When You Visit Our Office
You will be greeted by Dr. Kelly’s staff when you arrive at the office. Please introduce yourself and tell them the reason for your visit. If it is your FIRST APPOINTMENT with us, you will be asked to complete medical history and patient information forms. SUBSEQUENT VISITS, you will be asked to complete a Visit Questionnaire. Please tell us of any telephone, address, or insurance changes.
Office Hours
We see patients Monday – Friday in the office. These visits may be scheduled by calling the office (817) 336-3431, or email/texting in non-emergency situations.
You may need medical advice after hours. Call the office telephone number (817) 336-3431 and our telephone message will give you Dr. Kelly’s contact numbers. The office is open from 8:30am to 3:30pm Monday through Friday. Generally, we will see patients who are sick on the day they call for help. Routine appointments should be scheduled in advance.
After Hours
On weekends, Dr. Kelly or an associate physician will be available to help you if needed. In the event that you are unable to reach Dr. Kelly, his office staff, or the physician on call, you should go to the Emergency Room in downtown Fort Worth at Baylor Scott and White All Saints Hospital or Texas Health Resources (Harris Methodist Hospital) in Fort Worth for immediate care.
If possible, discuss routine medical issues with us during regular office hours. However, as a patient of this office, YOU MAY CALL THE DOCTOR 24 HOURS A DAY for a telephone consultation. Premium Medical Home subscribers have a special hotline to connect with Dr. Kelly. Learn more at www.premiummedicalhome.com.
Hospital and Nursing Home Affiliation
Should hospitalization be necessary, Dr. Kelly has staff privileges in downtown Fort Worth with Texas Health Resources Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital and Baylor Scott and White All Saints Hospital. Dr. Kelly cares for his patients at Stonegate Nursing Center, the Stayton, and other nearby nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities.
Recommended Medical Evaluation
Patients with chronic disease or those who are on prescription medication should generally see the doctor every 6-12 months. Patients with acute illness should see the doctor as needed and advise the office if the illness does not resolve as expected. Patients seeing consultants (or other physicians) should follow that doctor’s advice and request that reports be sent to Dr. Kelly’s office. Finally, Dr. Kelly encourages all adults to schedule an annual appointment for individualized preventive care.
“The best preventive approach in frail older adults may sometimes involve doing less rather than more.”
M. Clarfield, JAGS 2010;58:2019
Understanding Your Healthcare Recommendations
Your medical issues will be reviewed and summarized during your office visit or telephone consultation. However, there is much more you can and should do. Special interest groups such as the American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org, can be a great help. Websites contain much pertinent information, www.mayoclinic.com, or www.medscape.com. Newspapers will also publish important information relative to your health and encourages learning about your health and treatment in concert with doctor-patient communication. It’s always OK to bring concerned family members to your appointments, as well as any articles that may have generated questions that you wish to ask the doctor.
Also, online resources bring medical information directly to your phone. Examples are the MyQuest app from Quest Diagnostics that will make lab test results immediately available. X-ray results and images are available through the apps like MYImages from Envision Imaging.
“A good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”
William Osler, MD
Payment Procedure
For your convenience, we will file HEALTH INSURANCE CLAIM forms for you. Remember that health insurance is your benefit, and we may need your cooperation in making sure that claims are properly filed. You will receive statements showing charges and payments on your account. You will be responsible for unpaid balances once your insurance company determines coverage and any adjustments have been made. We request that all balances be paid within 30 days of your statement date unless prior arrangements are made. Payments can be made by mail, over the phone, or with electronic banking applications.
You may be asked to sign a waiver for services that may not be covered by insurance. Services known to be non-covered will not be billed to your insurance plan. They will be billed directly to the patient.
Your Appointment
When you come in for your appointment, you may be asked to complete a Visit Questionnaire. Please include the issues you want to discuss with Dr. Kelly or the nurse. Be as specific as you can, and feel free to bring notes with you to help you remember.
It is also important that you know the names and dosages of all medications, vitamins, and other supplements you may be taking. Sometimes it is best just to bring the bottles with you. This information is helpful in addressing the nature of your visit. Please bring a written list of your prescription medications. You are always welcome to bring a friend or family member to your appointments.
At the end of your visit, Dr. Kelly or the staff will review recommendations, medications, and expected treatment. If you are uncertain or confused about any of your instructions, please ask for clarification.
It is your responsibility to follow directions, schedule both routine and follow-up visits, and keep your appointment with any consulting physician that is recommended. Please keep us informed of any changes of address, phone number, or insurance coverage. Notes made ahead of time listing medical problems and concerns are desirable.
It is our responsibility to inform you of TEST RESULTS. You will be informed either by mail, text, email or by telephone within one week of the test (two weeks for biopsy results). You may select the method you wish us to use to contact you with results. If you do not hear from us within these time-frames, please call the office to inquire about test results. You can access most test results directly through apps like MyQuest and MyImages.
Please notify us of any SYMPTOMS WHICH PERSIST or do not follow the course described by your doctor. Failure to bring such symptoms to our attention or to keep follow-up appointments could have unforeseen adverse effects. Always let the doctor know of any new or unexpected symptoms or problems.
“The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.”
Plato
Telemedicine Appointments
If you feel the need to discuss your symptoms with the doctor outside of our office setting, we offer telemedicine visits as an alternative. When you contact the office for an appointment, we will determine if telemedicine is a viable solution for your medical support. Telemedicine visits will be billed to your insurance just as office visits are billed to your insurance.
TELEMEDICINE is available for family consultation and patient coordination. The decision for the use of telemedicine or routine office visits will be made when the appointment is scheduled.
“Medication and surgery are cornerstones of our efforts to heal patients but honesty and respect…will always be paramount to our success as physicians.”
Jesse Raiten, MD, JAMA, Aaugust 4, 2015
Stay Informed
Just as it is important for us to be fully informed, it is important that you understand the issues related to your healthcare. Any questions and uncertainties about your medical problem should be explained to your satisfaction, even if this requires additional telephone consultation or appointment time. Dr. Kelly asks that you keep a list with names and dosages of all your prescription medicine.
Learn as much as you can about your medical problems and prescriptions. Your pharmacist has many resources. The Internet is also very useful, especially websites such as medscape.com, ama-assn.org, or mayoclinic.com. If you learn something from your own reading or news reports or conversations which concern your illness or treatment, call us or come in to assess how it may apply to you. We want you and your family to have the information that will help all of us. We can also arrange additional consultations if needed and helpful, to answer your questions.
Prescriptions
PLEASE PLAN AHEAD, so you do not run out of medication. Learn the names and dosages of your medications and their uses. We will address your refill requests and new prescription requests during office or hospital visits. Your Premium Medical Home is available for convenient refills at nights and on weekends and if you are out of town. Call the office, and we will take care of your requests. Finally, always bring your medicine bottles or a list of your medications to each appointment.
Fees (Time and the Use of the Office)
Services not covered by health insurance will be billed directly to patients. Your PMH subscription covers the convenience of medication refills, emails, text messages, as well as enhanced cell phone communication and our quarterly PMH@HOME newsletter.
Should a patient move to HOSPICE CARE, Dr. Kelly will continue to care for the patient and work with the family. Dr. Kelly will also work with the hospice nurse and physician to help the patients and their families.
“The patient should be managed the way the doctor or a member of his family would wish to be treated if he were the patient in the bed at that time.”
Robert F. Loeb, MD