Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page!
Please click on any topic to find the answers to your questions. If you're unable to find what you're looking for, we encourage you to call us or e-mail us. For contact information, visit our contact us page.

Insurance and Financial Information
How to Reach Us
In Case of an Emergency
Helpful Links

How We Handle Insurance
When you arrive at our office we will make a copy of your insurance card and ask you to fill out forms to allow us to submit insurance claims on your behalf. Georgia Heart Specialists participates in a wide variety of managed care plans, and accepts Medicare assignments. Please check your plan to verify our participation and to confirm referral and co-pay requirements. If you are a member of an HMO or PPO requiring a referral, please either have the referral letter sent to us in advance of your visit or bring a copy with you to your appointment. We cannot see you without this letter.

We will verify your insurance benefits, obtain any precertification necessary, and file your insurance claims. You will be required to make payment on any co-pay, deductible, or non-covered service at the time of your visit. We accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

We comply with the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Therefore all information in your record is strictly confidential and will not be released to anyone without your prior written approval.

How to Reach Us
Our offices are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M., and we're closed daily for lunch from 12:30 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. After hours, weekends, and on holidays, you'll be connected to our answering service should you call either office. If appropriate you'll be connected to our physician on call. We appreciate your patience when you call our offices. Your call will be returned as soon as possible. Occasionally, calls cannot be returned until the end of office hours so be sure to leave both a day and an evening phone number where you can be reached.

We encourage you to use our automated prescription line to request refills. Prescriptions and refills are issued only during office hours and cannot be filled after office hours. When you call, choose the prompt for the prescription refill line. When connected, leave your name, date of birth, the name of your medication, your pharmacy's name, and your home phone number. Our staff will then call in your prescription for you.

In Case of an Emergency
One of our expert physicians is always on call for emergencies. If you call our offices after hours the answering service can relay a message to our medical staff. However, you should never call the office first in case of emergency. Any time you experience symptoms of a cardiac or other life-threatening emergency, call 911 immediately.

Helpful Links
Here are just a few links that you may find helpful for health-related issues and topics:

American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology’s website is designed mainly for cardiologists, but dozens of treatment guidelines and other educational information are available.

American Diabetes Association Learn all about diabetes treatment and prevention at this website.

American Heart Association The American Heart Association is dedicated to providing you with education and information on fighting heart disease and stroke.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention This massive website is filled with health information about over 100,000 topics.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services This website provides information about the Medicare and Medicaid Programs.

Department of Health and Human Services This government website provides extensive information about different health topics.

Drugs For Less This website provides information about making drugs more affordable.

Drug Information Center From this website you can download prescribing information for over 1500 medications

Needy Meds This website provides extensive information about pharmaceutical assistance programs to provide medications to those eligible.

National Guideline Clearinghouse This is a resource for evidence-based clinical practice.

National Institutes of Health This website provides detailed information about dozens of health topics. There are also additional links to search information about drugs and medical articles.

Obesity Guidelines The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website provides you with information on losing weight and a body mass index calculator.

Smoking Cessation Guidelines The latest drugs and counseling techniques for treating tobacco use and dependence are provided here.

Surgeon General America's chief health educator provides scientific information available on how to improve your health and reduce the risk of illness and injury.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The governmental agency charged with protecting the public’s health.

World Health Organization The international organization promotes the world’s health.