First Visit

Your initial appointment will consist of a consultation explaining your diagnosis and treatment options. Occasionally, surgery can be performed the same day as the consultation. However, a complex medical history or treatment plan will require an evaluation and a second appointment to provide treatment on another day.

Please assist us by providing the following information at the time of your consultation:

• Your surgical referral slip and any x-rays if applicable.
• A list of medications you are presently taking.
• If you have medical or dental insurance, bring the necessary completed forms. This will save time and allow us to help you process any claims.

IMPORTANT: All patients under the age of 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the consultation visit.

A preoperative consultation and physical examination is mandatory for patients undergoing IV anesthesia for surgery. Please have nothing to eat or drink six hours prior to your surgery. You will also need an adult to drive you home.

Please alert the office if you have a medical condition that may be of concern prior to surgery (i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure, artificial heart valves and joints, rheumatic fever, etc.) or if you are currently taking any medication (i.e., heart medications, aspirin or any other anticoagulant therapy, etc.).

X-Rays

If your dentist or physician has taken x-rays, you may request that they forward them to our office. If there is not enough time, please pick them up and bring them to our office. If additional films are necessary, they can be taken at our facility.

CT Scans

Our practice utilizes state-of-the-art, full-cranial cone-beam CT (computed tomography) technology that provides highly accurate 3-D radiographic images for the diagnosis, planning and treatment of oral surgery. This technology provides full-cranial, highly accurate 3-D radiographic images for the diagnosis, planning and treatment of orthodontics, implantology, TMJ analysis, airway assessment, oral and orthognathic surgery and other dental procedures. Undistorted, anatomically correct views of the jaws, teeth and facial bones along with cross-sectional (bucco-lingual), axial, coronal, sagittal, cephalometric and panoramic views are easily generated. Three-dimensional images enable a level of anatomical accuracy and patient care not possible with 2-D technologies.

With the addition of cone-beam CT technology in our office, our practice is committed to providing innovative, high-quality, patient care.

Financial Policy

Privacy Policy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

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THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED

AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

THE PRIVACY OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TOUS.

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OUR LEGAL DUTY

We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the privacy of your health information.  We are also required to give you this Notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and your rights concerning your health information.  We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect.  This Notice take effect 08/26/04, and will remain if effect until we replace it.

We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law.  We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes.  Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request.

You may request a copy of our Notice at any time.  For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice, please contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice.

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USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION

We use and disclose health information about you for treatment, payment and healthcare operations.  For Example:

Treatment:  We may use and disclose your health information to a physician or other healthcare provider providing treatment to you.

Payment:  We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you.

Healthcare Operations:  We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our healthcare operations.  Healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualification of healthcare professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.

Your Authorization:  In addition to our use of your health information for treatment, payment and healthcare operations, you may give us written authorization to use your health information or disclose it to anyone for any purpose.  If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time.  Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it is effect.  Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.

To Your Family and Friends:  We must disclose your health information to you, as described in the Patient Rights section of this Notice.  We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend or other person to the extent necessary to help with your healthcare or with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.

Person Involved In Care:  We may use or disclose health information to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death.  If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures.  In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your healthcare.  We will also use our professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your best interest in allowing a person to pick up filed prescriptions, medical supplies, x-rays, or other similar forms of health information.

Marketing Health-Related Services:  We will not use your health information for marketing communications without your written authorization.

Required by Law:  We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law.

Abuse or Neglect:  We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes.  We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.

National Security:  We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances.  We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities.  We may disclose to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials having lawful custody of protected health information of inmate or patient under certain circumstances.

Appointment Reminders:  We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders      (such as voicemail messages, postcards, or letters).

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PATIENT RIGHTS

Access:  You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions.  You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies.  We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so.  (You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your health information.  You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice.  We will charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for expenses such as copies and staff time.  You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this Notice.  If you request copies, we charge you $1.00 for each page, $10.00 per hour for staff time to locate and copy your health information, and postage if you want the copies mailed to you.  If you request an alternative format, we will charge a cost-based fee for providing your health information in that format.  If you prefer, we will prepare a summary or an explanation of your health information for free.  Contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.)

Disclosure Accounting:  You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for purposes, other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations and certain other activities, for the last 6 years, but not before April 14, 2003.  If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests.

Restriction:  You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information.  We are not required to agree to the additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency).

Alternative Communication:  You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations.  (You must make your request in writing.)  Your request must specify the alternative means our location you request.

Amendment:  You have the right to request that we amend your health information.  (Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended.)  We may deny your request under certain circumstances.

Electronic Notice:  If you receive the Notice on our website or by electronic mail (e-mail), you are entitled to receive this Notice in written form.