How do I…

Q.Join Premier Senior Care?
A.

Call our office and ask to become a New Member in the practice. Our staff will gather information from you and send you a New Member Packet containing several forms for you to complete. Once you have returned the completed forms and paid the membership fee, we’ll set up an initial appointment with the doctor who sees patients at your facility. This process ordinarily takes several weeks in order to allow us to obtain your medical records, but can be expedited.

Q.Make a follow-up appointment?
A.

At Maplewood Park Place, the community nurse handles appointments.
At all other locations, please phone our office.

Q.Contact the doctor about an urgent matter? See below regarding emergencies.
A.
  • Call our 24-7 number (301-530-3237) about urgent matters.
  • Call your personal physician’s cell phone if you are unable to reach him or the on-call physician through our 24/7 number.
Q.Contact the doctor about a non-urgent matter?
A.
  • Call our 24/7 number during office hours (8:00 AM – 4:00 PM) and leave a message with our office staff, who will relay your message to your physician.
  • E-mail your personal physician. Use e-mail only for non-urgent matters. Expect a response to your e-mail within 2 business days, though often we are able to respond to e-mails sooner.
Q.In the event of an emergency, some examples of which are given below, the first step is to call 911, and then notify us. Ask the emergency room physician to contact us as well. Some examples of emergencies:
A.

Loss of consciousness
Signs of heart attack
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/signs.html
Signs of stroke
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stroke/signs.html
Severe shortness of breath
Uncontrolled bleeding
Severe pain
Poisoning
Severe reaction to insect bite/medication
Major injury, e.g. hip pain and inability to bear weight after a fall
Unexplained stupor
Persistent vomiting
Suicidal feelings

Q.Prepare for an office visit?
A.
  • Review the instruction sheet you were given at your last appointment, as it may contain instructions for the next visit, such as getting blood tests or x-rays, etc.
  • Bring an updated list of all medications, listing medication name, strength, and how you take it. This information is printed on your instruction sheet from your last visit if you live in the Independent Living section at Maplewood Park Place. If you live in Assisted Living or Nursing, this information is on your chart, and you don’t have to bring a list. However, if you are taking any supplements, over-the-counter medications, or any medication not provided by your assisted living facility nurse, then let us know the details.
  • If you measure your blood pressure or blood sugar at home, please bring the log of your readings.
  • Bring a list of all specialists you have visited since your last visit with us, along with a copy of any instructions you were given.
  • Think about the symptoms or problems you would like to discuss with your physician. In the case of new or worsened symptoms, it will help your physician to know when the symptoms first began, how frequently they occur, how long they last for, what seems to worsen or relieve them, and what you think might be causing them.
  • Please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment, so our staff can measure your vital signs and ensure any test results are available for the physician.
Q.Get prescriptions renewed?
A.
  • Please ask your pharmacy to contact our office via Fax or electronically.
  • Alternatively, call our office during business hours, or email office staff, at Staff@PremierSeniorCare.org. Be sure to include the following information with all refill requests:
    • Your full name, including the spelling of your last name.
    • Your date of birth.
    • Your phone number.
    • The name and spelling of the medication, exactly as it appears on the medication label.
    • The strength of each tablet or capsule, exactly as it appears on the medication label.
    • Your current dosage. If this is different from what appears on the label, please call during office hours to make your refill request.
    • Please note: if the medication was prescribed by another physician, such as your eye doctor or dermatologist, please call that physician rather than our office for refills.
  • Let your physician know at the time of a visit if you need any refills.