Office Hours:
The Heart & Vascular Center is open Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Phone and Fax Numbers:
Local: 941-365-0433
Toll free: 1-800-226-0433
Fax: 941-954-2064
Office Procedure
New Patients
We accept new patients for consultations, diagnostic evaluation and second opinions.
Patients are accepted from a referring a physician or by contacting our office directly.
Appointments will be made as quickly as possible with patient convenience always in mind.
It is of the utmost importance that we have copies of your medical records available prior to your appointment. In order to assure this, you may be asked to help us obtain these records or sign a medical records release form which allows us to request them from your physicians.
We do accept Medicare and most commercial insurance plans and will file your claims for you.
New Patient Registration
A new patient representative will contact you to obtain the information necessary to enter you into our system and schedule your appointment. Please have the following information available: Name, Date of Birth, Social Security number, Address, Phone numbers, Insurance information, Names and phone numbers of your other physicians.
You will be mailed a New Patient information package, which includes all paperwork to fill out and bring with you for your first appointment.
You may also download and print these documents from the "Forms" section of our website.
Appointments
We encourage you to make your appointments as far in advance as possible. We recognize the importance of your time and will make every effort to meet your requests. We ask your understanding when medical emergencies may occasionally cause us to delay or reschedule your appointment.
We do call you the day before your appointment to confirm and give you instructions as necessary. Please be sure we have your daytime phone number on file.
Please bring your insurance cards to every visit and please notify us promptly of any changes in your insurance, address or phone numbers.
Cancellations
We understand that from time to time you may have to cancel or reschedule an appointment.
We ask that you make every effort to notify us as soon as possible or at least 24 hours in advance.
Telephone Calls
Our staff is ready to assist you and will direct your call to the appropriate person Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 5:00PM with lunch from 12:00Noon - 1:00PM.
If your call is prompted by pain, acute discomfort or fell the situation calls for immediate attention, please give the specific details to the operator, so we may handle your call appropriately. Do not leave a voicemail!
If your call is non-urgent, you may be asked to leave a voicemail message and your call will be returned by the end of the business day.
Prescription Refills
If you need prescriptions refilled between office visits, please contact Jamie at 365-0433 ext.234. Please allow at least 24 - 48 hours for your request to be handled.
We are not responsible for "last minute" requests.
We do fax to most mail-away pharmacies, such as Medco, Caremark and Express Scripts etc.
If you walk into the office unscheduled to get your prescriptions filled, be prepared to wait or have them mailed to you, called or faxed to your pharmacy.
Please be advised that by law, we cannot fill prescriptions if you have not had an office visit or stress test within one year.
After Hours
If you have an after hours emergency and need to reach the on - call physician, please call the main office number, 941-365-0433, and ask the answering service to notify the doctor and have him call you. Please leave your name and phone number, have your medication list available and be prepared to accurately describe your problem.
In case of an emergency, call 911 to dispatch an ambulance. Once you are admitted to the hospital, have the emergency room staff notify the on call physician.
Billing, Insurance, & Credit Information
Please direct any questions regarding your bill to our billing office, Partner's in Practice, at 1-800-265-5154.
The Heart & Vascular Center of Sarasota accepts Medicare and most commercial insurance plans as well as many managed care plans in the area. We do not accept GHI, Universal Healthcare, UH Medicare Masterpiece, Evolutions and Wellcare.
We will bill Medicare directly for services provided and as a courtesy we also file with your secondary insurance or commercial insurance carrier.
Please be sure to bring any co-payment required and deductible with you at the time of your visit, so that we may properly settle your account.
A number of insurance companies require pre-authorization for certain medical tests. We are glad to assist in obtaining them, but it is your responsibility to check with your insurance if prior authorization is required and to make sure it was granted. Even obtaining a prior authorization does not guarantee payment by your insurance company.
Should your insurance carrier withhold payment or partial payment of your claim for any reason, we will be glad to assist you in obtaining an explanation from them. The Heart & Vascular Center can not guarantee payment of your claim or be responsible for negotiating fees or claims with insurance companies or any other entity. Patients are responsible for payment of medical care within a reasonable time, regardless of status of the claim. If circumstances warrant an extended payment plan, your billing office representative will assist you with such arrangements.
Keeping your Account Current
Please notify our office immediately with any changes in your address, telephone number or insurance information.
A note for non-US residents and patients without insurance: Please contact our office prior to your visit so that we can discuss payment arrangements on your account.