HOURS:

Our office hours are: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. We are sometimes -- but not reliably-- in the office Friday and Sunday, never Saturday.

Requests for prescription refills should be made during these office hours. It may take 1-2 business days to process refills, so please request refills prior to running out of medication.

APPOINTMENTS:

Initial visits are ninety minutes long. Follow-up appointments are 30 minutes.

You will receive a courtesy confirmation text 1-3 days prior to any existing appointment. We generally try to reach you by text, and will call if you prefer (or do not have text capability); please let us know how you want us to reach you.

FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS:

Regular follow up is an essential component of ongoing treatment, and you and your doctor will decide on the optimal between-session interval.  Keeping in touch with the office and making follow-up appointments is your responsibility.  If you choose not to continue treatment, please let us know, so that we may arrange for an orderly transfer of care.  If you have not been seen for more than six months, in most cases we will assume that you have chosen to seek care elsewhere.  Please be advised that in most such circumstances, we cannot provide prescription refills.

PHONE:

• Voicemail messages and texts left during business hours will be returned promptly.
• Messages left on evenings, weekends and holidays will be returned the following business day.
• In the event of an emergency, call your doctor's emergency number; if you cannot reach your doctor, leave a message, and proceed to the nearest emergency room or call 911. If you have not heard back from your doctor, you may contact one of the other doctors (this is for emergencies only; prescription refills are not considered an emergency)

EMAIL AND SMS:

Electronic communication is inherently non-confidential. By communicating with WEMA via email and SMS you are accepting the inherent insecurity and the privacy risks therein.

• Electronic communication is not to be used for complicated medical matters, urgent issues or emergencies.
• All communication with the doctors and staff will become part of your medical record.
• Electronic communication does not constitute legal notice to the doctors such as where notice is required by contract or any federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.
• The doctors do not reply via email or SMS, but will gladly respond with a return phone call if requested. Office staff will reply by email and SMS.

PAYMENTS:

For your convenience, we accept cash, checks, and debit and credit cards. You may also pay by Zelle to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and by PayPal to PayPal.Me/westendmed

We will send you a receipt promptly, generally by email.

It is our goal to provide you with the best possible service for the fees we charge. In order to keep our overhead as low as possible, we require payment of all fees at the time of service. If for any reason this is not possible, financial arrangements must be made prior to your visit.

INSURANCE:

None of the doctors participate in any insurance panels, and all have opted out of Medicare.  Some plans will reimburse a portion of fees paid for out-of-network services. Please consult with your insurance carrier in advance.

FEES FOR MISSED APPOINTMENTS:

Missing a follow-up appointment = $50 first time, thereafter full fee

Once an appointment is scheduled, this time is reserved for you only. In order for us to see all of our patients at the scheduled time, it is extremely important that you arrive on time for your appointment. If you miss an appointment, you’ll need to reschedule. Note that refill requests may not be honored if follow-up appointments have not been kept.

An appointment will be considered “missed” in each of the following situations:

• You arrive more than 30 minutes late for your appointment.
• You cancel an appointment without sufficient notice (48 hours for a follow-up).
• You don’t show for a scheduled appointment.

OTHER FEES:

• Telephone conferences between you and your provider = based on the length of the conversation.
• Letters and forms completed on your behalf = based on the time required to complete the letter or form.

If this account is assigned to an attorney for collection, the prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees and cost of collection.

PRESCRIPTIONS:

If you need a prescription, please e-mail (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), fax (212 202 4187), call or text (preferred) the office (212 579 0339). The following information is necessary: your name, phone number, and best time for us to call; the name of the medication you need (with daily dose); and your pharmacy name, phone number, and zip code (which we use to send prescriptions electronically). Please plan accordingly, and remember that the office is closed Fri-Sun.

PRIOR AUTHORIZATION:

If your insurance company requires a prior authorization before paying for a prescription, please recognize that this process takes time. We have a full-time person completing these, but still, the wait can be weeks, particularly if it is rejected and needs to be appealed. Please have patience, and allow us to work with you. Remember, it is the doctor's primary responsibility to prescribe the appropriate medication, not to ensure that your insurance covers it. Often, the unwritten strategy of the insurance company is to routinely reject expensive medications, hoping that we will give up. Be assured, we will do our best-- but this can take time, and regular "agitating"-- by you-- to your insurance company. "Agitating" to us is rarely productive, unless you discover we have missed something (e.g., if the insurance company tells you that the PA has not been submitted, please let us know).

While you are waiting for insurance coverage, we will try to provide you with samples if available. Better yet, many people are surprised to learn that the cash price for many medications is affordable. Please use goodrx.com to find the lowest available cash price, and let us know if you then need to have us send the prescription to a lower-cost pharmacy you have identified.