The Practice

Home > The Practice

Cheboygan Surgical Associates

Office Hours

The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. After 4:30 p.m., the telephone is answered by an answering machine. It will instruct you in how to make an appointment and what to do in case of an emergency. Please be aware that the answering machine does not accept messages.

Appointments

We see patients on an appointment basis. Please call in advance so that we may reserve a time for you. Our telephone number is (231) 627-4364. Surgical consultations, office surgery, follow-up visits, etc. will be scheduled during office hours. We make every effort to honor all time commitments to accommodate you and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us.

Cancellation of Appointments

If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify our office so that someone else may be accommodated during that time.

New Patients

Our practice welcomes new patients. Please bring your registration and health history forms sent to you by our office. These should be filled out prior to your appointment. Please arrive thirty (30) minutes before your appointment time if you did not receive registration information in the mail or you may download them from this website (click here for forms). Please bring a list of medications (or your actual medication in the original containers), allergies, medical illnesses, hospitalizations, and previous surgeries.

Delays

In a surgery practice, emergencies can occasionally cause problems with scheduling. In addition, sometimes individual patients require extra time during their visit. We appreciate your patience and will make every attempt to keep you informed about delays whenever possible. Patients are encouraged to call ahead to confirm their scheduled appointment time and inquire about any possibly delays.

Examinations

On arrival, please register with our Receptionist. If you have not already completed registration materials provided before your visit, you will be given forms to complete before you see your surgeon. This may take up to 30 minutes to complete so please arrive early so your visit is not delayed. Please answer all questions. They are needed to complete your medical record and help plan your surgical care. These forms request personal, insurance, and medical information. Please provide the Receptionist with all current insurance cards and insurance information.

Our Medical Assistant will call you into the examination/consultation room to be seen by the doctor. During your visit, the doctor will discuss your condition and treatment alternatives. Occasionally additional tests or procedures may be necessary prior to an operation. You will often receive patient education materials and instructions. The doctor will dictate a detailed letter to your referring physician outlining your management program. Often it is necessary for the doctor to coordinate your care with other physicians. Additional time is spent reviewing reports, x- rays, and other tests related to your care. This comprehensive surgical service we offer involves much unseen time and resources necessary to ensure that we provide the best health care specific to your medical needs.

Referrals

Cheboygan Surgical Associates is primarily a "referral" practice; this means that your primary care doctor sends you to Cheboygan Surgical Associates for a surgical consultation. Many insurance companies require a written referral before a surgical consultation can be performed. We also see patients referred by other patients, family members, and other means such as ads or our website.

We encourage you to obtain a primary care physician to coordinate your overall medical care. He or she will receive a consultation letter from our office after your visit. Your primary care physician will continue to be updated on your surgical care. We encourage all patients to return to their primary care physician after receiving their specialized surgical care.

Prescription/Refills

We refill prescriptions only during regular office hours. Please anticipate your needs. According to State and Federal Narcotic Laws, pain medications cannot be prescribed on the telephone. Written prescriptions must be obtained during office hours.

If you need one of our surgeons to renew a prescription, please be prepared to provide our staff with the medication name and dosage. Our office will need the name and number of the pharmacy, if it is the expectation that the refill be renewed by telephone.

Laboratory and X-ray Tests

It is often necessary to perform laboratory, x-ray, and specialized tests for diagnostic reasons. If tests require specific preparations (i.e. fasting, bowel cleansing, etc.), our office will inform you of the proper procedure. Sometimes tests can be coordinated by your primary care physician; often, they can be performed at your local hospital or physician's office. Many insurance companies require pre-authorization of tests by your primary care physician. Sometimes your insurance company will require testing be done at specified laboratories or drugs be obtained through their individual programs. Results are usually available within days and forwarded to our office. These results will be relayed to you during followup visits. It is important to us that you know and understand your test results. Occasionally normal tests require no followup; however, patients may call our office for any test results.

Fees

Our office will be happy to discuss our fees as well as assist you in understanding that they are both reasonable and equitable. We make every effort to keep down the cost of your care. You can help by paying for your visit or services upon the completion of each visit. We will bill your insurance company when appropriate. Please remember that you are responsible for payment of your medical bills. Health care insurance policies are a contract between you and the insurance carrier. As a courtesy, our office will process most insurance claims. Remember that x-ray, laboratory tests, and other physician fees may be billed separately.

Insurance

Our office participates with Medicare, Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Michigan, Medicaid, Tricare, Priority Health, NGS, Sault Tribe, Breast & Cervical Program and Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. While payment of medical bills rests with the patient, we will assist you in recovering any payment your health insurance policy provides. There is no charge for completing the initial claim forms. Many insurance programs do not pay for office consultation or visits. Patients are responsible for these charges as well as any deductibles, co-payments or balances not paid by insurance companies at the time of service. This may include services rendered by the doctor but not considered a covered benefit by your insurance carrier. We file claims electronically whenever companies make this option available. If you have a unique financial situation, payment programs can be arranged for patients with demonstrated need. You may access insurance information pertinent to your specific situation on our website by clicking on Insurance.

Emergencies

In emergency situations, you should go to the nearest hospital emergency room. They will contact your primary care physician or the surgeon as necessary.

Following is a list of Northern Michigan Hospitals with Emergency Room Service. Clicking on the name of the Hospital will connect you directly to the facility's website:

Cheboygan Memorial Hospital, Cheboygan

Alpena General Hospital, Alpena

Mackinac Straits Hospital, St. Ignace

Northern Michigan Hospital, Petoskey

Otsego Memorial Hospital, Gaylord