair shop, or Amazon same day delivery 🙂.

If you opt for a telemedicine visit, you will be called by a Medical Assistant to go over your medications and concerns up to 24hrs prior to your appointment time. You will be called by the MD within 1 hour of your appointment time.

(For all new appointments, an in-person appointment is required. Generally, most established endocrine conditions merit an annual in-person visit.)

We recommend that you utilize your patient portal to communicate any non-urgent medical concerns, request refills and make appointments with your doctor.

No. Although Quest is our neighbor, they are an independent entity that is not affiliated with Northeast Endocrinology. We do recommend Quest labs, as they have the correct selection of specialty labs we require and are well integrated into our Electronic Medical Record system.

No, we are an outpatient only facility.

As we are a subspecialty clinic designed to focus on endocrine disorders, we are not qualified to serve as a primary care provider. We strongly recommend that you have a primary care physician, and we are happy to provide recommendations.

Patients visiting us for in-room exams, who have children under 12 with them, are not able to leave them unsupervised and should expect them to be present with them during their exam. We do have free wi-fi so they can keep up on their homework or YouTube during the visit.

For the health, safety and comfort of all of our patients, we ask that patients and visitors follow the guidelines in our Code of Conduct.

If you have an experience that exceeds or does not meet your expectation, feel free to ask to speak with the Practice Manager or call 210-650-3360 ext.901.

We accept the following:

• Cash
• Check
• Mastercard, Visa, Discover
• Debit card
• We currently do not accept cryptocurrency

To ensure that the privacy of our patients and staff is protected and to ensure that the physician-patient relationship remains confidential and private, Northeast Endocrinology does not permit anyone to record, video tape or photograph our facilities in any way during any visit or appointment with us.