Mission Statement | Office Visits | Emergencies | After Hours Hospitals | Insurance | Fees | Diagnostic Procedures | Teaching Telephone Calls | Guidelines for Health Supervision | Privacy Practices Mission Statement The mission of Gulf Coast Physician Partners is to serve our patients and community as we would be served. We are committed to understanding and working together as a group. We are committed to providing quality medical care at a reasonable cost for our patients. It is the mission of Gulf Coast Physician Partners to keep physicians, and the profession as a whole, independent of outside forces, dedicated to growth and flexibility and the future of health care. Office Visits All visits are by appointment and every effort is made to see patients at the appointed time. Medical and surgical emergencies do occur that may delay these appointments. If a delay is to be encountered, the patient will be promptly notified and for this reason we request telephone numbers from patients when appointments are made. Office hours are as follows: Nine Mile Road Office Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Milton Office Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 noon Please expect to be asked the nature of the problem in order to determine the amount of time needed, the urgency of the problem, and whether special supplies or procedures will be necessary. This information is confidential and used only within the office.  Back to the top Emergencies Please call the office regarding all emergencies during normal working hours. For the most part, these problems may be handled in the office saving expensive emergency room visits. Appointment spaces are kept open each day for problems that must be seen that day, but calling ahead will reduce any delays on your part. Occasionally patients will be referred to the emergency room for problems which cannot be handled in the office. Back to the top After Hours After hours, it is necessary to call the office number and you will then be referred through the answering service to reach the physician on call. That physician may handle the problem by the phone or may recommend an emergency room or emergency center visit. Narcotic pain relievers, tranquilizers, and antibiotics will not routinely be prescribed over the phone without evaluation. Routine prescription refills are not considered an after hour emergency. Back to the top Hospitals Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital, South Baldwin, and Santa Rosa Hospital are the primary hospitals for the practice. Please indicate your preference to be noted in your record. Physician Assistants (PAs) are working in our office to help patients with minor medical problems and routine care. This allows patients to be seen quicker for their problems. Back to the top Insurance Gulf Coast Physician Partners are participating insurance providers for Health Options, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Alabama, Medicare and supplements, United Health Care, Principal Health Care, Health First Network, Plaines Health Network, Beech Street Insurance, Health Plan Southeast, and Aetna PPO. Assignment will be accepted on all claims for these companies. In addition, insurance will be filed for all hospital and nursing home visits and treatments. Fees are expected to be paid at the time of visit. These forms may be sent to all insurance companies. Medicaid is not accepted by Gulf Coast Physician Partners. In addition, the Practice accepts patients from a number of health maintenance organizations. Please verify with the office staff at the time of your appointment your participation with the HMO and present your card. Should any problem arise with billing, please bring this to the attention of our insurance clerk who will make every effort to resolve the difficulty. Back to the top Fees Every effort is made to keep the cost of medical care as low as possible. Fees are established with the aid of the Florida Relative Value Scale. Please feel free to inquire about them. Back to the top Diagnostic Procedures Both laboratory and x-ray services are available on a limited basis in our offices. Any special procedure as indicated can be performed at the participating hospitals. We also do preoperative lab and x-ray. Back to the top Teaching The Practice strongly supports the training of physicians and medical students. For that reason, a student or resident physician may be present at the time of a patient's visit and the patient will be asked to participate in this learning experience. However, please feel free to inform the nurse or receptionist if you object to the presence of that physician in training. Back to the top Telephone Calls In emergency situations, your phone call will be returned promptly. In order to maintain the appointment schedule, calls may not be returned immediately, but will be returned before 6 p.m. the same day. Back to the top   Notice of Privacy Practices This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. PDF Format: Privacy Practices Back to the top