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Healthcare AssociatesCaring for You
Welcome toHealthcare AssociatesDedicated to YouOur CareAt Healthcare Associates (HCA), patientscome first, and caring for you is what wedo best. We are pleased to offer an arrayof services – from top-notch medical careand support to translation assistance,convenient prescription refills and otheravailable services such as Be Well! and theLearning Center. You can count on us toassist you with all of your medical needs.Healthcare Associates provides adult andgeriatric care for men and women. HCA isunique among Boston’s academic primarycare practices for its mix of special programs.We encourage you to play an active role indecisions that affect your well-being, andwe look forward to a long relationship withyou. Together, we’ll help you set goals andestablish plans for a lifetime of healthy living.We welcome your input as we continueto improve our services. Please call us orschedule a visit whenever you have healthrelated questions, concerns or problems. Weight managementIn addition to primary care, HCAalso provides assistance with: W omen’s health (dedicated to thehealth of women at all stages oflife, including mental health) HIV care Sexual health Geriatric care Diabetes S ocial work therapy (delivered byexperienced licensed clinical social workers) A nticoagulation management(provided through registered nursesand pharmacists who work closelywith HCA primary care teams) Integrative care (integrative nutrition and physicianconsults offering acupunture, massage, tai chi and yogaclasses)Hours and LocationsHealthcare AssociatesBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center330 Brookline AvenueBoston, MA 02215East CampusCarl J. Shapiro Clinical Center617-754-9600 phone617-667-6406 fax (Atrium)617-667-8665 fax (6th floor)Two locations:First floor (Atrium Suite)Sixth floor (North, South and Central Suites)1 W e lco m e to H e a lt h c a r e A s s o ci at e sOffice hours:Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Saturday - 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Evening appointments:Tuesday – Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.Lab facilities open:Tuesday – Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.Monday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Visit us on the web at bidmc.org/hca for moredetailed information about our group practice,our providers, directions and parking.
Who Will Provide Your Care?Each patient in HCA has a primary carephysician and a multi-disciplinary team.Team caregivers consider not only thephysical, but also the psychological, social,economic, and educational issues that maycontribute to your health and well being.Clinical Social Workers are licensed therapists.They provide consultation and care for arange of mental health conditions, includingadjustments to illness, life changes, depression,anxiety, stress disorders and marital problems.Additionally, they provide comprehensivemental health case management and concretesocial work services in a primary care setting.RespectEach team is led by a primary care physicianwho is either board certified by the AmericanBoard of Internal Medicine or a medicalresident who provides care in partnershipwith a board certified physician.Our faculty primary care providers haveacademic appointments at Harvard MedicalSchool and the Department of Medicine,Division of General Medicine and PrimaryCare at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center(BIDMC). HCA’s association with HarvardMedical School helps keep our healthcareproviders at the forefront of medicalknowledge. Many of our staff participate inclinical teaching or research programs thatcontribute to excellent patient care. Because ofour teaching role, medical, nursing, and socialwork trainees may participate in your care.Our interns and residents are medical doctorswho have graduated from medical school.Interns are in the first year of a three-yearresidency at BIDMC. When these doctorstransition into the second and third year of theresidency program, they are called residents.Clinical Pharmacists work closely withyour team by offering general medicationcounseling, support for patients withbarriers to appropriate medication use,and education on self monitoring anddiabetes medication management.Community Resource Specialists shareinformation about support services in thecommunity. They help patients apply forhealth benefits and entitlement programs.They also help coordinate transportation, andmake referrals or provide information aboutservices such as meal programs, substance abusetreatment, child care, home services, emergencyshelters, and education/employment training.Support Personnel include Patient ServiceRepresentatives in our Call Center whoassist patients by phone. Medical Assistantsgreet patients, prepare appointmentpaperwork, help schedule follow-up visits orspecialty appointments, and may assist yourphysician or nurse during an exam. Behindthe scenes, administrative assistants andoffice managers also support your care.The HCA team includes:Nurse Practitioners are certified advancedpractice registered nurses who work closelywith your physician. They take healthhistories, perform physical exams, diagnoseand treat acute and chronic illnesses and canalso prescribe medications as indicated.Registered Clinical Nurses work closely with youand your provider to answer your questions,triage symptoms and determine how bestto meet your immediate health care needsbetween regularly scheduled appointments.If You Need Care Outside of HCAAs a Healthcare Associates patient, thecomplete and comprehensive services ofBIDMC are available to you. If you have acare need that your primary care physiciancannot provide, your physician will work withspecialists throughout the medical center toarrange tests and consultations quickly andefficiently. Our goal is to provide the care youneed when and where you need it, whether inyour home, the HCA office or in the hospital.General Medicine Fellows are credentialedgraduates of residency programs who aredoing additional training in public health andresearch methods. While in training, fellowsare supervised by HCA staff physicians.W e lco m e to H e a lt h c a r e A s s o ci at e s 2
To Contact HCAYour AppointmentCall during normal business hours(8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) and speakwith a Patient Service Representative to:To help us serve our patients well, we ask thatyou please come to your appointment on timeor notify us 24 hours in advance if you need tocancel your appointment. We will remind you ofyour scheduled appointment by mail two weeksprior to your visit. Additionally, you will receivea courtesy phone call three days prior to yourvisit, reminding you of your appointment. Tocancel by phone during normal business hours orvoice mail after hours, please call 617-754-9600. Make an appointment Request prescription refills Speak with a registered clinical nurse Leave a message for your providerIf calling after hours, you have theoption of leaving a voice message to: Cancel your scheduled appointment Request a prescription refill Request lab resultsThese after hour requests will be addressedduring the next business day.If you have a health emergency, please call911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Forurgent health care issues, HCA has registerednurses and doctors on call nights, weekends andholidays. Please call 617-754-9600 and ask tospeak with one of our registered clinical nursesbefore going to the emergency room or seekingother services. Please note: If you are requestingto have forms filled out by your provider pleaseallow up to 5 business days to complete them.E-mail CommunicationAs an added way to contact your primary careteam, you may be able to enroll in PatientSite,a secure internet website that allows you tocommunicate with our staff. You can requestappointments, arrange referrals, review portionsof your medical records, including lab results andrenew your prescriptions through this website.Please see the enclosed PatientSite brochurefor more details or go to patientsite.org.Please arrive at least 20 minutes early for yourscheduled appointment. If you arrive after yourscheduled appointment time, you may be askedto reschedule your appointment for anothertime or day, or you may be seen if time allows.As a new patient, it is highly recommendedthat you request to have any of yourprevious medical records sent to HCA.Before your appointment, please let us know: Do you need an Interpreter? Several HCAclinicians speak languages other than English.If your provider does not speak your preferredor primary language, our staff will requestan interpreter for you through BIDMC’sInterpreter Services Department. Please callour office ahead of time, if possible, to arrangefor an interpreter. Translation services in morethan 30 languages, including American SignLanguage, are available free of charge. Do you have Special Accommodations Needs?If you need assistance getting around thehospital or require special accommodationssuch as a wheelchair, BIDMC has ServiceAmbassadors stationed throughout thehospital who are willing to help you. Youcan easily spot them wearing maroonjackets. They can escort you to and fromyour appointment. They will also give youa card with a phone number to call if youneed assistance after your appointment.Caring3 W e lco m e to H e a lt h c a r e A s s o ci at e s
Insurance and ManagedCare GuidelinesRenewing YourPrescriptionsReferralsTo best serve you, HCA currently uses a newtechnology that allows us to electronicallysend your prescriptions to your pharmacy. Thistechnology allows your pharmacy to fill yourprescription more quickly and accurately. Forthose pharmacies that do not participate inthis technology, we will continue to send yourprescriptions directly to your pharmacy. If youwould like to use this service, please call 617754-9600 to provide your pharmacy information.If you need specialty care, your primary carephysician will refer you to a BIDMC-affiliatedspecialist or service that best meets yourneeds. Many health insurance plans requirethat referrals be approved before specialistappointments. Without that referral, yourhealth care insurer might refuse to paythe specialist’s bill, and you could be heldresponsible for the cost of the office visit.For help when you need a referral: Contact an HCA referral coordinator by callingthe main number, 617-754-9600, andselecting the “managed care referral” option.Before calling HCA for prescription refills, pleasecheck your medication label to see if you haveany refills left on your prescription. If you dohave refills left, please contact your pharmacy.Integrity Please note: referrals are processed Mondaythrough Friday during normal office hours. It is best to contact HCA as soonas you have an appointment. Please allow at least 3 to 4 business daysto process a routine referral request. Referrals are limited to a certain number ofvisits and/or may only be valid for a specificlength of time. If you have follow-up visitsscheduled with a specialist, please checkbefore your appointment to confirm thatyour current referral will cover these visits.If You Change Insurance PlansIf you change insurance plans, please be surethat the correct primary care physician is listedwith the new insurance plan and call BIDMCregistration at 617-754-8240 to update thatinformation as well. Bring your most currentinsurance card to your next appointment.It is important to note that HealthcareAssociates charges are billed as outpatient cliniccharges. There typically are two components toyour medical bill: one part is for your doctor’sservices, the other is for the use of the hospitalfacilities, support staff and supplies. Pleasemake sure to contact your insurance plan toconfirm that the facility charge will be covered.For all billing inquiries, please call the numberlocated on your bill, 1-866-306-7643.It is best to check your prescriptions beforeyour appointments so that your providercan renew them for you during your visit. Ifyou run out of medication between visits,you may contact us in one of three ways: Call 617-754-9600 during normal business hours Leaveavoicemailmessageafter5p.m. Request a renewal on patientsite.orgPlease allow 3 business days forprocessing prescription renewals.Please note: if your insurance requiresa prior authorization it may extend theprocess. For further prescription questions,please see our enclosed fact sheet.If you choose to pick-up your prescriptions,pick-up hours are from 12:30 p.m.to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.Lab Result NotificationIn most cases, you will receive notificationof all routine lab test results within twoweeks via mail. For pap smear please allowfour weeks for your results. If anythingrequires attention your provider may callyou to discuss further. You may be able toview your lab results at patientsite.org.W e lco m e to H e a lt h c a r e A s s o ci at e s 4
Other Services Availableto You at BIDMCIf you or your family would like to learn moreabout any aspect of health care, the BIDMCwebsite (bidmc.org) has a “Your Health” sectionwith information on health conditions from Ato Z, as well as information on departmentsand services at BIDMC. You can also call theBIDMC Learning Center at 617-667-9100 to aska resource specialist to send you information.Opened Fall 2012The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterCheng and Tsui Center for IntegrativeCare at Healthcare Associates.Services include: Acupuncture Massage Nutrition Health coachingBe Well! Fitness Center YogaHealthcare Associates is pleased to offerour patients the services of the Tanger BeWell Center. If you choose to become amember of Be Well!, you will have accessto innovative health and fitness programsthat are not only practical and accessible,but support long-term healthy living. Tai Chi Physical consultation in integrative careExcellencePrograms include: Health Education classes, workshops,lunchtime lectures, individual and groupcounseling, health information and preventivehealth screenings. Two of the more popularprograms offered include Smoking Cessationand Eat Well. For an up-to-date list ofprograms, please call the Be Well! office. Fitness Center complete with exerciseequipment, special conditioning classes,personal fitness assessments and training,hiking and walking programs. Massage Therapy is an alternative methodto enhance a lifestyle of wellness and health.A comfortable body balance promotesrelaxation and vitality through the healingof touch and non-invasive bodywork.The Tanger Be Well Center is located in theCarl J. Shapiro Clinical Center, ground floor, EastCampus. For more information on becominga member, please call us at 617-667-4695.5 W e lco m e to H e a lt h c a r e A s s o ci at e s
Healthcare Associates330 Brookline AvenueBoston, MA 02215Carl J. Shapiro Clinical CenterOpen Monday – Friday8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.(Evening and Saturdayappointments available)(617) 754-9600 phone(617) 667-6406 fax (Atrium)(617) 667-8665 fax (6th floor)bidmc.org/hca
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center330 Brookline AvenueBoston, MA 02215East CampusCarl J. Shapiro Clinical Center617-667-9600bidmc.orgBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Mission StatementThe mission of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center isto serve our patients compassionately and effectively, andto create a healthy future for them and their families. Ourmission is supported by our commitment to personalized,excellent care for our patients; a workforce committed toindividual accountability, mutual respect and collaboration;and a commitment to maintaining our financial health.
Healthcare Associates Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 330 Brookline Avenue Boston, MA 02215 East Campus Carl J. Shapiro Clinical Center 617-754-9600 phone 617-667-6406 fax (Atrium) 617-667-8665 fax (6th floor) Two locations: First floor (Atrium Suite) Sixth floor (North, South and Central Suites) Office hours:
