Frequently Asked Questions
Administrative
When leaving a message for our phone nurse, please provide the following: your name, your doctor’s name, your date of birth and a brief description of why you are calling.
Please allow at least 24 hours for refills. When requesting a refill, we need your name, the name of your medication and your pharmacy number. Before calling the office again, please check with your pharmacy.
Please allow at least two weeks. If there is anything abnormal, your physician will call you.
All radiology facilities notify you of your results by mail. If there is an abnormal finding, your physician will call you as soon as he or she receives the results.
For lab work during pregnancy, your physician will call you only with abnormal results; otherwise he/she will discuss the results with you at your next regularly scheduled visit.
For screening lab work (cholesterol, etc.) we will call only if results are abnormal. For other lab work, we will call with results but please allow 7-10 days.
Your physician will call you with results within 10 days, unless he or she asks you to schedule a follow up appointment.
If your insurance requires a referral or preauthorization for any services requested by your physician, please contact our referral coordinator at 590-6195 ext.113 and leave your name, your physician’s name, the name of your insurance and the physician we have referred you to and the reason. Please do not make the appointment that requires the referral until you have been contacted by our office. Allow at least three working days. In case of emergency, call back and ask to speak to the triage nurse today.
Thank you for selecting Northeast OB/GYN as your woman’s healthcare provider.
BILLING
Yes! You don’t have to send your card information through the mail. You can visit our secure patient portal and pay online, or you can call 210-653-5501 and pay your balance.
Yes, we do accept credit and debit cards. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. We also accept Flex and HSA cards.
Yes. If you call your provider’s office, there may be discounts available for paying in full at the time of service.
Most laboratory charges are billed separately from your physician appointment. If you have questions about your laboratory bill, please call the laboratory directly using the phone number listed on the bill.
CONTACT INFORMATION
There are three ways you can schedule your appointment. You may visit www.ne-obgyn.com and click Schedule my appointment to make your appointment OR log into youy patient portal OR call 210-653-5501 to speak with our Scheduling team.
Your provider can be contacted through the patient portal.
If you have an emergency, call 911. We do not refill prescriptions outside of normal business hours, but you may submit a request after hours through the patient portal.
Our patient records are kept in electronic medical records (EMR). When a patient calls our office to speak to a physician or nurse, we need to pull their record, so the physician or nurse can respond to your needs in an efficient and effective manner.
Medical records may be requested by visiting our office and completing the Medical Records request form. There may be a fee involved for medical records and we ask for 7 business days to complete the request.
It is completely up for you which physician you see. We encourage you to visit www.ne-obgyn.com/doctors to ‘Meet our Physicians’. Most physicians have a video where you can learn more about them.
INSURANCE
Please call our billing department prior to your visit and let them know why you are coming in, they can ESTIMATE the cost of your visit. We cannot guarantee any exact charges until after you have had your appointment. Payment is expected at the time of service.
HMO and PPO plans generally have provider lists available on their websites which help you select a doctor that is in-network for your plan (meaning which doctors have contracts with your insurance plan). By choosing a provider from your insurance list, you will obtain the highest benefit your policy offers. If you choose to see an out-of-network physician (one that does not appear on their list), generally the benefit is less (maybe none), meaning higher patient financial responsibility. Every insurance plan is different, so we encourage you to check your insurance before your appointment.
You should contact your insurance company with information on your exact service date. If you are told the claim will be reprocessed, please ask how long it will take and then advise us of the information by calling 210-653-5501.
This is the balance your insurance deems is your responsibility per your insurance contract.
- Deductibles are paid by the member and must be satisfied each year before insurance pays. Each family member usually has a separate deductible.
- Co-Payments are paid by the member each time you visit the doctor or use any medical service.
- Co-insurance requires you to pay a percentage of your visit fee.
- Maximum out of pocket expense is the most you will have to pay before your insurance begins to pay 100%
The OB GLOBAL FEE is the anticipated cost you will incur for routine OB visits, physician’s delivery, and one post-partum visit. Multiple births and high-risk pregnancies may require extra visits. This may result in additional prenatal charges.
- Charges NOT included in the OB Global Fee include:
- Initial OB office visit charge
- Ultrasounds
- Biophysical Profiles, Genetic testing including: Genetic Consultation, CVS, Amniocentesis
- Fetal Non-Stress Tests
- Any Laboratory Tests or Medications
- Newborn Circumcision, Cord Blood Collection
- ER visits, Hospital Stay fees, Anesthesiology fees, Newborn fees and labs. Please contact the hospital’s Preadmissions Office directly for questions concerning these charges.
- Surgical Assistant charges if you have a cesarean section
Northeast OBGYN accepts most insurance plans offered in Texas. We recommend calling our office prior to your visit for more information. Please be sure to bring your insurance information to every appointment for verification
Services ARE being rendered by physician; we bill globally. Which means we only bill the delivery to include all prenatal visits as well as post-partum visits. Global delivery services are based off patient’s current insurance coverage ie: the deductible / remaining deductible and co-insurance rate. The amount paid to provider will be reported to insurance at time of delivery billing
No. We do not bill for hospital, anesthesia, or pediatrician.
We will issue refund, if any, ONLY after the delivery has been billed and processed to make sure the claim has been processed correctly. If any balances in the account, then the over payment will be used to pay off balances first.
We do not report payment until delivery is billed. Please let the facility know how much you paid us in order for the facility to adjust their quote.
Only if your insurance deductible changes to a higher deductible or insurance carrier changes all together. We are collecting based off current year insurance policy.
PHYSICIAN
Yes, our physicians are board certified or board eligible by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG). This means that they have ongoing written examinations and educational credits in their field. The intent of the certification is to provide assurance to the public that those certified by the board have successfully completed an approved training program and an evaluation process assessing their ability to provide quality patient care in the specialty.
We have two Nurse Practitioners to improve our ability to deliver individualized and personal care to all our patients. They each hold state and/or national certifications in their field. They are specialized in women’s health care and can provide all aspects of care, including prenatal care, annual exams, minor office procedures, as well as co-management of chronic or acute medical problems. They can write prescriptions. They do not attend deliveries or perform surgical procedures.
IT
A laptop or desktop is needed to access and utilize the patient portal.
MEDICAL
All locations except Bulverde & Methodist; Mon-Fri 8:30am to 11am – 1:30pm to 4pm
If you need to speak with our on-call physician, please call our main line (210-653-5501). A message will be sent with your concern. Please note that this is a line for emergency calls only. If you are pregnant and you are concerned that you might be in labor, have broken your water, are not feeling fetal movement, or any other concerns, please go directly to the hospital where your doctor delivers. You do not need to call. Additionally, please understand that the doctors answering the phones after hours also deliver babies and do emergency surgeries, so your call might not be answered right away. For non-emergency questions (such as medication refills, appointment questions and UTI concerns) please use our patient portal or call during business hours the next day.
No children are allowed in our offices at anytime.
Irregular bleeding / breakthrough spotting can last 3-6 months while body adjust to hormones. Please allow 3 months trial period. if soaking 1-3 pads every hour call the office (Any Contraception).
Established patients can come in for a nurse visit from 830am-1130am and 130pm-430pm for lab test Annual needs to be up to date.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, exposure to virus time frame is unknown. Exposure could have happened with very 1st sexual partner.
An evaluation needs to be done an order for mammogram or diagnostic test will be ordered. Please call our office to make an appointment.
A Colposcopy is a procedure that is done for an abnormal pap. Just like a pap smear. We are able to take a closer look at the cervix with a microscope to be able to identify any finding.
Here is the link to the preferred medications in pregnancy
Yes, we do for established patients. If you need the following we welcome a walk in: UTI diagnosis, Pregnancy Test, Wound check, labwork, blood pressure check, HPV and Depo Provera injections. Our in house lab hours (except for Bulverde and Stone oak Methodist) are 830am- 1130am and 130pm -400pm
Dr. Joseph Garza
Dr. Jeffrey Chang