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There is no new information since this page last updated 06/16/08

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a Hospitalist?
A hospitalist is a physician who takes care of patients while they are in the hospital if they don't have a physician, or their physician doesn't care for patients in the hospital.

Is there a certain doctor that I should see now?
This is a difficult question to answer even on a case by case basis, but we can explore the issues here.  I've found my list below to generally be more current than information avaiable from the local medical society.  Check with names on this list first, and then if needed contact  the Butte Glenn medical society to see what their current recommendations are.   Look in the phone book and see which physicians are located conveniently close to home.  You will find that some physicians accept your health insurance while others may not.  Physicians all have different personalities and sometimes the first physician you see may not feel like the right fit.  Be cautious about judgements made on just one visit--physicians are people too and have good days and bad days.  When you think about those issues above it's easy to see why I can't just say "Go to Dr. X and everything should be fine." 

There are some alternatives that are easier than others.  Physicians at Argyll Medical Group generally all accept the same insurance plans including Medicare.  I suspect that will be the same with whichever new physician joins our group.  If you are a member of an HMO then you will need to contact your insurance provider and see which doctor they choose to assign you to.  If you are a member of a PPO plan, then you should contact your insurance provider to see which phsicians accept their plan--although you may be able to find this information directly from the individual physician offices.  Blue Shield patients may go to www.blueshieldca.com , and Blue Cross patients may go to www.bluecrossca.com .  TriCare patients should go to www.tricare.mil/mybenefit and Tricare Prime patients should go to www.mytricare.com for more information.

All the locations listed below have accepted patients, though I certainly don't check on a daily basis to see if their status has changed.  It may also be the case that the patients that have been accepted have a different profile that your own (insurance etc.) or may have been accepted because that physician was already seeing another member of the family.  If you find out they are not accepting any patients, please email me and let me know. 

Doctors and clinics alphabetically by town:
CHICO
Dr. Lisa Benaron with nurse practitioners Sally Vertolli and Michelle Phillips (899-1627)

Dr. Elisa Brown [Pediatric patients only] (893-2303)

Dr. Rhonda Carlson (899-3575)

Dr. Kirk Casey at Argyll Medical Group does have room for some addional sports medicine cases and in general patients under the age of 65.  He already has quite a large population over the age 65 after taking over Dr. Olson's practice.  (899-0134)

Chico Family Health (342-4395)

Dr. Douglas Garrison  (566-0132)

Dr. Tanya Layne (893-4200)

Dr. Hugo Leon  at Mangrove Medical Group (345-0064) 

Dr. Mark Light (899-7300)

Mission Ranch medical group  is accepting new patients with about a 3-4 week wait.  (894-0500)  Physcians I've seen accept patients include Dr. Lim and Dr. Nayduch.

North Valley Indian Health   (896-9400)

Dr. Steven Peterson and his wife Debra Peterson PA-C  (342-7564)

Dr. Bradley Smith  (891-1676)

Dr. Dean Smith  (345-0064)

Gridley
Gridley Medical Group (846-5655)

Orland
First Care Medical Associates Inc (865-4400)

Dr. James Corona (865-6430)

Ross Tye and Associates is accepting patients.  Laura Loudermilk is a nurse practitioner who works with Dr. Ross Tye in Orland.  She has also been a diabetic educator for years and would be an excellent choice for patients with diabetes.   (865-3400)

Oroville
Oroville Internal Medicine Group (533-1554) 

Dr. Vaugh Smith (532-1820)

Paradise
Dr Timothy Arnott (876-1100)

Dr. Dean Hadley (877-7898)

Dr. Rhea Licuanan (877-7606)

Dr. Larry Miller (877-4466)

Ridge Primary Care  (877-0762)

Dr David Whitaker (872-1618)

Willows
Willows Family Practice  (934-3387)

How many refills can I get on my prescriptions?

I have retained access to the office medical record system and am handling a few transitional refills.  That service is coming to a close now as I approach 3 months since the end of my office based practice.  You'll need to find a new physician for ongoing refills.  

What should I do about tests which are due to be completed after Dr. Brown is no longer with Argyll Medical Group?

You should notify the lab of your new provider so the results are sent to the appropriate office for review.   These should have been completed by now in most cases.