Missouri Residents and Blue Cross Blue Shield patients getting care in Missouri: Click here for why Mercy issues notice to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
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 nurses return calls during business hours as time permits. If the matter is urgent, please tell our phone operator so the nurse can confer with you in the timeliest manner possible. Please understand that calls for test results and prescription refills will be returned after urgent patient needs are met. Remember that physicians’ schedules are long and demanding. It may be late in the afternoon after all patients are seen, or sometimes the following day before they can return non-emergency phone calls.
When to Call
If you need us, we want to hear from you. Please use this guide as to when you should make your phone call.
Call anytime – day or night – if any of the following apply to you:
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
If you have questions about your medication, treatment or side effects
If you’re having nutrition problems
If you need a prescription refilled. 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
If you’ve heard about a new treatment
If you notice new numbness or tingling of fingers or toes
Never hesitate to call us with 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.