UPDATES TO SCHEDULING:
-10-22-2019: We are currently accepting NEW PATIENTS, with NEW PATIENT appointments available in as little as 1 week, depending on provider. Give our office a call to schedule at: 559 395 4009.
-10-22-2019: We are currently accepting NEW PATIENTS, with NEW PATIENT appointments available in as little as 1 week, depending on provider. Give our office a call to schedule at: 559 395 4009.
Download and print out the NEW PATIENT PACKAGE below after scheduling your
appointment.
| NEW PATIENT PACKAGE 2019 |
|
-Insurances Accepted:
-Medicare -Blue Shield of CA, PPO -"Covered California (Blue Shield)" PPO -Anthem Blue Cross, PPO -Aetna, PPO -Cigna, PPO -AARP (as a secondary to Medicare) -Self-Pay (Cash Pay) -United Healthcare -Sante Community Physician Plans -HMO plans through KOVA -HMO plans through FIRST CHOICE (Humana, Blue Shield, etc...) -Most employer provided PPO commercial plans |
Insurance Plans Dr. Birdwell does NOT accept:
-Medi-Cal -Anthem Medi-Cal HMO -Cal-Viva -"Select PPO" Plans (call your insurance for list of providers who accept this type of insurance plan) *Always call your insurance company to ensure that YOUR SPECIFIC plan allows you to see Dr. Birdwell. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your insurance plan includes Dr. Birdwell in their network of providers* Our plans change from time to time. If you don't see your plan listed, feel free to contact our office for updates, or your insurance plan directly to see if Dr. Birdwell's office is 'in-network'. |
How our scheduling works
Dr. Birdwell tries to make sure her patients have the shortest wait time possible when they come to see her. She spends quite a bit of time with New Patients, reviewing medical history, medications, past surgeries, illnesses and going over the plan for establishing your care here. Because these New Patient visits can sometimes be lengthy, she limits the number of New Patient appointments per day. She tries to leave the rest of the schedule open to established patients who are following up with her, or are sick and need to be seen quickly. This is the reason it sometimes takes a few weeks to schedule your first visit. After your first visit to our office, you are generally able to get in to see the doctor or her PA the same day that you call the office (sometimes the next business day, but generally same day appointments are available).
We all know how frustrating it can be to go to the doctors office only to wait for an hour (or 2...or 3!) before being seen. It happens all the time in the Madera area. Dr. Birdwell tries very hard to make sure your wait time is as short as possible, and is NOT like the typical wait times for other local medical facilities. For October 2019, our average front lobby wait time is about 12 minutes. Sometimes the wait is a bit longer, sometimes a little shorter, depending on the issues or problems the patient(s) ahead of you need to discuss with Dr. Birdwell. We want to make sure that her patients know she values your time, and we make every effort to schedule appointments accordingly.
Getting ready for your first appointment with Dr. Birdwell
- -REGISTER with our office on-line
- -Print out the NEW PATIENT PACKAGE (above) and fill it out before you arrive
- -Bring any medications you are currently taking with you to your first visit (just throw the bottles in a ziploc bag and bring them)
- -Bring your insurance card and any co-pay you may have at the time of service
- -Dr. Birdwell accepts payment by all major credit cards, check and cash
- -If you can't make your NEW PATIENT appointment, make sure you call us. If you don't call and are a No Show for your first appointment, you may have to find a new doctor