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The Arthritis Centers of Texas has compiled several forms and useful information for our patients to read and complete in the privacy of their own homes. Should you be asked to complete a form by our staff, you will find it in this section.
To learn more about our services or schedule a convenient appointment, please call us at (214) 580-3630.
Office Hours
Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
After Hours and Weekends
There are several ways to communicate with the office after regular business hours and on weekends. First, if you know the extension of the person you wish to speak with, dial their extension to connect to their voicemail when the after-hours auto-attendant recording comes on. Messages may also be left on the patient portal.
You may also leave a message by dialing “1” and following the instructions when the after-hours auto-attendant recording comes on.
If you need to speak with the physician on call after hours or weekends, dial “2” when the after-hours auto-attendant recording comes on and leave a brief message telling us your situation. Please remember to speak slowly and clearly and repeat your name and phone number twice. The on-call physician will contact you shortly after leaving your message, so please plan to be available at the phone number you leave so that your call can be successfully returned. If you have caller ID and you have unknown caller blocked turned on, please turn this feature off by dialing “*82,” or the doctor on call may be unable to return your call.
Phone Calls During Normal Business Hours
Calls received during regular business hours will be answered by our office staff. Messages received before 4 p.m. will be returned the same day, and messages received after 4 p.m. will be returned the next day. When you call, please leave your name, date of birth, the best phone number to use for contacting you, and the best time of day to reach you at that number. You may also leave messages for staff on our patient portal.
The staff is well trained to answer most messages as instructed by the doctors, so a Medical Assistant will return your call unless the doctor feels they need to discuss the matter with you personally.
Prescription Refills
Virtually all prescriptions are now filled electronically (e-prescribe). Therefore, please plan to obtain all of your prescription refills at your office visits. This ensures accurate and timely refills and prevents necessitating multiple telephone calls. Also, we only refill the medications we prescribe, so your other prescriptions will need to be filled by your other physicians. If you need a prescription refill between office visits, please contact your pharmacist and request them to initiate an electronic refill request from our office.
Many of the medications that we prescribe require periodic clinical and laboratory monitoring. Patients on these medications must be seen at the recommended intervals to continue to receive refills.
Requests for refills may be denied for the following reasons:
Scheduling appointments
We have a dedicated scheduling phone number for your convenience; call (214) 580-3630. You may also contact our scheduling department by dialing the main office number (214) 823-6503 and following the instructions given by the auto attendant system.
Appointments for office visits are required to be made in advance. We do not offer walk-in office visits. While most of our patients are referred by a physician, a referral is not necessary unless your specific insurance plan requires one.
Existing clinic patients are highly encouraged to make follow-up appointments when checking out after their office visits.
Canceling appointments
We want to help you keep your appointments. Appointments are confirmed at least 24 – 48 hours in advance. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please do so no later than noon the day before your appointment. You may be charged a no-show fee for failing to keep an appointment that has not been canceled or rescheduled in advance. These fees are not covered by medical insurance. In addition, appointments that are not confirmed by noon on the day before your appointment may be cancelled and given to another patient.
To enforce our cancellation policy, patients who do not show up for confirmed appointments will be assessed a $50 no-show fee. Your medical insurance does not cover this fee.
No Show Policy
We want to help you keep your appointments. Appointments are confirmed at least 24 – 48 hours in advance. Even though we make every attempt to reach patients to remind them of upcoming appointments, it is the responsibility of the patient to record the date and time of their appointments. Please arrive on time for your appointment.
We ask that every new patient arrives 30 minutes before their scheduled appointment time. Should you arrive more than 15 minutes late to your appointment, you will need to reschedule your appointment for another day.
If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please do so no later than noon the day before your appointment. You may be charged a no-show fee for failing to keep an appointment that has not been canceled or rescheduled in advance. In addition, we reserve the right to discharge patients who habitually arrive late, fail to cancel or reschedule appointments appropriately, or are a no-show for their appointments.
The Role of a Primary Care Physician
Our clinic only provides treatment for rheumatologic conditions, so you need a primary care physician for your non-rheumatology medical care. Our physicians do not admit patients to the hospital. Hospital consultation services are provided on a limited basis only at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Controlled Substances
Controlled medications, including all narcotics, are subject to strict prescribing guidelines. They are dispensed for 30 days at a time and require adherence to our pain agreement. Refills of controlled substances are not made between visits, after hours, or after missed appointments. There will be no refills for excessive use, lost or stolen prescriptions. You should obtain controlled substances and narcotics from a single provider. Obtaining controlled prescriptions from multiple providers is prohibited. Your prescription must be provided at your regularly scheduled appointment. Routine drug database screenings are also conducted to ensure medications are filled correctly with your pharmacy and with a single provider. Be sure you bring controlled medication bottles and remaining pills to all of your appointments.