Thompson Peak Internal Medicine - Dr. Gary A. Betz, II, MD

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Internal Medicine?
Internal Medicine is a primary care field that focuses on adult medical care. The ages which an internal medicine physician, or "Internist," chooses to see can vary. By nature of our profession the majority of our patients are above the age of forty, however most internists working in the outpatient setting will see anyone once they have reached physical maturity. An internal medicine physician has a broad realm of training covering both primary care problems as well as more extensive training in managing chronic medical conditions and working in the hospital setting. This allows the internist to transition comfortably between the inpatient and outpatient settings. An internist may at times enlist the help of a specialist to address advanced problems. Some internists work solely in the hospital and are called "Hospitalists."Link to American College of Physicians
What are your office hours?
Thompson Peak Internal Medicine is open Monday through Thursday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM to answer your calls with a lunch break between 12:00 and 1:00 PM. Fridays the office is open from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Hours may vary during summer months.
When does Dr. Betz see patients?
Dr. Betz and Donna Gordy, NP are available to see patients Monday through Friday. Please contact the office for available times. Same day and next day appointments available most days.
What should I do if the office is closed and I need to speak with the doctor?
The office phones are forwarded to an on-call doctor after hours. In the event of an emergency you will be directed to call 911 for assistance. If the call is pertaining to non urgent matters such as refill requests or rescheduling of an appointment, the message will be addressed the following business day. In all other cases the doctor on call will be paged and will return your call within 30 minutes. It is imperative that you allow your phone to accept blocked or unknown numbers for the provider on call to reach you. This is done by pressing *87 after you hang up with the answering service. Failure to follow this instruction may delay response from the oncall provider. Once you have spoken to the provider you may press *77 to resume blocking of unknown numbers on your phone. If you have not received a reply in 30 minutes please contact the answering service again.
What forms of payment do you accept?
Currently Thompson Peak Internal Medicine is accepting cash and credit card payments. We accept Visa, Master Charge and Discover. Payment is expected at the time of service. We do not accept American Express or personal checks.
What insurance plans is Dr. Betz contracted with?
Dr. Betz is contracted with most major insurance companies as well as many of the smaller plans, over 30 in all. We try to keep this list accurate and up to date, but because the insurance companies add and delete plans every year, it is nearly impossible for us to know all of the plans we are contracted with. Please call your insurance company to verify Dr. Gary Betz is on your specific plan.
The Medicare "Annual Wellness Visit" vs. a "Routine Physical Checkup"
Medicare offers an "Annual Wellness Visit" once a year for eligible patients. This is different from a "Routine Physical Checkup". Medicare DOES NOT pay for a "Routine Physical Checkup", only an "Annual Wellness Visit" once a year. Please refer to the following links for details on the difference between the exams: Link to Medicare Website - Annual Wellness Visit information and Link to ABCs of Providing the Annual Wellness Visit
What are electronic medical records?
Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) replace traditional paper charts. All of a patient's demographic and medical information is stored in a computer server on site. This provides easy access to medical charts as multiple employees can immediately review them from any computer in the office at the same time. This also prevents having lost or misplaced charts. EMRs are used for scheduling appointments, billing and physician charting. They provide better accuracy on documents, refills, allergies and negates any issues related to legibility. Prescriptions can be faxed directly to the pharmacy, Sonora Quest lab results are sent directly into the patient's record and entire medical records can be faxed directly to other treating physicians. The computer network is encrypted to prevent any unauthorized outside review or alterations. The system is backed up daily to external hard drives which are kept both onsite and offsite to prevent loss of information in the event of unexpected damage to the computer or building. Thompson Peak Internal Medicine utilizes eClinical Works which has been ranked the #1 EMR for small practices in 2005 and 2006.
What services do you offer?
Thompson Peak Internal Medicine offers annual routine physicals and screenings, sports and school physicals, well woman exam / gynecologic exams, Medicare Annual Wellness Visits, ECGs, common immunizations, ear irrigations, joint injections, coumadin clinic, and biopsies of small skin lesions.