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The Principles of the Patient-centered Medical Home
The Patient-centered Medical Home (PCMH) model organizes care around patients, working in teams to coordinate and track care over time.
Patient-centered Philosophy:
Each patient has an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider (PCP) trained to provide first contact, continuous, and comprehensive care.

Under direction of Medical Directors Dr. Martin Basaldua and Dr. Carl Heller, your patient care team collectively takes responsibility for the ongoing care of patients, including assisting in coordinating the patient’s care across multiple settings, such as diagnostic testing, hospital stays and prescription management.

Using a whole-person approach, patients and families actively participate in decision-making and give feedback on whether their expectations of the care process are met.

Patients receive care when and where it is needed in a culturally- and linguistically- appropriate setting.
Comprehensive Coordinated Care:
A team of care providers is wholly accountable for a patient’s physical and mental health care needs, including prevention, wellness, acute care and chronic care.

Primary care includes health promotion and maintenance, disease prevention and management, counseling and patient education, and diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic conditions. Care is coordinated and integrated by your PCP through all levels of the health care delivery system including specialists, diagnostic services, hospitalization, and other modes of care delivery.

Behavioral health is a critical component of patient care. We will help you identify any behavioral health needs that you may have and assist in referring you for appropriate care.
Evidence-based Medicine:
Evidence-based medicine advocates that to the greatest extent possible, decisions and policies should be based on evidence, not just the beliefs of practitioners, experts, or administrators. To guide medical decision-making and ensure quality and safety, our PCP’s use clinical decision support tools and rely upon evidence-based medicine.
Accessibility
Enhanced access to care is available through same-day scheduling capabilities, extended hours, telephone advice and a secure patient portal.
Quality and Safety
PCP’s and staff enhance quality improvement through internal communication and the use of health information technology and other tools to ensure that patients and families make informed decisions about their health.

The electronic health record (EHR) and other forms of health information technology, like the secure patient portal, are used to support optimal patient care, communication, and patient education.

Our PCP’s strive to improve your patient care experience through continuous quality improvement in clinical care and patient service.
The Policies of this Practice
After-hours Emergencies
One of our providers is on call after office hours and on weekends and holidays. These calls should be limited to urgent concerns or serious illnesses.

Call the regular office number: 281-359-3223, and the answering service will take your information: name, reason for the call, and call-back phone number. The answering service will contact the on-call provider, and the call will be returned within one hour.Please note, medications will not be refilled after hours.

For emergency situations, call 911 and/or go immediately to the nearest Emergency Room and let them know which Vytalus Medical group provider is your PCP.
Appointment Scheduling
Patients should call in advance to schedule appointments so that adequate time can be allowed for each visit. You may schedule an appointment by calling: 281-359-3223, Monday through Friday 8a-5p.  Extended hours are available: Wed. 7a-8a.

At least one day prior to a routine appointment, our office will call with a reminder of the appointment date and time.

Call early if a same-day appointment is needed. We will do our best to accommodate you. However, calls after 2 p.m. may be scheduled for the next day.
Appointment Cancellations
In order to ensure needed medical care and appropriate follow-up, it is important to keep any scheduled appointments with your provider. In addition, when an appointment time is reserved for you, this time is unavailable for other patients. Advance notice, preferably twenty-four hours, is required when it is necessary to reschedule your appointment. Failure to notify in advance of a cancellation may result in a cancellation fee.
Medical Advice Requests
Medical advice requests may be submitted by calling our office at 281-359-3223 during office hours, and through the patient portal during and after hours. (See phone tree options below).  During office hours, the requests are reviewed by the provider, with a response from our knowledgeable triage staff, usually within one hour. We reserve the right to require an office visit for thorough in-person examination and treatment. Our goal is to respond to patient portal requests for medical advice within the same business day. Portal requests are not reviewed during weekends or holidays.
Fees and Payments
Our practice participates with several health insurance plans. Some insurance plans require patients to make a co-payment, and a claim is filed with the insurance company for the remaining balance. Co-payments, annual deductibles and coinsurance amounts are the responsibility of the patient and are due at the time of service.

These payments will be collected at the time of your appointment. Be sure to inquire about the participation status of your health insurance plan when scheduling appointments and at each visit. The patient is responsible for letting us know of changes in insurance and other information. For patients without insurance, full payment is due at the time of service. Payment may be made by cash, check or credit card.
Medication Refills
For medication refills, please contact our office to schedule an appointment.Each maintenance prescription is written for a specific period of time, usually for 3 or 6 months, and requires periodic follow-up visits to monitor efficacy.
Medical Forms Completion
Our practice receives many requests to complete various patient forms such as insurance, sports physicals, vaccinations records and other forms. Completion of these forms requires medical expertise and a review of medical record documentation.

It is the patient's responsibility to complete their portion of the form and submit it to the requesting party.  Extensive forms, such as FMLA, may incur an additional $20 fee.Please allow up to 7 days for processing.

Medical Records
As your primary care provider and medical home, our practice is serious about maintaining a complete and comprehensive medical record. It is the patient, parent, guardian or care giver’s responsibility to provide an accurate medical history and care received outside of our office. Your medical record includes your medical history, current health status, test results, specialty reports, current and past medications, immunizations, and hospital and emergency department reports. Complete medical records are very important for providing the best possible care. We request that patients have all prior medical records and specialists’ visits forwarded to Vytalus Medical Group for review.

Reliable access to our patients' medical records has been secured by using an electronic health record (EHR). The relationship between the doctor and patient is confidential and any information exchanged will be held in the strictest of confidence. Our practice strictly follows HIPAA privacy guidelines concerning the release of patient information. Forms for requesting copies of records or transferring records to our office (new patients) can be obtained upon request from our front office staff.

Contacts

Main phone number is 281-359-3223

Patient Relations Manager – extension 9382 (complements/complaints only. Not for medical issues)

Balmoral Location - extension 9344

Informational / Educational Websites
Medical Providers go to school for many years to gain the education required to make daily decisions about your healthcare. Their education, along with years of experience, enable them to work through complex symptoms to establish diagnoses and formulate treatment plans. The internet is an educational tool that cannot replace the experience of your healthcare provider.  Patients should be very wary of Google search results since most websites are not fact checked for accuracy. Occasionally, the “knowledge” gained from the internet does more harm than good.
Prescription Assistance
Elder Care
Multilingual Patient Education
Other Resources