David Hahn D.O. |
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The answer to this question
depends on the medication. In
general other than controlled substances (for example pain medications
like Vicodin, sleeping medicines like Ambien, Anxiety medications like
alprazolam) you may be able to get refills up to one year from your last
clinic visit. This is
provided you condition has been stable and your treatment goals have been
met. An example of a
medication that you could fill for a year would be a blood pressure
medication which you’ve been on for quite some time and have had time to
know that you tolerate it well and your blood pressure is well
controlled. An example of a
medicine that you could fill for perhaps six months would be an
antidepressant that works well and you tolerate, but need to have a visit
sooner than one year to see if your dosage is still appropriate. An
example of a medicine that you would have to have reviewed in 3 months or
less would be any of the medications like the controlled medications
listed above. Those prescriptions will be evaluated on a case by case
basis at my patients’ request.
In the most stable situations where allowed you may be able to have
a prescription sent to the pharmacy for a 30 day supply with 2
refills. A notation would be placed in the chart
and you would not be able to receive further refills in less than three
months unless evaluated by an accepting physician who felt a sooner refill
was appropriate. What should I do about I have
visits that were scheduled to see Dr. Hahn that are now at a time when he
will no longer be with Argyll Medical
Group? It depends on how stable the
condition is that prompted the visit. In some cases it may be perfectly
appropriate to put the visit off a few months. In others you might just need a
minor review by a midlevel provider.
If the visit
is for a problem which is complex or not very stable then you should call
in for an appointment before Dr. Hahn leaves. What should I do about tests
which are due to be completed after Dr. Hahn is no longer with Argyll
Medical Group? I believe in the majority of
cases you’ll likely be able to simply complete them and simply follow up
with the available provider at Argyll Medical Group. If you know
in advance that you’ll be following up with a provider outside of Argyll
Medical Group then you should stop by so Dr. Hahn’s office can modify
your lab request so that the results are sent to that provider.
What is a mid level
provider? A medically trained health care practitioner supervised by a physician. The field of medicine is very broad. The most important skills for –any– individual providing health care services from a medical office assistant to mid level provider to physician is to know what areas of medicine they know well and can manage appropriately, and what activities are within their scope of practice. Mid level providers are used by many of the specialty and primary care practices in town and their use in the practice of medicine will continue to grow. Mid level providers give excellent care within their scope of practice, and have guidance from their supervising physician. There are two main types of mid level providers: 1) Physician’s Assistant: Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and write prescriptions. Within the physician-PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. PAs are trained in intensive education programs accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) . Because of the close working relationship the PAs have with physicians, PAs are educated in the medical model designed to complement physician training. Upon graduation, physician assistants take a national certification examination developed by the National Commission on Certification of PAs in conjunction with the National Board of Medical Examiners. To maintain their national certification, PAs must log 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and sit for a recertification every six years. Graduation from an accredited physician assistant program and passage of the national certifying exam are required for state licensure. For more information log on to http://www.aapa.org/geninfo1.html (the American Academy of Physician Assistants home page) 2) Nurse Practitioner: Nurse Practitioners are health
care professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician
supervision. A description of
their scope of practice very closely follows the description for
physician’s assistants. The
most notable difference is that Nurse Practitioners start out as
Registered Nurses and the receive additional training to build on their
earlier clinical experience.
For more information log on to http://www.aanp.org/default.asp (the If I transfer my care to
another provider outsider Argyll Medical Group how are my records
transferred? When you arrange an
appointment to transfer care with a provider outside Argyll Medical Group
the outside office should provide you with a release of information
form. Upon receipt of that
form, your records in our system will be transferred to a CD-ROM which
will be mailed directly to that provider. Through the end of April those
requests should be directed to Dr. Hahn’s office. After that time you should check here
for instructions on the appropriate address from which to request your
records. Will Kristen and Dawn still
be working in Dr. Hahn’s patient area after he
leaves? Both of
my staff will be staying.
Dr Logan gave me my chart
and I left it with Dr. Hahn--what should I do with
it? |