PHONE-POLICIES

PRESCRIPTIONS: NEW & EXISTING PATIENTS

1.    NEW PRESCRIPTIONS: PATIENT MUST BE SEEN FIRST. PATIENTS CAN NOW
   CHOOSE BETWEEN A TRADITIONAL WRITTEN PRESCRIPTION OR "E-SCRIPT"
   WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL OF BEING MORE CONVENIENT FOR YOU. FOR
   PATIENTS OPTING FOR THE "E-SCRIPT", PLEASE BRING THE NAME & ADDRESS
   OF YOUR PHARMACY OF CHOICE TO THE OFFICE. WE WILL THEN SEND YOUR
   PRESCRIPTION ELECTRONICALLY AS SOON AFTER YOUR VISIT AS POSSIBLE.

2.   REFILLS WILL VARY WITH CIRCUMSTANCES BUT AS A RULE:
A. TOPICALS-REFILLED UP TO ONE YEAR AFTER LAST VISIT
B. ORAL MEDICATIONS-NO REFILLS AFTER SIX MONTHS OF LAST VISIT
C. ORAL MEDICATIONS THAT NEED LAB MONITORING-PATIENT MUST BE SEEN
NO REFILLS ON PATIENTS WITH MISSED APPOINTMENTS ("NO SHOWs")

                              PATIENT PHONE CALLS

DURING OFFICE HOURS
PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO PATIENTS IN THE OFFICE, THEREFORE DR. FRANCO
DOES NOT TAKE DIRECT PATIENT CALLS DURING THE DAY. IF A NEED TO
SPEAK TO DR. FRANCO ARISES DURING THE DAY, CALL THE OFFICE AND
LEAVE A MESSAGE. DR. FRANCO GENERALLY RETURNS PHONE CALLS
DURING THE NOON BREAK OR AFTER 5:00 PM. URGENT CALLS WILL BE
RETURNED AS SOON AS TIME PERMITS.

AFTER HOURS (EMERGENCIES ONLY FOR EXISTING PATIENTS)
CALL THE OFFICE AND YOUR CALL WILL BE DIRECTED TO OUR ANSWERING
SERVICE. ANY PATIENT NEEDING TO BE SEEN AFTER HOURS WILL ONLY BE
SEEN IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN EVALUATED BY THE
EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN. IF YOUR EMERGENCY CAN BE ADDRESSED
OVER THE PHONE LET THE OPERATOR KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND
HE/SHE WILL CONTACT DR. FRANCO. NON EMERGENCIES AND REFILL
REQUESTS WILL BE HANDLED DURING NORMAL OFFICE HOURS ONLY.

MISSED APPOINTMENTS

EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE DURING YOUR OFFICE VISIT TO ADDRESS YOUR SKIN
PROBLEM WITH AS LITTLE WAITING TIME AS POSSIBLE. IN ORDER TO DO THAT WE
NEED A REASONABLE EXPECTATION OF WHAT THE PATIENT FLOW IS GOING TO BE
DURING THAT CLINIC SESSION. WHEN A PATIENT MISSES AN APPOINTMENT WITHOUT
NOTICE ("NO-SHOWS") IT MAKES PLANNING FOR THAT SESSION VERY DIFFICULT.
IF YOU FIND THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
HONOR YOUR APPOINTMENT PLEASE CALL WITH AT LEAST A 24 HOUR NOTICE IF
POSSIBLE. "NO SHOW" SURGICAL OR COSMETIC APPOINTMENTS CAN ONLY BE
RESCHEDULED AFTER PUTTING DOWN A SPECIFIED DEPOSIT.