WELCOME TO OUR PRACTICE
We are pleased you have chosen Douglas A. Spotts, MD, Family Medical Care.  This web page highlights some of the things you need to know about our practice.  We look forward to getting to know you better and assisting you with your medical care.

OUR MISSION
The staff at Family Medical Care wishes to fulfill the medical needs of our surrounding communities by attending to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our patients, with a traditional approach.

TEAM APPROACH
This practice believes in a team approach to your health care.  As a patient, you are a patient of the practice, not of an individual practitioner.  The practitioners at this office are the only practitioners who take after-office-hour calls for the patients of this practice.  This practice also works collaboratively with numerous specialist offices and utilizes the Hospitalist services for inpatient admissions.

OPEN BOOK/ OPEN ACCESS SCHEDULING
We are pleased to offer “open book/ open access” scheduling.  Routine appointments can be scheduled within a month’s time period and acute needs are triaged and are accommodated contingent upon your symptoms.

* If you are more than 10 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, we will ask that you reschedule. 

FIRST APPOINTMENT
Your first appointment at this office will be to establish yourself as a patient.  In this visit, we will review your past medical history and your familial history.  This will allow the practitioners to make sound recommendations for your plan of care.

PREVENTATIVE EXAMINATIONS
Our staff believes in the value of preventative care.  We recommend a preventative examination be done annually to address age-appropriate preventive measures.  We do offer gynecological exams for our female patients who are not established at an OB/ GYN office.  Discussion and management of previously established diagnoses may be subject to an additional office visit, in accordance with your insurance guidelines.

CANCELLATION POLICY
Please assist us with serving you better by keeping your scheduled appointment.  If unable to do so, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance.

* A $50 fee will be assessed if you do not show up for your appointment and our office has not been notified.

PRESCRIPTION MANAGEMENT
For prescription renewals, please call our prescription line at (570) 524-5007.  Messages will be checked at 12 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Please allow 24 hours of the next business day for all requests. 

We can call in routine prescription renewals to the pharmacy of your choice.  Written prescriptions (3 month supply mail order and routine controlled substance requests) may be picked up at our office during business hours. Controlled substance prescriptions will be written for a month’s supply for routine orders and no sooner than 3 days prior to previous month’s dated prescription.

*  Patients receiving routine medications must be evaluated at our office at least annually for prescription renewals.

INSURANCE INFORMATION
We accept most major insurance plans.  As a courtesy, we will file a claim with your insurance company based upon the information you provide to us.  You will be responsible for payment of the office visit, deductible, co-pays, coinsurance, or non-covered services at the time of service.  Please bring all insurance cards with you to your visit and be sure you are familiar with the services your insurance will cover.

If you are covered by an insurance plan that we do not participate with, we will request payment at the time of service for all office visits.  We will assist you with providing the necessary information needed to file a claim with your insurance company.

PAYMENT POLICIES
We accept cash, checks, debit, and credit cards as payment.  Please be prepared to pay any co-pays or amounts not covered by your insurance on the day of your visit. 

Please keep our office updated with any changes in your insurance plan, address, and phone number.

A billing statement for outstanding balances owed will be mailed to you on a monthly basis.  Please contact our office to arrange payments if you are unable to pay entire amount within 30 days.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION
In the event of urgent needs, please call the office at (570) 524-5050.  If no one is there to assist you, you will automatically be connected to the hospital’s page operator who will page the on-call practitioner.  Please note that even with modern technology, there is often a 20-minute delay from the time a message is left with the hospital page operator until the message is received on the practitioner’s pager.  If more than 30 minutes pass without hearing from the practitioner, please call the office number again.

In the event of an emergency, please call 911.

OFFICE INFORMATION
Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.  The phones are turned over to the hospital operator from 12:30- 1:00 p.m. during weekdays.

We are located in the RiverWoods Family Health Center directly across Route 15 from the McDonald’s restaurant.

We can be reached by phone at (570)524-5050.

For additional information about our practice, staff, or health-related resource information please the links below.