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Patient Policies
Patients carrying HMO or PPO's are
responsible for their own referrals. Appointments cannot
be made without a valid referral. Co-pays on all
insurance-related appointments are expected at the time
of the visit.
As a courtesy to our
allergy patients, please do not wear cologne or perfume.
Doctors Kohen, Diamond
and Tsai are specialists and cannot act as primary care
physicians. We do not see Workman's Compensation cases.
Policy on Controlled Substances
Goal: To achieve a balance between the dual
goals of treating pain and preventing diversion without
compromising patient care.
An RX for a controlled substance must be in writing and:
- contain full name
& address of the patient
- contain name,
address & DEA registration number of the doctor
- contain name &
strength of the drug
- contain the
direction for use and the quantity prescribed
- be written in ink
- be written in such
a way as to make them difficult to alter, e.g. do
not leave space between the number and dosage unit
(10mg.), also write the number of dosage units in
longhand as follows…disp:#six(6only).
- have an
inscription stating that the patient is either “an
acute pain patient” or a “chronic pain patient” as
appropriate.
- be obtained at the
same pharmacy, where possible.
Drugs approved for
medical use are placed in Schedules of II to V according
to the FDA.
Schedule II Prescriptions
- Refills are not
permitted.
- Prescriptions may
be faxed but the original RX must be presented to
the pharmacy and verified against the fax at the
time the RX is actually dispensed.
- Our office
guidelines for a new prescription are that the
patient must be seen by the physician a minimum of
every 3 months.
Schedule III-V Prescriptions
- May be prescribed
in writing or by telephone
- A maximum of 5
refills are permitted in the 6-month period
following the date on which the RX was issued.
- After 5 refills OR
6 months (whichever occurs first), a new
prescription is required.
We feel that it is
critical that our practice have a strategy for
distinguishing between the legitimate chronic pain
patient and the addict. |
