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 What
should I bring with me to my appointment?
Please arrive 15 to 20 minutes
before your appointment time in order to register and provide or
update any information that may be required by your insurance
carrier. Please bring any pertinent medical records with you as well
as a list of your current medications.
Do you take urgent care or same day appointments?
Yes, I actually set aside some time every day for same day or urgent
care visits. If there is an urgent need to see me the same day,
please try to call at the start of my office hours (8:30 am) and my
staff will assist you in setting up a same day appointment if it is
available.
Do you have a cancellation policy?
24 hours notice of a cancellation is appreciated.
How do you communicate with your patients regarding their lab and
test results?
Abnormal results or those of an urgent nature will be phoned
directly to you by Dr. Mathew as soon as the results are available.
Office staff will mail out the results of all normal labs and tests
at patient's request.
What is your medication refill policy?
I do not renew routine prescriptions or narcotic prescriptions after
hours as your records are not available for me to review. You may
leave a voice mail message with your pharmacy or my office so that
your prescription can be refilled during usual business hours.
Please do not email me with prescription refill requests.
What are your office hours?
Our office is open from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Dr.
Mathew works every other Wednesday morning. Her staff will be in the office to take
appointments.
What is your hospital affiliation?
McLaren Regional Medical Center
What is your patient population like?
Doctors of internal medicine, often called "internists," focus on
adult medicine. They care for their patients for life from the teen
years through old age. Internists have had special study and
training that focuses on the prevention and treatment of adult
diseases. My patient population primarily consists of teens, middle-aged, and senior adults.
What
is an Internist?
Doctors for Adults
To put it simply, doctors of internal medicine are "Doctors for
Adults" but may be referred to by several terms, including
"internists," "general internists," and "doctors of internal
medicine." But don't confuse us for "interns" who are doctors in
their first year of residency training!
Although internists may act as primary care physicians, we are not
"family physicians," "general practitioners," or "family
practitioners," whose training is not solely concentrated on adults
and may include surgery, obstetrics and pediatrics.
Simple or Complex Issues - Caring for the
Whole Patient
Internists are equipped to deal with a multitude of medical problems
� no matter how common or rare, or how simple or complex. Internists
are specially trained to solve diagnostic problems, handle chronic
illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may
strike at the same time.
An essential part of an internist's job is to bring patients to an
understanding of "wellness." This includes disease prevention and
the promotion of health. Whether the issue is women's health or the
effective treatment of common problems, an internist is where you
turn to first.
Because Internists are involved with many aspects of medicine, we
are acutely aware of the ways that different parts and systems of
the body interact. With this broad clinical knowledge we try to
encourage our patients to become involved and take personal
responsibility for their own good health practices while we deliver
effective patient-centered medical care with compassion and concern.
It Started in Germany
The term "Internal Medicine" comes from the German term "Innere
Medizin", a discipline popularized in Germany in the late 1800s to
describe physicians who combined the science of the laboratory and
the care of patients. Many early 20th century American doctors
studied medicine in Germany and brought this medical field to the
United States where the name "internal medicine" was adopted.
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Dr. Caroline D.
Mathew, MD
4212 Lennon Rd,
Flint, MI 48507
Phone: 810-733-2311,
Fax: 810-733-8773 |
