INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PRACTICE

The Saco River Medical Group building has been a doctor's home and office for over one hundred years. When we remodeled and moved into the present building, we sought to combine the tradition of caring for the whole person and community involvement with the knowledge and technology of the new century.

Hours: Family Practice appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pediatric appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. On Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to noon, a pediatrician is available for walk-in patients. Conway Walk-In Care (Urgent Care) is open on a first-come, first-serve basis Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Appointments with the Gynecologist are available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Family and Individual Therapy appointments are offered Monday through Thursday. Acupuncture appointments can be scheduled on Friday and Saturday.

After hours service (nights and weekends):

· For emergency problems, call 911 or go to the Emergency Room at The Memorial Hospital in North Conway or the hospital closest to you.
· For urgent but not life-threatening problems, please call the page operator at The Memorial Hospital (603-356-5461) and ask to speak to the physician on-call for Saco River Medical Group. State whether the person with the health problem is a child or adult. You can expect a call back within 20-30 minutes or less. Many problems can be managed over the phone.
· Some managed care plans require a referral prior to receiving urgent care in the emergency room. Please be familiar with your insurance plan's policies.
· Please keep track of your medications. Requests for refills are discouraged after hours. Particularly, the physicians sharing call have a policy not to refill pain medicines, tranquilizers, or antidepressants at night or on the weekends.

PRESCRIPTION REFILLS
To try to keep the appointment lines open, if you need a refill on your prescription, please call 447-6234 and leave a message. We ask that you plan ahead for refills so that we can refill them within 48 hours without you running out of your medicines.

QUESTIONS AND TEST RESULTS
For routine tests, such as cholesterol screening, Pap smears and mammograms, we send letters with your results. For other results, please clarify when the tests are scheduled or performed whether we will call you, you should call us, or whether an appointment should be scheduled to review them. For triage or health questions, please give the reception staff enough information to determine if the problem requires immediate attention or whether the nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician can call you back. We make every effort to respond to questions at midday and the end of each day.

INSURANCE AND PAYMENT POLICIES
We accept Medicare, Medicaid, and some private insurances including several HMO plans (which keep changing). Co-payments are expected at the time of service since sending a bill for a co-payment usually costs more than the co-payment. Self-pay patients are expected to pay at the time of service. If finances are a problem, we are willing to arrange payment schedules as long as you make a good faith effort. If you have any questions about your charges or bills, please do not hesitate to ask for clarification.

STUDENTS IN OUR PRACTICE
All of our providers are interested in sharing their knowledge and experience with medical and nurse practitioner students. We find it an excellent way to ensure that we stay up-to-date in our diagnostic methods and treatments. So you may be asked to let a student participate in your visit. We would appreciate it if you would agree, but always feel perfectly free to tell us or the student if you would prefer they not be present for part or all of your appointment.