Unmatched Access TO YOUR PRIMARY Care PROVIDER

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· Routine Care. We provide routine primary care. Our patients understand that routine outpatient doctor visits are not intended to provide for all urgent care needs, and never in cases of emergencies. 

· Emergencies. The wellbeing of every patient is paramount. Delays during urgency may become dangerous to the Patient. In the event of an emergency, or a situation in which Patient could reasonably expect to develop into an emergency, Patient shall call 911 or the nearest Emergency room, and follow the directions of emergency personnel.

· 24/7 Access. Our patients shall have access to a medical provider at any time day or night. When a particular Covenant Primary Care, "CovenantPC," provider is absent for vacations, continuing medical education, illness, emergencies, or days off, CovenantPC will continue to provide the services of a licensed healthcare provider. Such provider shall be available to the patient to the same extent as their CovenantPC provider.

· No Wait or Minimal Wait Time. Every effort shall be made to assure that the patient is seen via house call, video, phone, or instant message in a timely manner. If we foresee a minimal wait time, the patient will be promptly contacted and advised with an approximate time of contact. 

· House Calls. We schedule routine House Calls for chronic conditions. We do not wait for our patients to contact us, we stay on top of our patients care and make sure all our patients are seen in a timely manner. When it is necessary to treat patients for an acute illness in person, we will schedule a visit at the patient’s location within our service range (Kerrville and areas nearby). House Calls are routinely made on Monday through Friday. House Calls on weekends can be arranged in advance. If a patient calls to request a House Call for an acute illness, very often, treatment may begin immediately via temporary measures—antibiotics can be prescribed, other measures can be started, and close telephone follow up until we are able to expedite the House Call. We make every reasonable effort to see the patient as soon as possible. CovenantPC does not make emergency House Calls. Patients agree to call 911 first in all cases of an emergency and then to notify CovenantPC afterwards. We will try to meet EMS at the patient's home if possible.  We will certainly see the patient in the hospital to help coordinate their care and recovery.  

· Never Rushed. Our patient encounters are never rushed. All problems shall be addressed. All medications shall be reviewed and reconciled. All prescriptions refilled. More face-to-face time benefits both the patient and the physician. The joy of practicing medicine replaces physician burnout.

· E-mail Access. Patients shall be given the HIPAA-compliant email address to CovenantPC for non-urgent communications, such as non-acute scheduling requests or prescription refills. 

· Hospital Visits. If our patient is in the hospital, we will visit the patient there and coordinate their care with the hospital doctors and discuss any need for physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, long term care, comfort care, and more.

· Coordination with Specialists. In some cases we will refer a patient to a specialist and will coordinate with the specialist for the patient’s optimal care. If it should become necessary, we will accompany a patient to the specialist visit.

· Age-appropriate screening. We will order appropriate screening such as colonoscopies, mammograms, lung screening, COVID screening, and more.

· Routine physical exams. We will conduct annual full physical exams and point-of-care physical exams in every visit. We will also conduct work, school, and sports physicals as needed by the patient. 

· Weight loss. We are committed to our patients health and wellbeing. We provide appropriate diet guidelines and regular monitoring of carbs and calories in cooperation with the patient. We shall provide appropriate exercise scheduling. We incorporate routine weight loss mapping, as well as progress charting per body mass index (BMI) and its associated obesity scales. Once sufficient weight loss is achieved, we can help coordinate with plastic surgeons for tummy tucks and other cosmetic procedures. We are committed to helping our patients attain their individual goals and preferences. 

· Diabetes monitoring and education. We shall provide diabetic education and diet information to our patients. We shall monitor routine A1c checks. In some cases the patient will cooperate by keeping blood glucose diaries. We shall order routine labs and educate the patient as to what those results mean. We shall be committed to helping our patients bring their diabetes under control and keep it there. 

· Blood pressure. We shall monitor our patient’s blood pressure in cooperation with them keeping a blood pressure diary. We shall make certain that our patients blood pressure medications agree with the latest Joint National Committee (JNC) guidelines on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. 

· Thyroid. CovenantPC shall routinely examine and evaluate our patients for thyroid symptoms and schedule timely thyroid panel labs for proper thyroid control.

· Cardiovascular Risk Assessment. This is a group of tests that have been proven to indicate the risk of a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke. Including diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure, smoking, cholesterol, gender, and age.  The cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, especially because of myocardial infarction and stroke.  Risk estimators are crucial in prevention, allowing to classify the risk in practical categories that are easy to use and to benefit the decision-making, more than trying to guess what will happen to the patient. 

· Smoking Cessation. We are committed to helping our patients quit smoking permanently. If a person smokes 1 pack per day that totals to $188/month. Becoming a patient of CovenantPC would actually save the patient money. Our program includes frequent contact with the patient and medication as needed. Quitting cold-turkey and developing a dynamic trigger avoidance plan work very well with a supporting doctor monitoring closely. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms usually reach their peak 2 to 3 days after quitting and are gone within 1 to 3 months. It takes at least 3 months for your brain chemistry to return to normal after you quit smoking. The last two symptoms to go usually are irritability and low energy. This is never easy for the patient, but it is an achievable goal, especially when a patient feels they have a partner in the process. 

· Chronic diseases. We provide treatment and monitoring of chronic diseases common to outpatient family medicine practice. These include anxiety, arthritis, COPD, constipation, depression, diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid, prostate, and more. In some cases, we may refer a patient to a specialist. In that case, we will continue to coordinate with specialists for our patient’s care at home.

· Acute illnesses. We will address and treat acute illnesses that are common to routine primary care. These include: minor abrasions, allergies, acute back sprains, bruises, coughs, colds, ear cleaning, other ear problems, flu, sinus infections, sore throat, joint sprains, eyelid sty, minor infections, minor injuries and laceration repairs if we can get there in time, urinary tract infections, and other acute illnesses that are common to outpatient care. In some cases the patient’s condition requires hospital care. In some illnesses we can call the hospital doctor and arrange for a direct admission. In other acute cases, the patient will go to the emergency room and get admitted from there.

· Outpatient Therapy. Whenever necessary, we will prescribe home health, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy for our patients.

· Help with Employers and School. CovenantPC shall provide our patients with appropriate work excuses, school releases, forms, and temporary work modifications during their healing. 

· Handicapped Parking. In necessary cases, CovenantPC will certify disability to help a patient with the handicapped parking application from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

· Help with Pharmacy. CovenantPC shall intervene for  a patient if there is a problem at the pharmacy with a prescription. This may include, finding our patients a better price, modifying, or changing a prescription to a similar but less costly medication, and helping work out any other issues such as conflicts and cross-reactions with other medications.

· Updates on Health. We will contact patient in a timely manner with lab results, diagnostic imaging results, and scheduling appointments. Patient will not have to remember to call in or schedule appointments. We shall keep the Patient up-to-date on scheduling and necessary labs.

· Affordable Shopping. If your Medicare or Insurance does not cover your medications, labs, or imaging, CovenantPC may be able to find our patients an affordable solution. Many times, a call from a doctor’s office can get a patient the lowest price for medications, lab work and diagnostic imaging.

· Chronic Pain. In some acute cases and injuries, CovenantPC will treat a patient with short-term narcotics (days). But in cases of chronic pain, we shall refer the patient to a Pain Specialist for long-term treatment with medications that are strictly monitored by the DEA. There may be exceptions on review of MRI imaging and conferring with the patient's pain specialist.

· Labs and Imaging. *  We shall prescribe and review our patients labs, imaging, and diagnostic screening.  The cost of all labs and imaging are the responsibility of the patient. Typically, our patients will pay for the labs, imaging, and diagnostic screens with Medicare or Insurance directly to the Laboratory or Imaging Service at the time they get done. If patient does not have Insurance or Medicare to pay for diagnostic services, CovenantPC will help find the lowest price for labs and diagnostic imaging for patients who are self-pay.

· Mental Health. CovenantPC will treat mild cases of ADHD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and dementia. But, we will refer bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders to a specialist.

· Obstetrics and Gynecological Care. In cases of pregnancy or gynecological issues, CovenantPC will usually refer patients to an OB/GYN specialist.

· Prayer Requests. Covenant Primary Care is a faith-based organization and is eager to pray with our patients at any time day or night. We have a network of dedicated prayer-warriors. This service is HIPAA compliant. Actual names are never given out. A patient will never be solicited by a third party. 

· End of Life Decisions. Covenant Primary Care is available to discuss options and bring in consultation for retirement homes, nursing homes, palliative or comfort care, hospice, and other end of life decisions with the patient and their family members.  

· No Surprise Bills in the Mail. All Services above are included in the subscription fee as outlined above. There are no hidden fees. There will be no surprise bills in the mail from CovenantPC.