“Preventive Medicine” is the name of the game! An annual physical exam includes going over a patient’s social, family, and medical histories, with particular emphasis on lifestyle (sleep, stress, diet, exercise, substance use). Cancer screening guidelines are discussed. Age-appropriate vaccines are discussed and administered. Labs are ordered either prior to or during the visit.
Time permitting, other concerns can and should be discussed during this type of visit, though serious medical conditions and/or symptoms may require a subsequent visit.
What is Your Cancellation Policy?
There is no penalty for cancellation. Please call 48 hours before your appointment to cancel or reschedule.
How Do Medication Refills Work?
Standing medications (medications taken daily) are ordered in allotments of 90 days, with 3 refills.
Why 90 days? Insurance. Patients may designate any pharmacy (typically a brick-and-mortar pharmacy near work or home, or a mail-order pharmacy which typically offers more competitive rates) and the order will be sent digitally to that pharmacy. Patients may change pharmacy at any time; just call and let us know. With regards to refills-since there are 3 refills with each order, patients should contact the pharmacy directly when the 90-day bottle is near empty. We do require patients on standing medications to see us every 6 months, to monitor for side effects and to determine the effectiveness of the medication.
Traveling? Call the office and we can refill standing medications to any pharmacy in the U.S.
How do Phone Calls Work?
We answer all calls within working hours, answer urgent messages off-hours, and return all non-urgent messages the following day. The quality of each call is important to us, as we believe each concern should be addressed in its entirety. To ensure that calls are not rushed, we do not place callers on hold. If you call during business hours and reach our answering machine, the staff is on the phone with another caller. We will call you back regardless whether you leave a voicemail or not.
How do lab and imaging orders work?
EPIC Lab and imaging orders are now ordered digitally by Dr. Dang.
Why is this important? Because the results are now returned and store digitally, which can now be accessed by patients and Dr. Dang instantaneously and simultaneously. Furthermore, the results can be shared and accessed by other medical professionals. This is done through an electronic medical record (EMR) system called EPIC, which is used by all major medical networks in the Bay Area, including Kaiser, Stanford, Sutter/PAMF, UCSF, John Muir, etc.
Lab orders Lab orders are typically done on a “standing order” basis, meaning that these orders are active the moment Dr. Dang inputs them, and can be filled at any time up to a year from when the orders are placed. The orders are sent to a designated lab system (Quest, LabCorp, BioReference, El Camino Hospital), and can be filled at any location of that designated lab system. Lab orders can be sent on a limited basis, and through paper, to Sutter/PAMF and Stanford.
Imaging orders Imaging orders are also sent digitally on a “standing order” basis to El Camino Hospital Imaging Department, or Valley Radiology Imaging (VRI). VRI is the largest private imaging network in the South Bay and typically offers some of the most reasonable rates for imaging; furthermore, the imaging results are returned digitally and stored in EPIC. Imaging orders can be sent on a limited basis, and through paper, to Sutter/PAMF and Stanford.
What Are the Age Appropriate Vaccinations and Which are Covered by Insurance?
This is typically addressed during an annual physical exam, or during routine visits.
Does Dr. Dang do Vaccination Only Visits?
No. The vaccinations would have to be part of a visit, so be prepared to discuss some medical condition,or it can be done during an annual physical exam.
Can the COVID Vaccine be Administered With the Influenza Vaccine Simultaneously?
Yes, though Dr. Dang does not offer the COVID vaccines (they require a lower temperature refrigeration). Regardless, the two vaccines can be administered together on the same day, or very closely apart.
