Thank you for choosing Orlando Epilepsy Center for your healthcare needs. To assist in preparing you for your initial visit to our office, please read below. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our office, at (407) 652 6000.
Pre-Registration Paperwork
Once you have scheduled your appointment, there are several documents we need you to complete prior to being seen. Completing the New Patient Packet forms in advance will streamline your check-in process and allow more time for you to spend with your healthcare provider.
Get the New Patient Registration Packet
Please print, complete, and return the New Patient Packet to our office prior to your arrival or bring them to your first visit. If you are unable to do so, please arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to allow ample time to complete them in the office.
What to Bring to Your First Visit
The following items will be required at your initial visit:
· Driver’s license or photo ID
· Insurance card
· Referral form (if applicable)
· Medical records (if any)
Insurance: In preparation of your initial visit, please contact your insurance company to ensure you are active in their system.
Referrals: If you are being referred by another provider/hospital or transferring from another practice, please arrange to have your medical records sent to our office at least one week prior to your scheduled appointment.
Review Tests: If you want to review test results or imaging which was performed at another facility, you must obtain those records and bring them with you to your appointment.
Records Release Authorization
1. Scheduling appointments. Routine patients will be scheduled on a first-come, first served basis. Our office policy is to accommodate any referral within 3 business days.
2. Same day appointments. All efforts will be made to provide same day appointments for urgent medical problems. If you are unable to be seen same-day and your condition warrants immediate attention, you may be referred to an urgent care center or hospital for evaluation.
3. We are dedicated to meeting the needs of our patients. In an effort to ensure that we have adequate openings for all patients needing appointments, we ask that you keep all scheduled appointments. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, kindly provide us with at least 24 hours notification.
4. Late arrivals. If you are running late for an appointment due to unforeseen circ*mstances, we ask that you please call our office to let us know that you’re on your way, so that the providers can continue to see patients in a timely manner. Please be aware, notifying us of late arrival does not guarantee you will be seen at your scheduled appointment time, and may result in a longer wait times. Arrival 15 minutes or more after your appointment time will result in automatic cancellation. The appointment will be rescheduled for the next available opening, which may be on a future date.
5. Self-pay policy. For patients without insurance, we offer a self-pay option. Please ask for details.
6. Prescription refills. Prescriptions are only filled Monday through Friday during normal business hours, without exception. All efforts will be made to fill prescription refill requests by the end of business at 5:00pm. Refill requests made after 4:00pm may not be addressed until the next business day. In order for prescription refills to be approved by our office, you must have been seen within a year by one of our providers. Be advised that certain medications require a hand-signed prescription by the provider. If a request for such medication is approved, you will be required to pick it up, in person, at the office.
7. The primary method of communicating results will be through our Patient Portal.Results that arrive at our office must be seen and signed off by a provider before being loaded to the portal. Staff are not permitted to provide results by phone before a provider reviews them. Please allow 7-10 business days to be notified of lab results and imaging reports.
8. Forms and letters. Requests for disability forms, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms, and/or special letters, should be made during normal business hours. Please allow 7-10 business days to complete. There is a charge of $35.00 for the completion of each form. Patients will be notified when these forms are ready for pickup.
9. Request for Medical Records. Please allow 7 to 10 business days for processing of all medical records request. Patient must complete Records Release Authorization form for each request.
10. Privacy Policy. All personal and healthcare information will remain secure and confidential within the electronic medical record system used by Orlando Epilepsy Center. Patients have the right to request that we restrict how protected health information is used or disclosed for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
11. HIPAA Policy. Orlando Epilepsy Center is a medical practice in complete compliance with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Our staff abide by HIPAA rules and regulations when discussing patient information. We will discuss patient information only with the patient, unless we have been given specific permission, in writing, to speak with another individual. As part of the new patient packet, all patients will be provided with a form regarding how (and with whom) we are able to discuss healthcare matters and results.
12. All documentation pertaining to office visits, procedures, prescriptions, results, and administrative paperwork will remain secure and confidential unless permission is given by the patient in writing or verbally (if a patient is accompanied by a family member or friend) at the time of a visit.
13. Patient Portal. We encourage patients to utilize the Patient Portal, which provides secure means for communication between patients and our office in a timelier manner. Additionally, neither email nor the Patient Portal are adequate means for urgent questions or concerns. Any response needed in less than 48 hours should be addressed by calling our office directly.
14. Social Media Policy. We welcome patients to like/follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Messages left for Orlando Epilepsy Center through a social media account are not monitored daily and due to the insecure nature, medical results or advice will not be able to be provided.
15. Conduct. Our office is here to serve you and we will always do our absolute best to meet your needs. For the comfort of all our patients, we ask that all guests refrain from eating or drinking in the waiting room or patient rooms. Loud, disruptive, or disrespectful guests may be asked to leave.
16. Illness. During any community outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, Orlando Epilepsy Center reserves the right to limit or restrict patients or visitors from entering the office, implement screening protocols prior to allowing entrance into the office, require a mask for entrance into the office, or mandate appointment rescheduling, vehicle visits, or telehealth visits as needed for safety of patients and staff alike.
Epilepsy is a neurological condition caused by an abnormal electrical brain activity resulting in recurrent unprovoked seizures.
A seizure is a change in sensation, awareness, or behavior brought about by an electrical disturbance in the brain.
Seizures usually present with either focal or generalized symptoms and often are associated with alteration of awareness or complete loss of consciousness accompanied by stiffening or jerking of extremities.
Epilepsy can result from a birth defect, head injury, brain tumor, infection, stroke and other conditions that afflict the brain. It can also be genetic in origin. The majority of patients with epilepsy have no identifiable cause.
In the United States it is estimated that approximately 3.4 million people suffers from epilepsy. Approximately 65-70% of these patients are well-controlled on medical therapy. The patients who continued to have breakthrough seizures despite being tried on at least properly chosen and dosed medications are considered to have refractory epilepsy (Drug Resistant Epilepsy).
There are multiple different anti-epileptic medications available to control seizures. The patients who continued to have breakthrough seizures despite appropriate medication therapy can be sometimes a candidate for epilepsy surgery which may improve seizure outcome dramatically.
