A physical and wellness visit are different names used by insurance companies to describe similar visits. This is a visit designed to address overall health and preventative recommendations such as screening tests and vaccinations. There is some recommended lab work based on age and risk factors. This visit is NOT a visit for refilling medications or monitoring chronic medical problems. Sometimes those can be addressed at the same time, combining visits. But since it is not included in the wellness visit, most patients will get charged a copayment for the additional service.

Everyone! Verify this with your insurance company, but most will cover one annual physical or wellness visit (more frequently for children.) This is your opportunity to keep us, your healthcare team, up to date with your life. If you have chronic medical problems, we will likely see you regularly. But if you are healthy, it is easy to forget to keep the patient-physician relationship up to date. A lot can change in one to two years! If you wait that long and then try to get an appointment, it is harder to fit in a quick acute visit since your information is out of date.

Yes, we directly bill as in-network providers for the most common insurances in the Oklahoma City area. Check our insurance page to see if yours is listed. If you do not see your insurance but would like to become a patient at Woods Family Medicine, please call our office. We may be in the process of credentialing with that company.

At this time, we do NOT bill Medicaid, workman’s compensation cases, or cover car accidents where auto insurance is involved.

We do our best to have you seen when you want to be seen. Please call to check appointment availability. New patients need to schedule a “new patient visit.” If you have been seen in the office within the past year, then you can always utilize our walk-in hours for acute needs.

Acute illnesses can strike at any time. These are things like colds, infections, minor injuries, urinary symptoms, etc. It is best to call and schedule a visit, but if availability is limited, established patients can utilize our walk-in hours.

• Cough less than 2 weeks
• Congestion
• Fever
• Ear aches
• Urinary pain
• Vaginal discharge

We perform in-office testing for acute needs such as strep throat, influenza, RSV, urinalysis, and pregnancy testing. Requisites for routine blood testing and other tests are given to take to lab requested by your insurance company. We can assist you with finding a location if needed. There are several close to the office.

If you have refills left on your prescription, please call your pharmacy. If the medication was previously prescribed by our office, your pharmacy can also send a request for more refills on your behalf. This will give us the correct drug name, dosage, and quantity. Dr. Woods makes a great effort to refill chronic medications at your routine visits. So, if you are out of refills, it is likely you are due for a follow up appointment. You can always call our office and leave a message on the refill request line. Please allow 24 hours for the request to be processed to your pharmacy.

If you are requesting a new medication or a change to your medication, then you will need an appointment. If you need refills of an existing chronic medication, it is likely you are due for a follow up appointment. Most medications require routine follow up and monitoring of blood work to insure efficacy and safety; Dr. Woods will discuss when to schedule your next appointment. Please do not allow yourself to run out of a chronic medication. A short-term prescription can be given to last you to your scheduled follow up appointment in most cases.

As family physicians, we can care for most of your healthcare needs in our office. Family medicine physicians are trained to care for a variety of chronic and acute medical conditions for all age groups. It is always a good idea to discuss your concern with your primary physician before seeking a subspecialty physician referral. Many health insurance plans will not pay for a subspecialty visit that has not been approved by your primary physician first.

As we work to provide all your healthcare needs, it can become necessary to consult with subspecialists, and as an independent office, we happily consult with physicians in many networks. It is our goal to ensure your subspecialists know your complete medical history with the help of our office notes to help facilitate coordinated care.

Please consider the following guidelines when requesting a referral:

• If you feel there is a reason to self-refer to a subspecialist, please make an appointment to discuss this concern with your primary physician.
• If you are unable to get an appointment within a reasonable timeframe with the subspecialist after an approved referral, please contact our office. We will try to expedite the process.
• If the physician does not agree with the necessity of a self-referred subspecialty appointment and does not approve the referral, you will be responsible for the payment to the specialist.
• There are rare exceptions where an office visit at Woods Family Medicine may not be required for a referral, but they are rare. One example is an orthopedic referral for treatment of a broken arm that was treated in an emergency room. A referral in this case can be approved over the phone with a copy of the ER visit available. Most other examples will require an office visit to discuss the reasons for the referral and failed treatments attempted that necessitate a specialty consultation.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our referral policy, please call our office. 405-353-1460

Yes. We cannot provide routine medical care to minor patients without parental consent. This includes acute care visits for colds. As long as you are present in the facility and verbally approve the recommended treatment, you do not have to be in the room with the minor if that is your preference.

However, based on state laws, minors can be seen without parents for issues pertaining to pregnancy or sexual health.