Office Policies

 
The doctor-patient relationship requires both cooperation and mutual trust. I will strive to provide you with the best possible medical care, and ask that you participate in the effort to the best of your ability. This patient handout was prepared to help you become better acquainted with the nature of my medical practice. I welcome any questions you may have about our professional relationship. My background... I am a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine and did my intern-ship and residency at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. I became certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1995 and re-certified in 2005. This means that I am qualified, after extensive testing, to specialize in Internal Medicine. I practiced in Boise from 1995-2009 and in Corvallis, Oregon from 2009-2012. As an internist, my experience includes extensive outpatient and inpatient training in adult medicine. Although I have been trained to care for patients with multiple medical problems, I would like to focus a great deal of care on the preventative aspects of disease, thereby allowing the patient an active role in their healthcare. I have privileges at both St. Alphonsus and St. Luke's medical centers. As a small medical practice I feel it is necessary to begin with several basic rules that will allow me to continue to provide quality medical care in a relaxed and supportive environment. Our regular business hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday. For your convenience, we are open every first Friday from 8:00 am to noon. It is requested that all medical problems and medication refills be dealt with during regular business hours. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the emergency department at St. Alphonsus, St. Luke's or your nearest hospital. I am available by phone after usual business hours for emergency issues. The policy regarding prescriptions is that all medication refill requests be made 48 hours in advance during normal hours of operation. This can be done through your pharmacy which will then contact me. No prescriptions will be filled after hours or on weekends so please plan ahead. No narcotic medications will be given outside of the regular business hours. Payment is expected at the time of services. Fees for routine office visit and laboratory tests are posted at the reception desk. You are invited to review the fee schedule with the billing manager or receptionist, who will be happy to explain it in more detail. My office bills monthly. If you have questions about your bill, or if you have financial difficulty that may require an adjustment in your payment schedule, please let us know. We want to try to accommodate patients in this regard. If you find an error on your bill, bring it to our attention so that we can correct it. Services will be billed based on the doctor's services I provide on the date of your visit. We will not change coding. Please find out before your appointment if you have wellness or preventative benefits. Please inform us of these benefits at the time of your annual physical, since coding cannot be changed after the day of your appointment. I am as concerned as you are about the rising medical costs, and I am doing my best to keep fees reasonable by only prescribing tests, treatments, and medications that I believe are necessary. Whenever practical, I encourage patients to share in the decisions about their medical care. About you... Because I think that it is important for you and your family to have confidence in the medical treatment you receive, and because it is both necessary and desirable that you participate in maintaining good health habits, I hope that you can assist me in the following: Keep your appointments. If you must cancel or reschedule an appointment, please let us know 48 hours in advance, so that other patients may be scheduled. It is your responsibility to reschedule a return visit. If you do not keep a scheduled appointment, or fail to give appropriate notice on two or more occasions, I reserve the right to dismiss you as a patient. Follow medical advice. A doctor's treatment or medication prescription is only part of the program to keep you in good health. Medical advice is always given for your benefit and your cooperation is essential. Ask questions whenever you do not understand your treatment or my medical advice. Sometimes, good practice requires that I tell you about risks associated with treatment or the use of medications, as well as the limitations of both. You are always welcome to ask for more details if you wish. Always report any problems that you have with medications or treatment. Let us know if you have a complaint. Medicine is very complex. New research and experience constantly provide beneficial changes in diagnosis and treatment. Although every physician wishes to do their best, no doctor can guarantee a cure or promise a perfect result in every case. Thank you for choosing Erland Internal Medicine for your medical care. I am excited to to be reopening a private practice in Boise and look forward to working with you to improve your health for many years to come. Keri Erland, M.D.

3667 N. Locust Grove Rd., Meridian, ID 83646 * (208) 939-9090 * Fax (208) 939-9911