Vascular Institute

For Patients

How to Reach Us

GENERAL INQUIRIES

For general inquiries, to make appointments, ask routine medical questions, or request prescription refills call our main office during office hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

AFTER HOURS

Our main office line 478-743-9762, is forwarding to an answering service afterhours. The operator will connect you to the Vascular Surgeon on call.

EMERGENCIES

In case of Emergencies do not call the office. This may delay your care. It is best and safest to call 911, ask the ambulance to take you to the nearest emergency room. Ask the emergency room physician to call Vascular Institute, 478-743-9762.

In case of relevant urgency, but not an emergency call the office nurse at 478-743-9762. The office nurse will get in contact with the surgeon on-call. A nurse will be available during office hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00pm

Preparing for Your Visit

We welcome you as a patient to Vascular Institute. We are staffed by a caring team of experienced specialists. We realize that vascular disease affects more than just the patient. That's why we are always here to help and inform family members, while the highest level of care possible. To help make your first visit to VI go smoothly, we have provided some useful information and recommendations below.

In order to help you prepare for your first visit, here is a list of items you will want to bring along:

• Insurance Card(s)
• Photo Identification
• Current medications (including prescriptions, over the counter medications and any natural supplements).
• Bring any pertinent x-rays, CT Scans or PET scans to your visit (please be sure to bring a copy of the images on a CD).
• Relevant information about your medical and surgical history.

Please complete the forms below before your appointment in effort to streamline your first office visit if you are:

1. A new patient, or

2. A former patient who has not been seen by one of our doctors in the past two years.

• Medical History Packet
• Patient Acknowledgement of Privacy Practices
• Patient Condition History
• Patient Financial Responsibility Form
• Patient Information Form
• Privacy Policy

Patient Education

The goal of Vascular Institute is to provide patients with up-to-date, comprehensive, personalized care. Education is one of the cornerstones of the care we provide for our patients and their families. We try and give patients the information they need in order to make informed decisions with us about their plan of care.

We think it is important for you to know what to expect before, during and after your surgery. We believe that when you know what to expect you will not worry as much and you will recover better from your surgery. We have provided useful handouts as a resource to assist you in answering your many questions after surgery. Below is a list of surgery specific handouts. You will be given this handout when we post your surgery and again once you are discharged from the hospital. We realize that all questions cannot be answered through our website; for more information about any unanswered questions, please speak with your doctor or the staff of VI.

Patient Education Forms

• Carotid Stent Discharge Instructions
• Carotid Endarterectomy Discharge Instructions
• Lower Extremity Bypass Discharge Instructions
• Lower Extremity Angiogram Discharge Instructions
• Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) Discharge Instructions
• Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Discharge Instructions
• Arterial Venous Fistula or Graft Discharge Instructions

Medication Policy (EFFECTIVE 2/1/2013)

Our physicians do not routinely prescribe medications unless medically necessary as follows:

• Patients not having surgery will not be prescribed pain medications
• Surgical patients will be given appropriate narcotic medication for a limited time following surgery
• If pain medications are required after this period, you will be referred to your primary care physician, or a pain management specialist for continued management, as appropriate.
• We will ask that you sign an agreement acknowledging our medication policy upon your arrive at your next office visit.

Prescription Refill Policy

• Patients are strongly encouraged to plan ahead! Please avoid waiting until your medication has almost run out before contacting our office for a refill.
• All refills are processed electronically. Patients should notify their pharmacy, not their doctor's office, of their request for a refill.
• No phone refill requests will be processed in order to comply with our electronic processing and documentation.
• For patient safety, this office requires our patients to get their pain medications from one doctor only (medical practice) and from one pharmacy only
• Please note that prescriptions will not be refilled after hours, on weekends, or on National Holidays.

Steps for Requesting a Prescription Refill

• Step 1: Remember to refill your prescription at least one business day before your medication runs out.
• Step 2: Call your pharmacy to request a refill.
• Step 3: Your pharmacy should fax your request to our fax line: (478)743-9762.
• Step 4: All routine requests are filled within one business day.
• Step 5: If you have further questions about your medications, please contact our office at 478-743-9762.

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