New Patients
What to expect on your first appointment:
Well fitting KN-95 masks must be worn during your office visit until further notice.
All patients are expected to pay their copay at the time of their visit.
You may want to call your insurance carrier to verify your coverage and any copays you are responsible for. You are ultimately responsible for all charges not covered by your health plan. Our biller will send you a bill if you do not pay your copay at the time of the visit.
If you are a cash paying patient, payment is due when you check in for your appointment.
Payment of copays and all other payments can be made with a credit or debit card. We do not accept checks or cash in the office.
We accept most medical insurance except Medi-Cal. Our medical biller will prepare and submit bills to your health insurance provider. You are responsible for all charges not covered by your insurance.
We have a 24-hour cancellation policy. A $75 fee is assessed for missed appointments. Exceptions are made only for documented medical emergencies.
Well fitting KN-95 masks must be worn during your office visit until further notice.
All patients are expected to pay their copay at the time of their visit.
You may want to call your insurance carrier to verify your coverage and any copays you are responsible for. You are ultimately responsible for all charges not covered by your health plan. Our biller will send you a bill if you do not pay your copay at the time of the visit.
If you are a cash paying patient, payment is due when you check in for your appointment.
Payment of copays and all other payments can be made with a credit or debit card. We do not accept checks or cash in the office.
We accept most medical insurance except Medi-Cal. Our medical biller will prepare and submit bills to your health insurance provider. You are responsible for all charges not covered by your insurance.
We have a 24-hour cancellation policy. A $75 fee is assessed for missed appointments. Exceptions are made only for documented medical emergencies.
Why You Need an Internist
You need a primary care physician for many reasons.
Wellness: A primary care doctor will help you understand and focus on the key factors in improving your health, avoiding preventable disease, minimizing disease risk factors, and maintaining wellness. A primary care doctor can help you set and achieve goals for improving your health and taking better care of yourself.
Disease diagnosis: You may have a medical condition of which you’re not aware. Many people with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, congenital heart conditions, HIV, cancer, or other diseases are not aware they have them; most diseases have a period of development before they are detected. A primary doctor will ensure that you have the proper screening tests that can lead to early detection of disease when it is more treatable.
An internist is the Sherlock Holmes of medicine. Internists are the physicians known for diagnosing the specific nature of your medical issue, or identifying the case of your symptoms.
Illness and accidents: If you develop an illness such as strep throat, influenza, or a mysterious rash, or if you sprain an ankle or twist a wrist, a primary care doctor will see you the same day or arrange treatment over the phone, saving you from waiting hours and spending much more out-of-pocket than you would in an emergency room or urgent care clinic.
Acute and critical care: If you become very sick, get into a car accident, need surgery, have appendicitis or other emergent medical problems, a primary care doctor has relationships with hospitals, emergency rooms, and specialists and surgeons, and will facilitate and coordinate the care you will need in an emergency.
Prevention: A primary care doctor will make sure that you have had all the vaccinations you need to prevent infectious diseases like Covid-19, influenza, hepatitis, tetanus, whooping cough, and shingles.
Finally, as health care is increasingly managed and consolidated, it is more important than ever to have a relationship with a physician who knows you, and whom you trust. The relationship between a physician and his or her patients is key to good health. It is the primary context for the provision of health care. Without a personal doctor-patient relationship, you are likely to be treated in an urgent care clinic or ER as simply a symptom or disease, not as a person. You deserve better than that.
Wellness: A primary care doctor will help you understand and focus on the key factors in improving your health, avoiding preventable disease, minimizing disease risk factors, and maintaining wellness. A primary care doctor can help you set and achieve goals for improving your health and taking better care of yourself.
Disease diagnosis: You may have a medical condition of which you’re not aware. Many people with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, congenital heart conditions, HIV, cancer, or other diseases are not aware they have them; most diseases have a period of development before they are detected. A primary doctor will ensure that you have the proper screening tests that can lead to early detection of disease when it is more treatable.
An internist is the Sherlock Holmes of medicine. Internists are the physicians known for diagnosing the specific nature of your medical issue, or identifying the case of your symptoms.
Illness and accidents: If you develop an illness such as strep throat, influenza, or a mysterious rash, or if you sprain an ankle or twist a wrist, a primary care doctor will see you the same day or arrange treatment over the phone, saving you from waiting hours and spending much more out-of-pocket than you would in an emergency room or urgent care clinic.
Acute and critical care: If you become very sick, get into a car accident, need surgery, have appendicitis or other emergent medical problems, a primary care doctor has relationships with hospitals, emergency rooms, and specialists and surgeons, and will facilitate and coordinate the care you will need in an emergency.
Prevention: A primary care doctor will make sure that you have had all the vaccinations you need to prevent infectious diseases like Covid-19, influenza, hepatitis, tetanus, whooping cough, and shingles.
Finally, as health care is increasingly managed and consolidated, it is more important than ever to have a relationship with a physician who knows you, and whom you trust. The relationship between a physician and his or her patients is key to good health. It is the primary context for the provision of health care. Without a personal doctor-patient relationship, you are likely to be treated in an urgent care clinic or ER as simply a symptom or disease, not as a person. You deserve better than that.