FAQS
If you can't find answers to your question in the list below, please don't hesitate to call our Patient Support Center at (800) 403-4160.
- What should I do if I have an urgent medical need?
- Are there benefits to using an Urgent Care Center instead of an emergency room?
- Where are HealthCare Partners’ Urgent Care Centers (UCC) located?
- Are there other Urgent Care Centers that patients can use?
- How do I choose a doctor?
- How do I make an appointment?
- Can I still keep my HealthCare Partners’ doctor if my health plan changes?
- Can I change doctors if I am not satisfied?
- What do I do if my employer switches to a health plan that does not allow me to see a HealthCare Partners’ doctor?
- I am over 65 years of age, and I don’t like my Medicare+Choice plan. What are my options?
- Can you waive my co-pay or other fees if I don’t have the money?
- What is the difference between a health insurance plan and HealthCare Partners?
- How do I get a prescription refilled or renewed?
- How can I see a specialist?
- Do I always need an authorization to see a specialist or get other services?
- Who takes care of me in the hospital?
- Can I recommend a HealthCare Partners’ doctor to family or friends?
- What insurance plans do you accept?
- On what holidays will my doctor's office be closed?
- 1 - What should I do if I have an urgent medical need?
- If you have a life-threatening emergency, immediately call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. Notify your health plan and call your doctor’s office as soon as possible.
If your urgent medical need occurs during your doctor’s office hours, call your doctor’s office directly. With HealthCare Partners’ Premier Appointments, you should be able to see your doctor the same day if you need to.
If your urgent medical need occurs after office hours, simply call your doctor’s office and your call will be directed to someone who can help you.
You may also visit one of HealthCare Partners’ Urgent Care Centers. Our Urgent Care Centers are staffed with doctors and nurses who are trained to treat urgent, non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. - Back to top
- 2 - Are there benefits to using an Urgent Care Center instead of an emergency room?
Yes, there are many benefits to using our Urgent Care Centers (UCC) versus an emergency room. These benefits include:
- Lower co-payments (consult your health plan for specifics)
- More personalized care
- Wait time is shorter; no appointment is necessary
- Your primary care physician will be notified of your UCC visit and will be able to follow up with you
- Back to top
- 3 - Where are HealthCare Partners’ Urgent Care Centers (UCC) located?
For a list of HealthCare Partners' Urgent Care Centers, click here.
- Back to top
- 4 - Are there other Urgent Care Centers that patients can use?
- Check with your doctor’s office for other affiliated Urgent Care Centers or after-hours medical care options in your area.
- Back to top
- 5 - How do I choose a doctor?
- Assess your family’s medical needs. Once you know the kind of care you need, do research to see if the doctor you are interested in can offer those services. Define the type of physician you want. Are you looking for a doctor that speaks a certain language, or has a specific type of training or experience? At HealthCare Partners, we have more than 400 primary care doctors to choose from in our medical group in offices throughout Southern California. Additionally, our Patient Support Center at (800) 403-4160 can supply you with information about all of HealthCare Partners primary care physicians and specialists. If you are part of a health plan, let your plan know which doctor you’ve chosen.
- Back to top
- 6 - How do I make an appointment?
- Call your doctor’s office directly to make an appointment. Many of our HealthCare Partners group offices feature Premier Appointments, a system that allows you to see your doctor the same day if you need to.
- Back to top
- 7 - Can I still keep my HealthCare Partners’ doctor if my health plan changes?
- HealthCare Partners accepts a wide range of payment options, which means that if your health insurance coverage changes, very likely you can still keep your HealthCare Partners’ doctor.
If you are an HMO or PPO/EPO patient, call your new health plan and inform them that you want to keep your current HealthCare Partners’ doctor or look for your HealthCare Partners’ doctor in your new provider directory. Your health plan should allow you to change your doctor at any time.
If you should lose your insurance coverage altogether or you learn that your HealthCare Partners’ doctor is no longer available through your current health plan, call your doctor’s office or our Patient Support Center at (800) 403-4160 immediately to discuss how you can continue to receive care from your doctor. - Back to top
- 8 - Can I change doctors if I am not satisfied?
Yes, you can change primary care physicians within HealthCare Partners at any time. With more than 400 doctors at more than 39 conveniently-located neighborhood offices, we are confident that we have the right doctor for you. Simply call your doctor’s office or our Patient Support Center at 800.403.4160 for assistance.
- Back to top
- 9 - What do I do if my employer switches to a health plan that does not allow me to see a HealthCare Partners’ doctor?
- If you are currently enrolled in a plan that does not allow you to access HealthCare Partners’ doctors, you can do the following:
- Speak to your Benefits/Human Resources director and indicate that you want to continue seeing your current HealthCare Partners’ doctor. Ask if there are any other options offered through the company that would accommodate your request.
- Call (888) 715-4922, where one of our friendly professionals can work with you and explain the various payment options that would allow you to continue to see your HealthCare Partners’ doctor.
- Back to top
- 10 - I am over 65 years of age, and I don’t like my Medicare+Choice plan. What are my options?
- Unlike people who are covered by an employer-sponsored health plan, people who are eligible for Medicare can change health plans at any time. Or you can go back to straight Medicare. Before you make any decisions about your health plan changes, speak with your doctor to make sure your decision will not affect the care you need.
- Back to top
- 11 - Can you waive my co-pay or other fees if I don’t have the money?
- As your doctors, we are obligated by law to apply your benefits according to your health plan’s guidelines. We cannot waive co-pays. We can, however, make payment arrangements with you. Please see the Patient Liaison or the office manager to discuss your options.
- Back to top
- 12 - What is the difference between a health insurance plan and HealthCare Partners?
- Health insurance plans provide members with health coverage. There are different types of health insurance plans, such as HMOs, PPOs, and EPOs. The health insurance plan contracts with medical groups, such as HealthCare Partners, hospitals, and other medical providers to provide care to their members — you, our patients. HealthCare Partners is not an insurance plan. We are your doctors; we provide you with your medical care. The health insurance process works like your auto insurance: You buy auto insurance from an insurance company, but you go to a mechanic to get your car fixed and your insurance may or may not cover the costs. The same process applies to your health insurance coverage.
- Back to top
- 13 - How do I get a prescription refilled or renewed?
- If you are a new patient, bring your medications on your first visit with your doctor. He or she will approve refills that you may need at that time.
If you are not a new patient and you have a prescription that you need refilled, you do not need to call your doctor. Call your pharmacy, and remember to call when you are down to a three-day supply of medicine.
If you have used up all the authorized refills on your prescription, you will need to get a prescription renewal authorized by your doctor. Call your doctor, or your pharmacy will need to call your doctor to request authorization to renew the prescription.
If you want a new prescription, you must see your doctor.
For information about your pharmacy benefits, call your health plan. - Back to top
- 14 - How can I see a specialist?
- Certain medical conditions may require you to see a specialist. HealthCare Partners has a wide network of specialists and other health care providers to serve your medical needs.
- Back to top
- 15 - Do I always need an authorization to see a specialist or get other services?
- Some health plans give patients the ability to self-refer for certain specialty services, such as obstetrics/gynecology or a mammogram, without an authorization from your doctor. If you have health insurance, check your health plan benefits to see what services you can receive without prior authorization.
HMO patients need to get authorizations for most services. However, fee-for-service or cash-pay patients can see any HealthCare Partners’ specialist or receive any treatment you need without prior authorization. Simply call the specialist’s office. - Back to top
- 16 - Who takes care of me in the hospital?
- HealthCare Partners wants to make sure that your hospital stay is a positive, healing experience. That is why we have inpatient care teams of doctors (called “hospitalists”) and care managers located in our affiliated hospitals who partner with your doctor to care for you when you need it the most. From admission to discharge, our goal is to coordinate and oversee your care to get you well and home to your family.
- Back to top
- 17 - Can I recommend a HealthCare Partners’ doctor to family or friends?
- Of course! At HealthCare Partners, we strive to create the best experience for you as a patient. If you are satisfied with your experience, we believe the greatest form of flattery is telling a friend or family member. If your friend or family member is interested in a HealthCare Partners physician, they can call (888) 715-4922 and one of our representatives will help them find the right doctor.
- Back to top
- 18 - What insurance plans do you accept?
- HealthCare Partners Medical Group accepts a variety of health plans. Click here for a complete listing.
- Back to top
- 19 - On what holidays will my doctor's office be closed?
- Your doctor's office is likely to closed on the holidays that HealthCare Partners observes as a company. In 2009, these days are:
- New Year's Day - Thursday, January 1
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Monday, January 19
- Presidents' Day - Monday, February 16
- Memorial Day - Monday, May 25
- Independence Day - Friday, July 3
-
Labor Day - Monday, September 7
- Thanksgiving Holiday - Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27
-
Christmas Day - Friday, December 25
Please remember that you can always call our Patient Support Center at (800) 403-4160 or visit one of our Urgent Care Centers on these days.
- Back to top