Welcome to our practice!
We would like to introduce ourselves; please read below:

 

Your New Medical Home

Family Care Associates is a patient-centered, family-focused medical practice dedicated to the health and wellness of the patients and communities we serve. Our certification as a Patient- Centered Medical Home (PCMH) means our physicians and staff are committed to comprehensive, personal healthcare centered around you; partnering with you to ensure all of you and your family’s medical and non-medical needs are met.

Your Personal Physician

The relationship between you, your physician, and the care team (clinic staff) is the driving force behind a Patient-Centered Medical Home. Your physician will provide medical care that is right for you based on clinical guidelines shown to improve health.

Your Care Team

Your physician will direct the care team to coordinate your care based on your needs. To improve efficiency, the team will plan for your appointment by reviewing your medical chart for up-to-date forms, check for recent testing, and ensure you are notified of results in a timely manner. The care team will work with you and any outside providers/facilities to effectively coordinate your healthcare across all specialties, including behavioral health. Your care team will make sure your appointment is timely, provide the specialists with your care summary before your appointment, and obtain the specialists recommendations after your appointment. If you have a hospital admission and discharge, your care team will review your hospital stay, make sure you return for follow-up care, and discuss any questions or concerns you may have about your treatment or medications.

Click here to meet our providers.

Your Health

In return, we ask that you continue to be an active participant in your health care. We ask you to take charge of your health by responsibly managing and monitoring aspects of your care. In addition, you can help by being prepared and on time for your appointment and bringing a list of your medications and questions, following the care plan your physician has developed for you, and letting your physician know when you can’t. We are here when you need us; you can call our office or follow the guidelines for reaching us during non-business hours for advice before going to the Emergency Room in a non-emergent situation.

Quality for You

Our Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is committed to providing same day appointments and offering expanded hours to meet your needs. We will use our electronic medical record, eClinicalWorks, to support the best care, quality, and safety by helping us to identify and provide for your needs and the needs of our entire patient population. Additionally, we are able to contact you via electronic reminders for appointments, preventative, and chronic care services.

SERVICES:

Nurses:

• EKG
• Ear wash/cerumen removal
• Routine/Medical injections including:

• Allergy
• B12
• Depo Provera
• Kenalog
• Penicillin
• Rocephin
• Toradol

• COVID-19 Vaccines
• Fu Vaccines
• Pneumonia Vaccines
• Shingles Vaccines
• Childhood immunizations
• Suture/staple removal
• Dressing changes
• Pulmonary Function Testing
• 6 minute walk stress testing
• Throat cultures/Quick Streps
• Infant weight check
• Weight check for Weight Loss Program
• Wart removal treatments/DNCB
• Thrush evaluation and treatment
• Blood pressure checks
• Pregnancy tests
• Injection Administration Education  (Insulin)                                           
• Lactation consulting                                    
• Glucometer training Glucometer training

Physicians:

• Preventative healthcare for all ages
• Physical exams

• Well Child
• Certified D.O.T.
• Women's Health (pap/pelvic/breast)
• School/Sports

• Acute illness management
• ADD/ADHD
• Chronic illnesses
• Geriatric care
• Sports medicine
• Lesion removals
• Sports medicine
• Lesion removals
• Vastectomies
• Aesthetic/dermal health treatments

Lab:

• Various blood testing
• Urine testing
• Lead Screenings
• INR Fingerstick Protime/INR

Extended Office Hours

Monday-Thursday: 7am-6:30pm
Friday: 7am-5pm
Saturday Acute Care Walk-In Clinic: 8am-10:30am

On-Site Lab, XRay, and Ultrasound provided by Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System.

Before Your Visit

Be prepared to talk to your healthcare provider about:

• All the symptoms and/or issues you want to discuss
• How long you have had them and if they go away
• Any treatments you’ve tried to address the symptoms/issues such as vitamins, herbals, or over-the-counter medications
• Any changes you have made since your last appointment, including starting or stopping medications, lifestyle changes, or major life events
• If you are here for a routine check-up or follow-up, any new issues or questions that have arisen since your last visit
• Consider making notes and bringing them with you

IMPORTANT: Bring all of your medications, vitamins, supplements, and/or herbals, in their original bottles, to your appointment!

Consider inviting someone to come with you if:

• You need help answering questions and giving your doctor information
• You are attending and appointment that may be stressful
• You feel anxious and would like some familiar support

Inform you healthcare provider of any:

• Language needs
• Hearing or sight impairment
• Allergies
• Other needs

Registration

During your first visit to our office, registration information will be collected.  This information and any other information given to our office will be kept in the strictest confidence. At each visit, you will be asked to present your insurance card and photo identification. Additionally, you will need to verify:

• Address
• Phone Number
• Insurance
• Preferred Pharmacy

This is not an all-inclusive listing of each identifier captured and verified in the registration process. Please be prepared to provide additional information beyond the examples listed above.

Payment

At check-in, your account will be reviewed for any outstanding balances, and any relevant co-payments. Payment in full is expected at the time of service.  You can pay by check, credit/debit card, or cash.  Please make checks payable to Family Care Associates of Effingham, S.C. You will receive a receipt for each paid office visit.  Certain laboratory tests performed by our reference laboratory will be included in our office charge; others may be billed by the laboratory.  There is a fee for blood pressure checks.  Laboratory work and x-rays obtained at St. Anthony Hospital, Sarah Bush Lincoln, Effingham Medical Center or other facilities will be billed to you separately.  

If you are unable to provide payment at the time of service, please make arrangements with our billing department BEFORE leaving the office. A statement will be mailed at the end of the month.  We expect prompt payment. We realize that special situations arise that requires alternative payment plans. In these circumstances, we offer individualized, structured payment plans, as well as Family Assistance.  Please discuss these with our Collections Department before your account is overdue.

Insurance

We are preferred providers for:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Healthlink
• Multiplan
• Health Alliance
• Aetna/Coventry
• Consociate
• First Health
• Tricare Standard
• Cigna
• Medicare
• Medicaid and Medicaid MCOs

• Aetna Better Health
• Meridian
• BCBS Community Health Plans

Any other insurance, regardless of listed co-pays, is to be paid in full at time of service.

If you have insurance that covers office charges, you will be given a receipt upon payment to file for reimbursement to yourself.  Any overpayment can be credited to your account or refunded to you; in either case you will receive a monthly statement.

If you are on Medicare or Medicaid, please notify our office staff when you arrive for each appointment.  We need a copy of your Medicare/Medicaid card and a signed authorization (for Medicare) at each visit.  If you fail to provide us with this information, you will be responsible for any fees incurred during your visit.  We accept Medicare assignment.  Our staff is available to answer any questions.

Hours of Operation

Our office is open Monday through Thursday from 7a.m. to 6:30p.m. and from 7a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday. Our telephone system is turned off at 5 p.m. every day. Additionally, we offer our FCA Walk-In Clinic from 8a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Friday and our Acute Care Walk-In clinic on Saturday mornings from 8a.m. to 10:30a.m. for Family Care patients only. No phone services are available on Saturdays. On-call staff is available for urgent situations, see additional details below. Note: Please visit our website at www.familycareassociates.com for details on our FCA Walk-In clinic and our Acute-Care Walk-In Clinic.

If your primary care provider is out of the office, you may be scheduled with one of our nurse practitioners or another primary physician. Our healthcare providers collaborate daily, as part of a care team, and are fully prepared to manage each patient's individual care needs. It is important to become not only with your primary care providers, but also with each health care provider on staff at Family Care Associates.

Appointments

Appointments are required for all routine care including nursing and lab visits. We encourage our patients to schedule an appointment for acute care, but our Walk-In Clinic may be utilized if necessary. You can arrange an appointment by calling our office at 217-342-7000 and choosing Option 1. For any non-urgent visits, including acute care/sick needs, we encourage you to log in to your Patient Portal to request an appointment.  To effectively manage your care, at each visit please inform your healthcare provider of all medications you are taking, any drug allergies or side effects, visits to other health care clinics, such as specialist visits or hospitalizations, changes in your medical history or health status, results on any outside lab or diagnostic testing, and updates on your self-care needs.
 

Well Child Visits

Well child exams will be rotated between the doctor and a nurse practitioner and are scheduled as follows:

• 1 week (if breastfed)
• 2 week (if bottlefed)
• 1 month
• 2 months - Immunizations
• 4 months - Immunizations
• 6 months - Immunizations
• 9 months
• 12 months - Immunizations
• 15 months - Immunizations
• 18 months
• 2 years
• 3 years
• 4 years - Immunizations
• 5 years

School Physicals: Kingergarten, 6th Grade and 9th Grade

If your child receives immunizations at the Health Department, please bring a copy of their current shot record to each school physical and/or Well Baby visit.

 

For your convenience, we recommend that you request appointments for physical examinations and routine checkups at least 8 – 12 weeks in advance. Other appointments are scheduled as available and necessary.  Some appointments are set aside each day for sudden illnesses; however, these fill quickly.  Please call early. 
 

Cancellations

If you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment, we ask that you notify our office as much in advance as possible.  Early notification allows someone else to use that appointment time and you to reschedule as soon as possible.  Failure to notify our office at least 24 hours in advance, more than once a year, may result in dismissal from the practice.

If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for an appointment, you may be asked to reschedule or to wait until other scheduled patients have been seen.  This avoids long waits for you and other patients, and provides adequate time for a thorough visit. 

After Hours

If you or your family need emergency care or information outside of office hours, contact St. Anthony Memorial Hospital at 217-342-2121 and leave a message with the operator.  The physician or on call nurse will return your call and contact the physician when necessary.

Telephone Calls

When you call our office, our automated attendant will give you options. We encourage you to choose appropriately so that your call can be routed efficiently. The options are as follows:

• Press 1 - Scheduling
• Press 2 - Nursing
• Press 3 - Other Medical Facilities Coordinating Care
• Press 4 - Refill or Referral
• Press 5- Billing/Insurance
• Press 6 - Collections
• Press 7 - Patient Portal Questions
• Press 8 - Additional Information
• Press 9 - Medical Records
• Press 0 - Operator
• Extension 505 - Behavioral Health Questions and Scheduling

Calls regarding laboratory tests or x-ray results, when done at another facility will not be returned until results are available.  Any abnormal results will be reported to you as soon as the physician has reviewed them.  A letter may be sent to you if all test results are normal or, it may be reviewed at an upcoming appointment.  These results can be reviewed at your next appointment. If you have activated your Patient Portal account, these results may also be posted to your account for your review.

If you call outside regular office hours, you will reach a recorded message.  This is not an answering machine; you cannot leave a message for us.  Please call back during office hours or Dial 911 in case of an emergency.

Medication Refills and Samples

Contact your pharmacy when you are low on medication. Your pharmacist will check to see if you have any remaining refills on your prescription. If you do not, then your pharmacist will contact us for approval. If you are calling our office regarding a medication, please make sure you have the medication available and can read the label information directly from the bottle. While medication refills should always be initiated at the pharmacy, we understand there may be special circumstances that arise. If you need to contact us directly for your refill, please do so while you have at least 2-3 days’ worth of medication remaining.

Summary

Family Care Associates strives to provide each patient with the highest quality of care and services possible. We will work with you, as part of your care team, to meet our mutual goals of health and wellness. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the information contained in this letter, please let us know as mutual cooperation and understanding is necessary to achieve the best health care possible for you and your family.    

Thank you for choosing Family Care Associates!  

For a printable version of this information, please click here.