The Primary Care Division of the Buffalo
Medical Group, consists of physicians who are
specifically trained to provide and are dedicated
to the concepts of primary care. First and
foremost, these physicians are concerned with
disease prevention and health maintenance,
and they either provide care to you themselves
or identify those specialists who can meet the
needs of their patients. The BMG has a large
number of sub-specialists who work in concert
with primary care physicians to provide
patients with comprehensive and high
quality care.
Generally, patients are seen by their personal
primary care physician or by a “mid-level
provider” who works with the primary care
physician. There will be times when a
patient’s physician may not be available due to
vacations, continuing medical education seminars,
or teaching duties. As volunteer faculty
members of the University at Buffalo School of
Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, teaching
duties may result in a physician’s unavailability.
On those occasions, the BMG office staff will
advise patients who is substituting or covering
for the primary care physician.
There are two types of “mid-level providers.”
One is a nurse practitioner (NP). NPs have
received a master’s degree in nursing, and have
advanced education in such specialty areas as
adult care (ANP), family care (FNP) and
women’s health care (WHNP). The second
type of mid-level provider is a
physician assistant (PA). PAs are medical
personnel who have received special
training in the management of
common medical conditions. Both
types of mid-level providers are
licensed and registered by New
York State, and have been chosen by
the physician to work with his/her
patients, and to help improve patient
access to health care.
Primary care physicians see patients by
appointment only. If a patient believes
he or she must be seen on a particular
day, this should be conveyed to the
physician’s secretary and a mutually
convenient time will be arranged.
Depending upon the physician’s schedule, it may be necessary to delay the appointment
for a day or two. All BMG primary care
physicians try their best to stay on schedule.
However, emergencies, although infrequent,
do occur. If a physician’s office is running
substantially behind schedule (30 minutes or
more), it is BMG policy that a staff member
notify patients in the waiting area. In such
cases, patients may wish to make arrangements
to reschedule their appointment.
In most cases, primary care division offices are
open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to
4:30 pm. On weeknights and weekends a
physician is available for emergencies. When
awaiting a return telephone call from the
physician on call, patients are asked to keep
their telephone line open. If a prescription
may need to be ordered, patients should have
the pharmacy telephone number available. If
a return call is not received from the on-call
physician within a reasonable length of time,
patients should call again to verify that their
correct telephone number was recorded by
the answering service.
If a patient is ill and uncertain what to do, he
or she should call the Buffalo Medical Group
at 630-1000. In general,“telephone medicine”
is usually inferior to being seen in person.
However, in certain situations, a physician may
accommodate a patient’s request in that
regard. Should a patient prefer to see his or
her physician, every effort will be made to
comply with the request depending upon the
nature of the problem and the physician’s
schedule. When a physician suggests that a
patient be seen in person, it is recommended
that every effort be made to comply with the
request.
It is always best to request refills at the time of
an appointment. Patients should always keep
an updated list of all medications from all of
their physicians in a readily available place.
The list should include the name of the medication,
the physician who ordered it, and the
dose and number of times to be taken per
day. This enables the physician to review a
patient’s medications at the time of his or her
appointment, and to determine whether
changes should be made or medications
discontinued. Requesting medication refills at
the time of appointment also alleviates timeconsuming
telephone calls for refills. If necessary,
telephone calls for prescription refills
should be made during regular business hours,
Monday through Friday. Refills of prescriptions
may not be completed for up to 24 hours
after the patient’s telephone call to his or her
doctor. It is recommended that patients
request refills several days prior to using the
last of their medication.
Because the Buffalo Medical Group provides
an extensive range of services, unnecessary
trips to a hospital emergency room often can
be avoided. Unless a patient believes he or
she has a life-threatening or serious injury, it is
recommended that the BMG be contacted at
630-1000 prior to going to an emergency
room. Conversely, if a patient calls the BMG
during office hours and is directed by the
physician to go to the emergency room, he or
she should do so as quickly as possible
because a delay in diagnosis or treatment
could pose a significant threat to the patient’s
health.
If a patient has had had a complete examination
within one year of a requested college/work physical, an appointment may not be
necessary. However, please be advised that
many college or employment forms require
evidence of proper immunization. It is important
for college or work applicants to ensure
that their required immunizations are up-to-date
before mailing or dropping off a form to
a BMG physician for completion. The physician’s
office should be given copies of the
immunization information for the college or
work applicant’s permanent medical record. It
is important that information on the college
or employment form to be entered by the
applicant is complete before leaving the
document with the physician. This will help
avoid possible delays and ensure the form is
completed in a timely manner. If the form is
to be mailed to the applicant’s home, a
stamped, self-addressed envelope should be
included when the form is sent to the doctor.
If the applicant prefers, he or she may make
arrangements to pick up the form at the
physician’s office.
A patient’s original medical record, photographs,
x-rays, and copies of other test results
are the property of the Buffalo Medical Group.
The patient is entitled to obtain a copy of
his/her record within 10 days of receipt of a
written request by the BMG. A charge of 75
cents per page for copying the medical record
is permitted by the law and will be assessed to
cover BMG costs. The exact cost of duplicating
x-rays, photographs or videotapes will also be
charged to the patient as permitted by law.
Managed Care has generally helped to keep
the cost of medical care (and patients’ insurance
premiums) as low as possible. This means that
a patient’s use of services is closely observed
and controlled. Prescriptions, emergency
room use and referrals to specialists are closely
monitored to ensure the service is necessary.
The primary care physicians at Buffalo Medical
Group have adopted the following policies to
confirm the necessity of a referral:
1. New referrals to specialists cannot be
made without first consulting the
patient’s primary care physician. NO
referrals for unauthorized specialist
visits will be made after a patient has
visited the specialist. Obtaining an
appropriate referral before the appointment
is the patient’s responsibility.
Updated referrals can often be processed
without an appointment, but patients are
advised to give a physician’s office seven
days notice.
2. Co-payment is due at the time of service.
3. In most cases when a patient believes an
illness or injury does not appear to be
serious or life-threatening, he or she
must consult with his/her physician
before going to an emergency room.
However, in the event of a life-threatening
problem or a serious injury, the
patient should proceed to the nearest
emergency room as soon as possible.
630-1000
85 High Street
Buffalo, New York 14203
295 Essjay Road
Williamsville, New York 14221
3345 Southwestern Boulevard
Orchard Park, New York 14127
325 Essjay Road
Williamsville, New York 14221
2121 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14214
3849 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, New York 14217
2741 Transit Road
Elma, NewYork 14127
For a list of physicians who are accepting
new patients, please call 630-1032.
