The Section of General Internal Medicine
Provides Primary Care for Adults and Adolescents
Welcome to General Internal Medicine Associates of North Carolina Baptist Hospital. We thank you for entrusting us with your care. Physicians within this section provide care at the following locations: Outpatient Clinic, Downtown Health Plaza, and University of Internal Medicine Association. Patient information listed in this section applies to all three locations.
General Internal Medicine
Our Medical Staff
Appointments
Acute Illnesses
Prescription Refills
Lab and X-Rays
Hospitalization
After Hours
Emergencies
Office Fees
Payment Policy
We’re Here For You
General Internal Medicine
Physicians and staff within the Section of General Internal Medicine are dedicated to providing continuing care for our patients. This includes wellness checks, prevention and care of multiple acute (sinus infections, muscle sprains, etc.) and chronic (high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, high cholesterol, arthritis, etc.) problems. The general internist’s goal is to serve as a patient’s primary physician during a lifetime.
To be certified in internal medicine, physicians must complete a three-year residency-training program following graduation from medical school and pass a rigorous examination given by American Board of Internal Medicine.
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Our Medical Staff
General Internal Medicine Associates operates the same way as a traditional physician’s office, but our mission is actually twofold. We not only strive to provide the best possible care to patients, but also to serve as a training site for some of the best and brightest new specialists in internal medicine.
Our clinic is the site of the Internal Medicine Residency Program that is sponsored by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine/North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.
The physicians on staff include medical school faculty members and residents in their final years of training in Internal Medicine.
When you enroll as a patient in our office, a physician is assigned to serve as your primary physician, providing continuing care for you. Like other internists’ offices, General Internal Medicine Associates offers a spectrum of general medical care ranging from preventive wellness checks to prostate, breast, and cervical cancer screening to geriatrics. Our doctors also can assist in referring you to one of our sub-specialists for heart, lung, kidney disease, etc., or for surgery if needed. All of these doctors practice at the Medical Center. We also can help arrange other services, such as psychological and nutritional consultations, when needed.
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Appointments
Appointments are scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment time to check in with the receptionist. For routine office visits, please try to make your appointments in advance so that you may see your assigned physician. Since many of our physicians have other hospital responsibilities and obligations, their office hours may be limited. Notify us as soon as possible when you must cancel an appointment.
Acute Illnesses
If you should suddenly become ill, please call the office as early in the day as possible. A nurse or physician will return your call and help you decide whether an immediate visit is needed. Our office will try to schedule all of your visits with your regular physician, but it may be necessary for another physician to see you for an acute illness.
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Prescription Refills
Please contact your pharmacy for medication refills. Your pharmacist will call us.
Prescriptions cannot be filled unless your medical care is current. Our office policy does not allow us to prescribe narcotics or other controlled drugs over the phone. Please try to call your pharmacist for refills before you run out of the medication.
Lab and X-Rays
Most basic blood work, urine test and cultures are done in our hospital laboratory. We will inform you about when to expect the test results. If you have not been contacted with the results by that time, you may call the office. You will be contacted immediately if important abnormalities are found.
X-rays for our office are performed at North Carolina Baptist Hospital.
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Hospitalization
We admit our patients to North Carolina Baptist Hospital. Your care will be provided by a team of our physicians who remain in contact with your personal physician. We will attempt to keep you and your family advised daily regarding the plan for diagnosis and treatment of your illness.
After Hours
Whenever possible, we ask that you contact the practice before 4 p.m. This especially applies to prescription refills.
After 5 p.m. the physician on call may advise you to call the office the next day if the problem can wait. If you feel that you need to speak with a physician after hours, please call (336) 716-2011 and ask for the Internal Medicine Resident (HO-3) on call. The hospital operator will contact the physician, who will return your call as soon as possible. Please have a list of your medications and other information about your illness to tell the physician.
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Emergencies
When an emergency occurs, it may be necessary for you to rush immediately to a hospital emergency room.
If possible, we ask that you first contact our office or the physician on call for help in deciding whether an emergency room visit is the best choice for your care.
Emergency rooms are often crowded, and visits can be expensive. Your physician may be able to suggest another way of handling your emergency.
Office Fees
Our office fees are similar to those of other primary care physicians in the community. A fee schedule is available upon request.
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Payment Policy
We accept most third party-payer insurance plans. If you have any difficulties with your bill, please contact one of our financial counselors at (336) 716-3988.
We’re Here For You
It is our goal to provide the best medical care possible for you. Please call one of our clinics if you need more information or have any questions about the services we offer.
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