If you are experiencing a true, life-threatening emergency, call 911. Call our office only after you have made arrangements to get to the Emergency Room.
Our clinical staff return calls during business hours as time permits. If the matter is urgent, please tell our phone operator so that the nurse can confer with you in the timeliest manner possible.
Please Note:
- If your physician is returning the call, it may be in the late afternoon, evening or after office hours
- Understand that calls for test results and prescription refills will be returned after urgent patient needs are met.
Prior to calling, please be ready to provide:
- Reason for your call
- Full name (including spelling)
- Date of birth
- Best phone number to reach you or your caretaker
- Name of your oncologists / hematologist
Please use this guide as to when you should make your phone call:
Call Anytime – Day or Night
You may contact our office at any time. We are also available after hours (4:30-8am). If you believe you’re having an emergency dial 911. Please call our office immediately if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Fever 100.5 F. degrees or greater
- Uncontrollable nausea or diarrhea
- Pain medication is not working
- Chest pains or shortness of breath
- Severe shaking or chills
- Bleeding from the nose or gums
- Blood in the urine
- Black, tarry bowel movement
- Severe diarrhea
- Constipation with intense abdominal cramping
- Changes in your vision or hearing
- Increased bruising or pinpoint red or purple spots anywhere on the body
Call During Regular Office Hours (8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday)
- Questions about your medication, treatment or side effects
- Nutrition problems
- Prescription refills
- Please call by 3 p.m. and have your pharmacy’s phone number
- For narcotics such as Percocet, MS Contin or Oxycontin, plan to either come into the office for a written prescription or allow five days for the written prescription to be mailed. By law, your pharmacy must have a written prescription. No narcotic prescriptions can be written on weekends.
- For lab tests or scans, please know that results usually take:
- Scans: 48-72 hours
- Tumor markers: 72 hours
- Bone marrow: 7-10 days
- Pathology reports: 3-5 days
- New treatment options
- New numbness or tingling of fingers or toes
Never hesitate to call us for any problem that is important to you. There is no need to be miserable. If a certain medication is not working, call and let us know. Chances are, we can prescribe or suggest something to make you more comfortable.