Regular office visits are necessary for patients needing prescription medications. Frequency of appointments is dependent on the type of medication prescribed. Due to the large volume of phone calls we receive daily for medication requests, we ask that you request prescription refills at the time of your scheduled appointment or through the NextGen Patient Portal system. This helps us provide the highest quality patient care possible.
In the event you need to call the office for a prescription refill, please note that it is the responsibility of the patient to notify the office in a timely manner when you need medication refills. We ask that you call at least one week (preferably two weeks) prior to when your medication is due to run out, or two weeks prior if you use a mail-order pharmacy. Please check that you do not have active refills available by looking at the medication label. If you are still unsure if you have active refills, you can also contact your pharmacy.
When leaving a voicemail for a prescription refill request, please leave a clear message including:
- First name and spelling of last name
- Date of birth
- Name of medication, dose and frequency (how many time you take the medication daily)
- Name of the pharmacy where you would like the script to be sent
- 30- or 90- day supply
Please do not leave multiple messages. If you feel that your medication needs to be adjusted or changed, please contact us. Questions regarding medications should be discussed at your appointment with your provider. New symptoms or events require an appointment, so they can be properly addressed by your provider to maintain our standard for patient safety and quality of life.
Approval of your refill can take up to 3 business days, and medication refills will only be addressed during regular business hours: 8am-5pm Monday-Thursday and 8am-2pm Friday* (*with the exception of controlled substances, as outlined below). Additionally, please ensure that any required lab work or specialist doctor visits (i.e., eye exams for Plaquenil monitoring) required for medication monitoring are complete prior to requesting your medication. We do not refill medications prescribed by other providers.
Patient Guidelines for Treatment with Controlled Substances (Schedule II-V Medications)
Due to regulatory requirements and patient safety concerns, treatment of rheumatic diseases using controlled substances requires collaboration and compliance between you, the patient, and your provider. Office visits are required quarterly (every 3 months) for us to refill these medications. Frequent missed appointments or cancellations will result in the denial of your refill request.
Following our prescription refill policy, we ask that you request prescription refills at the time of your scheduled appointment or through the NextGen Patient Portal. If you need to call the office for a refill, please refer to our policy as stated above. Because additional processing time is necessary for controlled substance scripts, these medications will only be filled during office hours Monday through Thursday from 8am-5pm, not on Friday’s. Providers are not available to write these prescriptions Friday – Sunday, on holidays or after office hours.
It is the responsibility of the patient to store medication in a safe manner, preventing loss or theft of your medication and/or written prescription. Providers will not write scripts prior to your refill due date due to theft or loss. Indications of suspicious behavior including frequent early refill requests, lost prescriptions, use of multiple pharmacies, and recurrent canceled or missed appointments will result in the denial of refill requests. Providers reserve the right to terminate treatment with a controlled substance at any time.