Emergencies and Phone Calls

If you are experiencing a true, life-threatening emergency, call 911. Call our office only after you have made arrangements to get to the Emergency Room.

Our nurses return calls during business hours as time permits. If the matter is urgent, please tell our phone operator so that the nurse can confer with you in the timeliest manner possible. Please understand that calls for test results and prescription refills will be returned after urgent patient needs are met.

We ask that you remember that physicians’ schedules are long and demanding. It may be late in the afternoon after all patients are seen, or sometimes the following day before non-emergency phone calls are returned.

If you feel you need us, we want to hear from you. Please use this guide as to when you should make your phone call:

Call Anytime – Day or Night – If

• Fever 100.5 F. degrees or greater.
• Uncontrollable nausea or diarrhea.
• Pain medication is not working.
• Chest pains or shortness of breath.
• Severe shaking or chills.
• Bleeding from the nose or gums.
• Blood in the urine.
• Black, tarry bowel movement.
• Severe diarrhea.
• Constipation with intense abdominal cramping.
• Changes in your vision or hearing.
• Increased bruising or pinpoint red or purple spots anywhere on the body.

Call During Regular Office Hours (8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday)

• If you have questions about your medication, treatment or side effects.
• If you’re having nutrition problems.
• If you need a prescription refilled.
  • Please call by 3 p.m. and have your pharmacy’s phone number
  • For narcotics such as Percocet, MS Contin or Oxycontin, plan to either come into the office for a written prescription or allow 5 days for the written prescription to be mailed. By law, your pharmacy must have a written prescription. No narcotic prescriptions can be written on weekends.
• For lab tests or scans, please know that results usually take:
  • Scans: 48-72 hours
  • Tumor markers: 72 hours
  • Bone marrow: 7-10 days
  • Pathology Reports: 3-5 days
• If you’ve heard about a new treatment.
• If you notice new numbness or tingling of fingers or toes.

Never hesitate to call us for any problem that is important to you. There is no need to be miserable. If a certain medication is not working, call and let us know. Chances are, we can prescribe or suggest something to make you more comfortable