Frequently Asked Questions

We offer extended hours from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding holidays, with walk-in clinic availability for established patients Tuesday and Friday mornings 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. for minor conditions with a nurse practitioner. Should you need to contact the physician on call for urgent clinical advice after the office is closed, call 785-505-5160 and our answering service will page the on-call physician.

We offer both same-day appointments with a provider. Appointment times may vary according to your provider's schedule or certain types of appointments may require more advanced scheduling to meet your specific needs. To schedule an appointment, call 785-505-5160. If you are an established patient and have previously registered for our patient portal, you may request non-urgent appointments through our Patient Portal.

Whether you’re coming in for a first-time appointment or repeat visit, we will need to see your insurance card(s) and current driver's license or identification card. Please come prepared to pay your deductible and/or co-payment at the time of service. You should bring your medications (medications include prescription and over-the-counter [non-prescription, herbs, minerals, supplements]) or a current list with you so your provider can confirm what medicines you are currently taking.

We appreciate at least 24 hours advance notice if you are unable to keep your appointment. Please call 785-505-5160 or send a cancellation through your registered Patient Portal account as soon as you know you need to cancel or reschedule.

As part of the LMH Health physician practice network, we accept most insurance plans, including, Medicare assignment and Medicaid. Each time you come in for an appointment, we will need to see your insurance card(s) and current driver's license or identification card. You will be responsible for paying your deductible and/or co-payment at the time of service. The agreement between you and your insurance provider is private therefore we do not routinely research why an insurance carrier has not paid or if it may have paid less than anticipated for medical care. If an insurance carrier has not paid within 60 days of billing, you will be responsible for professional fees. We direct you to call Physician’s Billing with any questions at 785-505-5775. If you are uninsured or experiencing financial hardships, we offer financial counselors at 785-505-5775.

Our staff makes every effort to simplify and help you with billing and insurance claims procedures. We file insurance claims on your behalf as a courtesy. When an insurance claim is denied, we make a reasonable effort to appeal the denial when appropriate. If we are aware that a particular test or procedure is routinely not covered by a specific insurance plan, we will make you aware before the service is rendered whenever possible. If you are uninsured or experiencing financial hardships, we offer financial counselors at 785-505-5775.

An internist is a doctor with specialty training in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of diseases that occur in adults. Within the field of internal medicine are nine recognized subspecialties: cardiology (heart), endocrinology (glands), gastroenterology (digestive tract and liver), hematology (blood and blood-forming tissues), infectious disease (infections), nephrology (kidneys), oncology (cancers), pulmonology (lungs), and rheumatology (arthritis and connective tissue).

An APRN is a registered nurse (RN) who has a master's degree in nursing and two or more years of advanced clinical training in a health care specialty area. Nurse Practitioners work under the rules and regulations of the Nurse Practitioners Act of the state they practice in. Most are also board certified in their specialty area and recognized as expert health care providers. They deliver individualized care, focusing not only on the specific health condition, but also on its effects on patients and their families.

Yes. When covered by insurance, we provide on-site laboratory services. Our in-office laboratory has received the COLA Laboratory Excellence Award for outstanding quality patient testing. Please check your insurance coverage to find out if there are restrictions on where and who can draw your blood and do the testing.

Internal Medicine Group notifies patients of test results by phone, mail, Patient Portal or at an office visit. You should expect to be notified of your test results in a timely fashion. Timeliness can vary according to what kind of test result was completed. For example, certain blood tests may be available in 1-3 days while others, such as a biopsy may take longer. If at any time you have not been notified, please call our office and speak to a nurse. Patients who have enrolled and have designated the secure portal as their preferred method of communication may view certain lab, imaging, and office notes via the portal.

Abnormal tests and certain normal tests with more complex interpretations may require an office visit to discuss in more detail.

If at any time you have not been notified, please call our office at 785-505-5160 and speak to a nurse.

We offer a wide range of tests to accurately diagnose conditions and diseases in adults, including echocardiograms, bone densitometry, ultrasounds, X-rays and much more.

The best time to discuss a referral is during your office visit. Many insurance companies require that referrals are made to specific providers, and additional paperwork and/or phone calls to authorize the referral are often necessary. We also like to provide the referral physician with your history and previous testing, or treatments pertinent to the referral, in order to coordinate your care. For any questions about your referral or care coordination, please call our RN Referral/Care Coordinator at 785-330-3177.

It's important for the effectiveness and safety of your care to always communicate with your primary care team. If you have had a recent hospitalization -- including emergency or urgent care treatment here or out of town -- or have had any kind of medical procedure or treatment, please call, update your information on My Patient Portal, or let us know at the time of your office visit.

Please leave any referral requests or information with your provider’s care team nurse. If you have a clinical problem and are requesting a referral to a specialist without seeing your primary provider, ask to speak with the nurse. The nurse can help you determine whether you need an office visit with your primary care provider to help facilitate this process.

If your insurance is through an HMO insurer, discuss your health care needs with your physician or his/her nurse prior to seeking care from other providers so as to ensure the best possible coordination of care, information, and meeting the conditions of your insurance coverage. Scheduling an appointment with another provider prior to an evaluation by your physician may result in non-payment or reduced payment by your insurance.

We request at least 48 hours advance referral notification so that the appropriate paperwork can be exchanged with the provider of referral. It is the responsibility of the patient to contact their insurance company for verification of pre-certification of tests such as IV infusion therapy (i.e.-biologicals and antibiotics), CT scans, MRI and any other procedures performed.

Our Pre-Certification Coordinator may be reached at 785-505-5112 to assist you with any pre-certification questions. 

Please notify our office of any recent hospitalizations, emergency room visits, or self-referrals to other health care providers (such as optometrist, educator, counselor, physical therapy) so that we can assist you with follow-up appointments and obtain the appropriate records for your ongoing care.

All medications are generally refilled at the time of your office visit. If you need a refill before your next appointment, contact your pharmacist (who will notify us). Prescriptions and refills are issued during office hours only.

NO ROUTINE MEDICATIONS WILL BE REFILLED ON WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS OR AFTER HOURS.

Please monitor your prescriptions carefully so that you will not run out of medication during these times. Call your pharmacist to request refills of prescriptions. The pharmacy will contact our office for approval if it is required. Some prescription labels indicate "NO REFILL" which may mean you are to take a limited number of doses, but often it means you are to report your response to the medication to our office before a decision to refill the prescription is made.

We encourage you to bring your prescription bottles or a current medication list to each office visit and request needed refills at that time. Medications include prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, herbs, vitamins, and supplements. Certain prescriptions require at least annual or more frequent office visits for refills or have very specific criteria or agreements for these refills. Reviewing your medications, in detail at office visits with your care team and provider, improves patient safety, accuracy and quality of care. You will be asked to identify your preferred pharmacy.