What exactly is a family physician? A family physician cares for you throughout your entire life. We literally take care of you from “head to toe.” Family physicians receive the same degree of intensive training after medical school as general internists and pediatricians. Please visit: http://familydoctor.org/x6686.xml to find out more. May I come in for a free informational session? Yes! Please do. You may call or email us to arrange an appointment. We look forward to meeting with you. Who comes to your practice? Folks who are interested in developing a relationship with a physician who knows them, understands them and is intimately familiar with all their medical needs, come to our practice. Those who are interested in wellness and prevention, in having someone coordinate their care, advocate for them, come to us. Folks who want to be seen promptly without long waits for an appointment or in the waiting room want to be members of our group. We care for men, women and children; the old, young or even just born. We take care of you for your entire life. How long will I wait in the reception area? Usually you should not have to wait at all, but at the most, a few minutes. We will let you know if an emergency has caused us to be delayed. How long will my appointment be? Your very first history and physical will probably be your longest visit and may take one or more hours. After that, depending on the reason you came, your visit will be as long as we both feel is necessary. You should feel you have had plenty of time to ask all of your questions. How will you have enough time for me and my family? Typically, primary care physicians have several thousand patients. There are just about that many working hours in a year. Unfortunately that allows each patient only an average of one hour of the doctor’s time per year…just about enough time for a complete annual physical. That’s it. In our practice, a limit is placed on the number of patients so that you are given timely and complete care. This allows us to give our full attention to those that are our patients. Will I always see the same doctor? You will see the physician who you normally see and who is most familiar with your history with very few exceptions. If your regular physician is not available, someone else may take care of you, but they will have all of your records available to them and your regular physician will only be a phone call away should any consultation be necessary. Who will see me when you go on vacation? When we are away, we will make every attempt to communicate with you by phone and email. If you need to go to the emergency room, please go. If you need an office visit while we are away, we will arrange for you to be seen by another physician at no additional cost. We notify our patients before we leave, so that they have the opportunity to be seen before we go. When do you make a house or place-of-business visit? This should rarely be necessary, but we will see you at home or work if we deem that it is absolutely essential to your health and well being. We handle these decisions on a case-by case basis. There is no additional fee for this service. Are there other practices like yours in the country? Yes. We can’t take credit for creating this type of practice that is creating thousands of happy patients and doctors. Please visit: http://simpd.org/ to find out more! Do you see walk-ins? Are you an urgi-center? No. We formed our practice based on the belief that the doctor-patient relationship is crucial to medical care. We offer continuity of care to our patients and we do not see patients who we do not know. Do you take insurance? No, we do not bill insurance companies for any of our medical services. A monthly fee covers our services as your family physician. To cover hospitalization and other large, extraordinary medical expenses, we recommend that you have a health insurance policy in addition to your membership in our practice. What if I need a specialist or hospital services? For medical care outside the scope of our practice, we will refer you to a network of local specialists. If you need to be admitted to the hospital, we will see you while you are there, coordinate your care, advocate for you, answer your questions, and address your concerns. Do you have a family rate? Yes. Our fee is reduced for additional members of your family. What if I move and will no longer be your patient? If you move or decide to leave us for any reason, simply give us 30 days notice. However, if you return, you will be placed on our waiting list and when there is an opening, you will pay the initial fee once again. Where is your office? Our office is located at 1050 Main Street, East Greenwich, Rhode Island. For your convenience, please click this “Directions” link for a detailed map.