Office Policies
These office policies for Queenan Family Medicine and Maternity Care all support the underlying goal to cultivate truly patient-centered collaborative care in a
vital and sustainable practice. For this reason please take the time to read through them and do contact me if you have any questions or concerns. As the practice
evolves, these policies may change in order to better achieve my underlying goal; all registered patients will be informed of any major practice changes via e-mail
or postal mail and through updates on the practice website.
- Emily Queenan, MD
Scheduling Appointments
Dr. Queenan is committed to providing excellent access to her patients through scheduled appointments, same-day appointments, and virtual office visits through either telephone or internet; with rare exception, this will mean that any registered patient will be able to be seen within 24-48 hours of his or her requested appointment. For all patients with access to the internet, appointments may be scheduled through a secure link on the office website. For same day appointments, or if no convenient appointment is available online, patients may call the office at 888-494-3064 and Dr. Queenan will try to accommodate their needs.
Late Policy
Dr. Queenan respects the value of your time and makes every effort to keep on schedule. In order to help her do this, please note that your appointment time will not be extended due to a late arrival.
No-Show Policy
Please know that your appointment time is reserved especially for you, so in respect to other patients, please call at least 3 hours in advance if you will be unable to keep your appointment. This allows Dr. Queenan to offer that time to another patient. If a patient fails to show up for their appointment or cancels with less than 3 hours notice, there will be a $40 “no-show” fee. A pattern of repeated failures to keep appointments may result in dismissal from the practice.
After Hours Concerns
If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. For all other concerns, please e-mail Dr. Queenan at emilyqueenan@onebox.com (please see below for the e-mail policy) or call her at the tollfree number 1.888.494.3064. Calls to this phone number will go directly to voicemail; voicemails are transcribed to text and both emailed and texted to Dr. Queenan. Dr Queenan checks voicemail regularly during business hours, and will reply by the end of the day to all messages left during normal business hours; she will reply by the next business day to any messages left outside of normal business hours. For urgent concerns that cannot wait for a call back within this timeframe, please call 888.494.3064 and dial the 3 digits 9-1-1 during the voicemail message; this priority code will connect you directly to a phone where Dr. Queenan can be reached; if you reach a voicemail at this forwarded number, your call will be returned within 5-15 minutes. Most importantly, never delay emergency treatment.
Email Policy
E-mail is a convenient and efficient way to communicate non-urgent requests, questions, and messages that you may have for Dr. Queenan. However, while the security and confidentiality of email is comparable to other forms of communication, there are some special conditions that apply to e-mail.
- If your email address is through your employer, your employer may own all emails sent to that address.
- If your family shares your email address, other family members may see your messages.
- If you use an Internet service provider, there is a small risk that messages may be intercepted by others (“hackers”).
- The following subjects are rarely appropriate for standard e-mail:- Any urgent medical problem or emergency
- Mental health issues
- Alcohol and substance abuse problems
- HIV and other sexually transmitted infections- Dr. Queenan does not control the security of incoming email messages from patients. Patients who choose to email personal health information do so at their own risk. Please keep in mind that although email is a very effective tool, it is not a substitute for personal visits for examination and counseling with your doctor.
Virtual Office Visits
Virtual office visits may be through either the telephone or internet. They can be used for new or existing problems, which, in Dr. Queenan ’s professional opinion, may not require face to face care. Examples include routine follow up on chronic medication conditions such as cholesterol or thyroid problems, or acute problems such as uncomplicated sinus or urinary tract infections. They are NOT SUITABLE for severe issues such as trouble breathing, severe bleeding, chest pain that you think might be a heart attack (Call 911 now if you have any of these issues!). To schedule a telephone visit, please schedule an appointment through the online scheduling program (in the comments section, please note that you would like a telephone visit) or call Dr. Queenan at 888.494.3064. In order to schedule a virtual WebVisit via the internet, please visit our Virtual Office Visit page.
Medical Records Release
Upon request with appropriate HIPAA-compliant form, a paper or electronic copy of all or a portion of your medical records can be provided to you or another doctor. For paper copies, there will be a $10.00 charge plus a fee of $0.25 per page. For a CD copy there will be a $10.00 flat charge.
Medication Refills
Because Dr. Queenan writes prescriptions with a sufficient refills to last until she would next like to see her patients for follow-up, please schedule an appointment (either in-office or in certain circumstances virtual) when you note that you do not have any refills left on a prescription. If extraordinary circumstances prevent you from engaging in either an in-office or virtual visit, please contact Dr. Queenan during normal business hours so that something can be worked out.
Pharmaceutical Samples
Prescription samples are marketing tools that have the unfortunate effect of costing patients and the health care system more money over the long run and will not be available in this office. Instead, every attempt will be made to prescribe the best medication that costs the least amount of money for patients. Short-term prescriptions can be written if you would like to try a medication only for a short period of time.
Controlled Substances Prescriptions (including benzodiazepines, opioids, and stimulant medications)
Due to the detrimental effect that abuse and diversion of controlled substances can have on a patient’s health and on the physician-patient relationship, patients who require controlled substances for longer than four weeks will be required to sign a “Controlled Substances Prescribing Contract” which outlines the expectations for both the patient and the prescriber (Dr. Queenan). These expectations include agreeing to receive their controlled substance prescriptions solely from Dr. Queenan and to use a single pharmacy for refills. Any patient who joins the practice and is already using controlled substances will be expected to provide medical documentation for their use and will be asked to submit a urine sample for chemical dependency screening. If results of the screening identify illicit substances or do not identify an expected prescribed medication, Dr. Queenan will not take punitive action, but will arrange for appropriate medical management of substance abuse problems as indicated. Controlled substances for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and similar conditions are generally prescribed only after appropriate psychological and/or psychiatric evaluation.
Maternity Care
Dr. Queenan provides maternity services, including prenatal, labor and delivery, and post-partum care for women with low- to moderate-risk pregnancies. Conditions that necessitate referral for specialist OB care include multiple gestations; pre-existing medical conditions including diabetes (Type I or Type II, not gestational), high blood pressure (pre-existing, not limited to pregnancy), and autoimmune disorders (including lupus, MS, etc); and certain complications of pregnancy including severe preeclampsia/eclampsia, severe intrauterine growth restriction, and certain blood type sensitizations. Dr. Queenan has maternity privileges at Highland Hospital and will attend hospital births exclusively; if any patient desires a home birth, she will be referred to one of several local professional midwives who attend homebirth deliveries.
Inpatient Medical Care
Dr. Queenan has admitting privileges at Highland Hospital. In the event that a patient requires admission to the hospital, patients will be under the care of the team of Hospitalist Physicians on staff at Highland. Dr. Queenan will work closely with these physicians to coordinate your care. She will take care of any newborn admissions to Highland Hospital if she is to be the child’s primary care physician. For other pediatric admissions, Dr. Queenan suggests seeking care at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital.
Payment of Patient-Responsible Portion of Medical Fees
Payment for copays and known non-covered services will be expected at the time of service; credit cards (Mastercard and Visa), as well as cash and personal checks, are accepted for patients’ convenience. If your check is returned to Dr. Queenan for any reason, you will be charged a $30.00 fee for processing. Payment for other patient-responsible payments, including but not limited to coinsurance and deductibles, will be expected upon receipt of the invoice that will be sent out upon insurance communication of payment of the claim. Those balances remaining after 90 days may be subject to being sent to a collections company, in addition to notification of your health insurance company for fraud if applicable. If you have significant financial difficulty and are unable to pay your bill in full, please contact Dr. Queenan immediately so that a payment plan can be worked out.
Participation With Insurance
Dr. Queenan is a provider with the following health insurers and plans: Aetna, Excellus Health Plans - Blue Cross Blue Shield (which includes the federally financed programs administered by Monroe Plan), MVP Healthcare, and Medicare; she also accepts self-payment for fee-for-service. If you have any questions regarding whether Dr. Queenan participates with your insurance, please contact your insurance carrier. If your insurance requires you to select a PMD, please be sure to assign Dr. Queenan as your PMD before your first visit so that you will not have any trouble with insurance coverage of the visit. Insurance will be verified with each visit to ensure that patients are not saddled with unexpected health care bills.
Chaperones For Sensitive Exams
At this time, Dr. Queenan does not have any clinical staff; therefore, for sensitive exams including female breast and pelvic exams and male genital and prostate exams, patients are requested to bring their own chaperone with them if the patient feels it is necessary.
Privacy Policy
When you have reviewed these policies, please review the Privacy Policy (as required by federal law) and accompanying e-mail policy; if you have any questions, feel free to contact Dr. Queenan at 1.888-494-3064 or emilyqueenan@onebox.com. If you have no further questions, please sign the Signature Page of acknowledgement of receipt of these policies attached to the Privacy Policy document and bring it with you to your first appointment.
