As a private practice endocrinologist, Dr. Buxton enjoys spending considerable time with each person and works to not only improve health, but to also help people better understand and take control of their disorder. The initial visit is generally 45-60 minutes. Dr. Buxton strongly believes that every person can control his or her thyroid imbalance or diabetes and not have the disorder rule his/her life.
APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING | MEDICAL INSURANCE | PRESCRIPTION REFILLS
Appointment Scheduling
Dr. Buxton limits the number of new patients and also limits the number of available appointments each day. This allows him to spend more time with each person.
Office visits are by appointment only, Monday through Friday. Please call (415) 464-8677 to schedule an office visit. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early for your first visit in order to complete a small amount of paperwork. We know your time is valuable, and Dr. Buxton does his best to honor specific appointment times. If you are more than 10-15 minutes late, we may need to reschedule your visit out of respect for the other scheduled patients. If you are not able to keep your scheduled appointment, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance so that we have the opportunity to fill the appointment from our waiting list. Patients who are continually late or miss multiple appointment will be asked to seek endocrine care with another physician.
Medical Insurance
Our office accepts the following medical insurance plans:
Anthem Blue Cross (most plans)
Meritage Medical Network
Medicare (see below)
Although we do take Medicare, we are not a Medicare participating provider. This means that the patient will pay the Medicare determined rate at the time of the office visit. Our billing service will then file a Medicare claim and secondary insurance claim, if applicable, on the patient’s behalf and Medicare (and secondary insurance) will directly reimburse the patient. The Medicare fee is determined by Medicare and not negotiable by the office or the patient. There is normally a nominal out-of-pocket expense for most Medicare patients.
We do not take most insurance plans that fall under the umbrella of the Affordable Healthcare Act. These include among others, the Anthem Blue Cross ‘Pathway” plans.
There are numerous medical insurance plans available, and our office cannot possibly know the specifics of each and every plan. It is the patient’s responsibility to know whether the office visit is covered by his/her individual plan, including those plans listed above.
Billing questions
To most efficiently process your claims, we use a professional billing service. For all billing issues and questions, please call our office and we will connect you with the billing service.
Prescription Refills
To obtain a refill, please ask your pharmacy to fax a refill request to our office. Our fax number is (415) 464-8718. We require an office visit at least every 12 months to make sure you are in good health and you are on the appropriate medications. If your last office visit was more than 12 months prior, please call to schedule an appointment.
Phone Call Policy
Our office takes every phone call seriously and we welcome your calls and questions! Due to the sheer volume of calls we receive, Dr. Buxton is not able to answer every phone call himself. In many instances, instructions and responses from Dr. Buxton will be relayed through the office staff. Phone calls are triaged -- pressing medical issues are always dealt with first. It is vitally important to remember that medical treatment cannot be effectively performed over the phone. If you continue to have symptoms, place multiple phone calls to the office, or wish to speak with Dr. Buxton directly, we kindly request that you make an appointment.