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Office Hours:
8:30 A.M. - 6:00 P.M., Monday through Friday
10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M., Saturday and Sunday
After hours, please dial 713-796-1221 and our answering service will connect you to the doctor or nurse on call.
Office Visits:
At your initial visit to Salem Oncology Centre, your medical history will be taken and a physical examination performed by Dr. Salem. The doctor will order appropriate tests and later review the test results with you in person. If you are referred to us by another physician, we will send a typed summary of your visit to your doctor and, if you need to take medical documents home with you, we will provide them for you.
We coordinate all outpatient testing and use the highest quality laboratory, pathology and radiology facilities. For outpatient chemotherapy, we arrange quiet, private rooms.
Hospital Admissions:
All patients who require hospitalization are admitted to St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital which is located across the street from Salem Oncology Centre. All hospital admissions will be coordinated and facilitated by Eleni A. Papageorge or another member of the Salem Oncology Centre staff, thereby minimizing the stress of the hospital admission process on the patient. Without such assistance, this process can be time-consuming, frustrating and tedious.
For information about St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital admission and financial policies, you may contact the St. Luke's Admitting Office at 832-355-2132 or for international patients 832-355-3350, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Once preadmission requirements are fulfilled (including financial arrangements), you will be given information about the time of admission, the expected length of your stay and your plan of treatment.
Please note that all hospital bills, as well as bills from other medical providers both inside and outside of the hospital, will be the responsibility of the patient. Salem Oncology Centre will not reimburse other medical providers.
Schedule An Appointment:
Except in the case of an emergency, Salem Oncology Centre requests that patients schedule appointments to see Dr. Salem or Dr. Nabbout. Please telephone 713-796-1221 between 8:30 A.M. and 6:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, to schedule an appointment.
Please do not leave your city, state or country of origin until you have the following items in your possession to bring to Salem Oncology Centre. Also, prior to leaving your home, be certain that all financial matters have been discussed with our Business Office. The items you are to bring with you on your initial visit with Salem Oncology Centre are:
- Pathology slides and paraffin blocks, as well as the pathology report. It is important to bring both the slides and blocks to enable a more accurate confirmation of diagnosis. Paraffin blocks contain additional tissue that is critical for special stains. These blocks are different from slides and do not break as slides sometimes do. It is a must that you bring both slides and paraffin blocks because it is important for pinpointing a very definitive diagnosis, which in turn, is essential for the planning of your treatment.
- All actual X-ray films and X-ray reports
- All medical reports and documents
- A recent medical report by your doctor
- Insurance card
- Financial Deposit (please see section on "Financial Information") or "Letter of Guarantee" from your Embassy or Government. Please do not leave your city, state or country of origin before you obtain financial clearance from our Business Office.
- A list of questions or concerns regarding your condition
Prescription Refills:
Please contact your pharmacy for prescription refills during our office hours because this allows the pharmacy to reach us if necessary. We must check your medical chart before approving refills. If you need a refill as the weekend approaches, please call us before 2:00 P.M. on Friday to permit enough time to approve refills. Kindly have your pharmacy telephone number ready.
Confidentiality:
We view the patient-physician relationship as one of trust and confidentiality. Your medical condition will be discussed only with you or your designated representative, and your written release will be required before any medical information is provided to outside parties.
Financial Information:
Prior to the commencement of testing or treatment at Salem Oncology Centre, an estimate of the cost of services will be provided by our Business Office. Should we be contracted with your insurance company, arrangements will be discussed at the time of your visit. If we are not contracted with your insurance, the financial deposit will be required and your claims will be filed by us, instructing your insurance company to reimburse you directly. The agreement by your insurance company to pay for your medical care is a contract between you and your insurance company; the ultimate responsibility of paying your medical expenses rests with you. At the time of your initial visit, you will be requested to sign a statement in which you accept and acknowledge ultimate financial responsibility for your medical expenses.
A financial deposit sufficient to cover the estimated amount of those services is required before testing or treatment can start. This estimate and deposit should be discussed with our Business Office, with the understanding that testing and/or treatment will not begin until such a deposit is made.
Should a deposit of $15,000.00 be given, and the actual charges total $12,000.00, upon your departure from Salem Oncology Centre, $3,000.00 will be refunded to you in the same manner in which your deposit was made, e.g., if you paid with a credit card, we will credit your account.
Please note that funds deposited with Salem Oncology Centre will be used for our charges only. Fees for other providers, consultants, hospital admissions, prescriptions or other medical expenses are the responsibility of the patient. It is not the responsibility of Salem Oncology Centre to pay the medical bills of other providers or of hospitals.
If your medical expenses are being covered by a "Letter of Guarantee" from your government, this letter is to be sent to Carolyn Beshara Young's attention prior to your arrival to allow time for her to contact the guarantor and make appropriate arrangements for payment. Although your government may guarantee your medical expenses, the ultimate responsibility of payment for your medical care rests with you. At the time of your initial visit, you will be requested to sign a statement in which you accept and acknowledge ultimate financial responsibility for your medical expenses.
If you are traveling to Salem Oncology Centre from out of the state or country, kindly contact our Business Office prior to your departure from home so financial arrangements can be made in advance of your arrival in Houston.
Questions regarding financial matters or insurance may be discussed with our Business Office at 713-796-1221 or via e-mail at: cbyoung@pasalem.com
The following is for your information regarding financial estimates and financial planning relating to treatment at Salem Oncology Centre. Please realize that we will welcome you as a patient and will guarantee that everything humanly possible will be done to give you the best medical advice and the best possible treatment. Before you come to Houston, we would like to advise you of the following:
- The initial consultation with Dr. Salem may cost between $200.00 and $500.00, depending on the time needed to give you the best advice. Professional fees for our doctors are approximately $300.00 per hour. Salem Oncology Centre fees are very competitive, although the time spent with patients is far beyond the norm.
- For Dr. Salem to make a definitive plan of treatment, you will be required to undergo laboratory, x-ray and pathology studies. The cost of these studies will be between $5,000.00 and $15,000.00, depending on the tests ordered. It is customary for this evaluation to be completed before Dr. Salem can design a definitive treatment plan for you. A deposit for the estimated amount of this evaluation must be made prior to the commencement of testing.
- Once a treatment plan has been designed, expenses will depend on the exact type of treatment you will receive, whether treatment is surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of all three. Before your treatment is started, you will be given an estimate of expenses by our Business Office.
- It is extremely difficult to estimate treatment expenses prior to the design of your specific treatment plan. Should you decide to receive treatment at Salem Oncology Centre in Houston, you should be prepared to make another deposit, in addition to the $15,000.00 needed for your initial consult and evaluation prior to the start of treatment. These financial issues are to be discussed with Carolyn Beshara Young prior to your departure from home. It is difficult to give a more accurate estimate due to the variables involved, e.g., type of treatment, dosages, additional testing required during a cycle.
- During your stay with Salem Oncology Centre, our Business Office is available at any time to provide you with a copy of your account, as well as to discuss any financial matters or concerns with you.
- Your evaluation and treatment planning by Dr. Salem will take approximately one week. Should you decide to remain in Houston for chemotherapy, please plan on staying more than one month.
- For your convenience, you may handle the payment of these funds in the following ways:
- wire transfer of funds from your bank to ours
- Visa, MasterCard, American Express - please fax or mail us the card type, card number, expiration date, exact name of cardholder and cardholder's signature
- If you have any questions about Salem Oncology Centre's financial policies, please do not hesitate to call and speak with our Business Office. Our office hours are 9:00 A.M.- 6:00 P.M., Central Time Zone.
- It is important to recognize that the Business Office is totally and completely independent of the Medical Department. Any and all issues relating to financial matters should be discussed with the Business Office and not with our physicians or nursing staff.
- All professional fees, including physician fees, medication fees and other medical fees are decided independently by an Administrative Board of Directors and not by members of our Medical Staff or Business Office.
- If you prefer to discuss your questions about our policies in a language other than English, please contact the following Salem Oncology Centre staff members:
Spanish, Italian, Greek, French - Eleni A. Papageorge
Upon Your Return Home:
Our commitment to you does not end when you physically leave Salem Oncology Centre. When a patient returns to his or her home, whether in the United States or abroad, we help to identify an appropriate physician for continued care. We work with that physician to ensure that our patient receives the finest possible treatment. All consultations, telephone calls and discussions related to ongoing care are part of Salem Oncology Centre's commitment to continuity of quality care.
Dr. Salem has an extensive network of physician colleagues worldwide, and is available 24 hours a day for consultations to ensure continuity of care. Occasionally, under certain circumstances, a doctor or nurse from our clinic may accompany a patient or travel overseas to personally assist in that patient's care. For the entire duration of your treatment outside of the clinic, we continue to monitor your progress. This service is unique to Salem Oncology Centre and enables us to better coordinate your care during the whole duration of your treatment.
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