General Information About SONORAN MEDICAL CENTERS
Office Hours
Our office hours are 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The doors open at 7:15 a.m., and the office is open during lunch.
Phone Hours
Phones are answered from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phones are very busy at the beginning of each shift and on Mondays and Fridays. If you call at other times, your wait will be shorter.
Appointment Information
Patient appointments are scheduled Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., depending on the provider you are seeing. We make every attempt to stay on time, but each patient is given the time needed to address their medical problems. If you arrive 15 minutes or later for your appointment, we may need to reschedule as you have missed your appointment. We know your time is valuable, and we make every effort to be on time for your appointment.
Unfortunately, medical practices can’t always anticipate the needs of the patient until they have been evaluated by the provider, making it difficult for the provider to stay on time. Our phone schedulers base appointment times on the reason you are coming in; if you list the reasons for your visit when you are scheduling, we can manage the provider’s time more effectively.
Appointment Cancellations
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please call the office as soon as possible. If you do not call to cancel your appointment at least two hours before the scheduled time, are 15 minutes late, or miss your appointment, you will be charged a $30.00 no-show fee. There is a cancellation line available to leave a message after hours. Please listen to the entire recording for this option (not option 1).
New Patients
Please arrive 15-30 (as instructed) minutes before your appointment time to register. If you are a new patient and do not arrive 15-30 minutes early, you may be asked to reschedule.
Messages
Messages may be left for the Medical Assistant or Provider. These calls are prioritized and returned after the patient visits are completed as time permits. The provider may have the Medical Assistant return your call.
Payment and Insurance
SONORAN MEDICAL CENTERS accepts most major insurances except AHCCCS. As a courtesy, we will bill your insurance after you pay your portion. We collect all copayments at check-in and co-insurance at check-out. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express in addition to cash and checks (with a driver’s license). Our facility is not an AHCCCS provider. Additionally, we cannot see patients who have AHCCCS, even if it is secondary insurance.
After Hours
Call 911 or go to your nearest hospital if you have a life-threatening emergency. The emergency room doctor on duty will begin treatment and contact the provider by phone if necessary. Narcotics are not refilled on weekends or evenings. Routine medical care, like referrals, medication refills, and general questions, is only conducted during regular business hours.
If you have an urgent problem after office hours, you may call the office. Listen to the prompts to choose the correct specialty. Please use this option only if your concern can not wait until routine office hours. You are calling a provider during their time off from the office, so please be respectful of their time.
Test Results
We will call you with abnormal results. At times, the providers may feel it is necessary for you to come back to go over your results. We do call with all results. If you have not heard from our office after two weeks, please contact the office for your results.
Referrals
Referrals are done upon request within 5 days of the patient’s appointment with a provider’s approval. If you have not been seen for the concern by one of our providers, please schedule an appointment here in the office. When requesting a referral, please have the appointment date, time, physician’s name, and phone number available.
Our Referral Coordinators take calls between 8 and 4:30 Monday through Friday. If you reach the recording, please leave this information in the voicemail. They will contact you only if they have questions. Otherwise, the referral form and records will be faxed to your specialist’s office.
Medical Records
Records are confidential and will not be released to anyone except coordinating providers without your consent. If you want your records released, you must sign a consent form. This excludes any releases required by law. If you need a copy of your records for personal use or insurance use, there is a charge for this. There is no charge for records forwarded to another provider’s office.
Prescription Refills
Many providers in our office time your refills with your return visits. If you are due for an office visit, please call to make an appointment. For refills, please contact your pharmacy, who will request the medication from our office. It is not necessary to call the office unless your pharmacy tells you there is a problem. Refills may take up to 3 days to process, so please plan appropriately.
If you need a written prescription from the office, please call at least three business days prior to running out of your medication. If you request a new medication, you must make an appointment.
Policy for Mail-In Prescriptions
This applies to all mail order pharmacies. If you need a prescription written for a three-month supply, please request this at your office visit. We will also provide scripts for a short-term supply if requested during service until you receive the scripts from the mail-in facility.
SONORAN MEDICAL CENTERS will provide scripts for a three-month supply of medications that patients may use for mail-in pharmacies. If a prescription has a problem, the pharmacy will notify you. We will work with you to provide the information necessary for your pharmacy to correct the problem. If prior authorization is required, we will submit the prior authorization.
Patients who are on maintenance medications need to ensure that they return to the office in a timely manner to allow for submissions to your mail-in pharmacy. The mail-in process is sometimes slow, and this delay may result in paying out of pocket to obtain medications at your local pharmacy.
Office Hours
Our office hours are 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The doors open at 7:15 a.m., and the office is open during lunch.
Phone Hours
Phones are answered from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phones are very busy at the beginning of each shift and on Mondays and Fridays. If you call at other times, your wait will be shorter.
Appointment Information
Patient appointments are scheduled Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., depending on the provider you are seeing. We make every attempt to stay on time, but each patient is given the time needed to address their medical problems. If you arrive 15 minutes or later for your appointment, we may need to reschedule as you have missed your appointment. We know your time is valuable, and we make every effort to be on time for your appointment.
Unfortunately, medical practices can’t always anticipate the needs of the patient until they have been evaluated by the provider, making it difficult for the provider to stay on time. Our phone schedulers base appointment times on the reason you are coming in; if you list the reasons for your visit when you are scheduling, we can manage the provider’s time more effectively.
Appointment Cancellations
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please call the office as soon as possible. If you do not call to cancel your appointment at least two hours before the scheduled time, are 15 minutes late, or miss your appointment, you will be charged a $30.00 no-show fee. There is a cancellation line available to leave a message after hours. Please listen to the entire recording for this option (not option 1).
New Patients
Please arrive 15-30 (as instructed) minutes before your appointment time to register. If you are a new patient and do not arrive 15-30 minutes early, you may be asked to reschedule.
Phone Calls
Phones are answered from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and lunch is from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The phones are very busy at the beginning of each shift and on Mondays and Fridays. If you call at other times, your wait will normally be shorter.
Messages
Messages may be left for the Medical Assistant or Provider. These calls are prioritized and returned at the end of the day after the patient visits are completed as time permits. The provider may have the Medical Assistant return your call.
Payment and Insurance
SONORAN MEDICAL CENTERS accepts most major insurances except AHCCCS. As a courtesy, we will bill your insurance after you pay your portion. We collect all copayments at check-in and co-insurance at check-out. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express in addition to cash and checks (with a driver’s license). Our facility is not an AHCCCS provider. Additionally, we cannot see patients who have AHCCCS.
After Hours
Call 911 or go to your nearest hospital if you have a life-threatening emergency. The emergency room doctor on duty will begin treatment and contact the provider by phone. Narcotics are not refilled on weekends or evenings. Routine medical care, like referrals, medication refills, and general questions, is only conducted during regular business hours.
If you have an urgent problem after office hours, you may call the office. Listen to the prompts to choose the correct specialty. Please use this option only if your concern can not wait until routine office hours. You are calling a provider during their time off from the office, so please be respectful of their time.
Test Results
We will call you with abnormal results. At times, the providers may feel it is necessary for you to come back to go over your results. We do call with all results. If you have not heard from our office after two weeks, please contact the office for your results.
Referrals
Referrals are done upon request within 5 days of the patient’s appointment with a provider’s approval. If you have not been seen for the concern by one of our providers, please schedule an appointment here in the office. When requesting a referral, please have the appointment date, time, physician’s name, and phone number available.
Our Referral Coordinators take calls between 8 and 4:30 Monday through Friday. If you reach the recording, please leave this information in the voicemail. They will contact you only if they have questions. Otherwise, the referral form and records will be faxed to your specialist’s office.
Medical Records
Records are confidential and will not be released to anyone except coordinating providers without your consent. If you want your records released, you must sign a consent form. This excludes any releases required by law. If you need a copy of your records for personal use or insurance use, there is a charge for this. There is no charge for records forwarded to another provider’s office.
Prescription Refills
Many providers in our office time your refills with your return visits. If you are due for an office visit, please call to make an appointment. For refills, please contact your pharmacy, who will request the medication from our office. It is not necessary to call the office unless your pharmacy tells you there is a problem. Refills may take up to 3 days to process, so please plan appropriately.
If you need a written prescription from the office, please call at least three business days prior to running out of your medication. If you request a new medication, you must make an appointment.
Policy for Mail-In Prescriptions
This applies to companies like Medco, Express Scripts, Prescription Solutions, Cigna Tel-Drug, Walgreens Mail Service, Caremark, etc. If you need a prescription written for a three-month supply, please request this at your office visit. We will also provide scripts for a short-term supply if requested during service until you receive the scripts from the mail-in facility.
SONORAN MEDICAL CENTERS will provide scripts for a three-month supply of medications that patients may use for mail-in pharmacies. If a prescription has a problem, the pharmacy will notify you. We will work with you to provide the information necessary for your pharmacy to correct the problem. If prior authorization is required, we will submit the prior authorization.
Patients who are on maintenance medications need to ensure that they return to the office in a timely manner to allow for submissions to your mail-in pharmacy. The mail-in process is sometimes slow, and this delay may result in paying out of pocket to obtain medications at your local pharmacy.