New Patient Information

We know you have choices when it comes to your health care, and we thank you for choosing Memorial Hermann Medical Group. Our professional staff is dedicated to high-quality individualized care for each of our patients, using a patient-focused approach that is designed to promote your long-term health and well being. We have put together the following information to assist in making your visit with us as convenient and pleasant as possible.

Appointments:

We strive to see and treat each of our patients promptly at the scheduled appointment time. To help avoid delays during your appointment, please follow these simple guidelines:

• When making your appointment, clearly state the reason for your visit to help us schedule the appropriate amount of time with your physician. 
• The doctor will only be able to see you for the issue scheduled that day; if you have additional concerns, you may be asked to schedule another appointment to avoid delays for other scheduled patients.
• If you are unable to keep your appointment, please notify our office as soon as possible. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before your scheduled appointment time may incur a $25 fee.
• Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment time (30 minutes prior for new patients and for Medicare Annual Wellness Visits) to complete paperwork and/or to review your current information.
• If you arrive late for your appointment, you may be asked to reschedule.

Please bring the following items with you to every appointment:

• Photo ID – such as a driver's license or state-issued ID
• Insurance card(s)
• Payment (via MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover or personal check)
• Complete list of medications you are currently taking, including any over-the-counter medications, vitamins or supplements 
• Complete list of your other physicians, their contact information and the treatment they provide
• Results from your last mammogram, colonoscopy, lab work, X-rays, cardiac studies or any other tests performed since your last visit—including those ordered by physicians outside the Memorial Hermann Medical Group (MHMG)

Preventive Care Services vs. Medical Care (Treatment) Services:

• Preventive care services are health care services intended to prevent illness, detect health conditions early and promote overall health and wellness before symptoms develop. These services are an important part of most health insurance plans, because they can both help reduce the risk of serious illness as well as lower long-term health care costs. Preventive care services include: 
  • Routine Physical Exams and Wellness Visits
  • Screenings and Diagnostic Tests, Immunizations (Vaccines)
  • Preventive Services for Women (such as Well Woman Exam, Pap Smear and Breast Cancer Screening)
  • Preventive Services for Children (such as Well-Child Visits, Developmental Screenings, Vision and Hearing Screenings and Recommended Childhood Immunizations)
• Payment for preventive care services is dependent on the patient’s individual health plan / insurance coverage. 
• Medical care services that provide treatment for an illness or chronic condition (either an illness or a disease) are usually covered in part by insurance (but may require a co-payment or co-insurance) and may have a yearly deductible expense. MHMG is contractually obligated to charge and collect co-payments for medical care at the time of service. If you require assessment and treatment for an illness during a scheduled preventive visit (Well Woman, Well-Child, Annual Exam, etc.), then you may be billed for two charges. Also, your insurance may pay these claims under different benefits.

Financial Policy:

• The financial responsibility of payment for services rendered is yours, regardless of insurance coverage. Health insurance (and its applicable coverage(s)) is a contract between you and your insurance carrier.
• It is your responsibility to select a participating provider in your insurance network, and to ensure proper authorization from your carrier.
• While we do our best to verify things prior to your visit, please contact your carrier for a full explanation of your coverage and benefits. It is ultimately your responsibility to make sure the services you receive are covered, and to determine your financial obligation.
• You will be expected to pay any outstanding balances—along with the co-pay—at the time of your visit. If this is not possible, you will be required to contact the MHMG Central Business Office at (713) 448-5566 prior to your appointment to make payment arrangements. After this has been accomplished and verified by the Central Business Office, you will then be seen by a doctor.
• It is your responsibility to contact our office with any changes to your insurance, home address or phone number.
• All billing inquiries should be properly directed to the Central Business Office at (713) 448-5566—not to your physician's office.
• We know you have choices when it comes to your health care, and we thank you for choosing MHMG. Our professional staff provides high-quality individualized care for each of our patients, using a patient-focused approach that is designed to promote your long-term health and well-being. We have put together the following information to assist in making your visit with us as convenient and pleasant as possible:

Forms:

• Patients often ask us to help with completion of specific forms for special needs they may have. You should bring these forms with you to your regularly scheduled appointment for the related condition, and give the forms to your physician at that time. 
• If you do not bring the forms with you to your appointment, you will incur a $30 fee to have the forms downloaded and later completed outside of an office visit.
• Please allow 7 to 10 business days to process the forms.

Refills:

• If there are refills left on your prescription, please contact your pharmacy to have your medication refilled automatically. If there are no refills left, the pharmacy will send an electronic request to our office.
• Check your medicine bottle to see if the prescription can be refilled. Check your remaining supply to ensure you do not run out of medication over weekends and holidays. Please give us plenty of notice for a refill before you run out of medication.
• If you are requesting prescription refills from our office, please allow up to 3 business days for completion.
• Please bring any medications (or a list of your medications) to each clinic appointment. This includes daily, over the counter, vitamins, supplements as well as occasionally used medicine. Safe medication ordering requires an ongoing relationship with your medical provider. You may also need to schedule an office visit at appropriate intervals (as determined by your provider).
• Should your medical provider be unavailable when you request a prescription refill, it is at the discretion of the covering medical provider to fill or not fill the prescription. The covering medical provider may request an additional appointment before refilling the medication.
• Please be aware that primary care physicians may decide not to refill other medical specialists’ medication orders.

Referrals/ Authorizations:

• Please allow 3 business days (72 hours) for referrals to a specialist, or for authorizations for certain medical tests or procedures.
• Please provide all the information requested by the medical assistant to obtain the referral or authorization. Providing incomplete information will delay the process. 
• Referrals to see an MHMG specialist must be received by the specialist's office prior to your appointment; if not, you will be asked to reschedule your appointment until a referral has been received.

Lab and Test Results:

• Remember to review your contact information with the medical assistant to ensure what we have on record is correct.
• With a few exceptions, lab and Imaging results are available to be viewed in your My Memorial Hermann app as soon as they are completed. To download the app, visit memorialhermann.org/mymh. Please allow 5 days to receive the results notification from your provider. Please allow additional time for specialty labs.
• If you have not heard from your physician after 5 days, please send a message in the My Memorial Hermann app or call the office.

Phone Messages:

• Your phone messages will be returned within 24 hours.
• Messages left after 3 p.m. will be returned the next business day.
• Messages left after 3 p.m. on Friday will be returned the following (business) Monday.
• When leaving a message with the medical assistant, please leave your name, the patient's name (if different), the patient's date of birth, the reason for your call and your call-back phone number.
• If your request is urgent, please speak with a front office assistant to relay the message immediately.
• If your call is regarding a medical emergency, do not leave a message. Hang up and dial 911 immediately!

Medical Records:

• Most medical records are available on the My Memorial Hermann app. Requests for a copy of your medical record must be made in writing and accompanied by a completed and signed authorization form.
• When you submit the completed and signed authorization form, we will forward it to the Release of Information Department of Memorial Hermann.
• There may be a charge for a copy of your medical record; the Release of Information Department will contact you regarding remitting payment, if necessary.
• If you need a copy of medical documents to give to another physician, please contact your MHMG doctor's medical assistant and provide the other physician's name and fax number. Our office will then send your documents.