| What does a family physician (FP) do? |
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A well-trained family physician is able to deal with eighty percent of health problems that affect the human being, whether the person is
a child, adult, male or female.
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| How do family and general medicine differ? |
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General practitioners start practicing after obtaining their medical degree. FP's, receive four years of structured training after their medical degree. Family medicine is recognized as a specialty by the Lebanese government. This recognition permits FP's to receive higher remuneration for their services by the National Health Service in Lebanon and better salaries.
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| What are the job opportunities for an FP? |
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There is a high need for FP's in the Arab countries; for example,
lately one Arab country had an opening for 50 FP's. In Lebanon, a demand for FP's by insurance companies and non-governmental organizations
has been recently noted. The main drive behind these recruitments is cost-effectiveness.
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| What are the problems that face FP's? |
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FP's in a fee-for-service system are not properly recognized by other specialists. The big supply of physicians is leading to unhealthy competition. Several parties are taking advantage of this situation and do not pay physicians, in general, and FP's, in particular, a decent wage.
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| Is family medicine an easy specialty? |
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Family medicine is a hard specialty. An FP needs to be well acquainted with hundreds of medications and medical conditions. This requires hard work and long hours of continuous medical education.
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What should I do if an emergency happens to me at
home? |
- Call 01350000 ext: 8989
- Page the on call doctor
- You will be called back to instruct you for
further care
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What should I do if an emergency happens to me on
campus or in classroom? |
- Patient CAN move, go to ED
- Patient CAN'T move, call 7777, AUBMC ED nurse
will guide you. An ambulance will be sent.
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| Appointments |
I have been calling many times but I cannot get an
appointment.
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- We strongly recommend that people make
appointments 3-4 days in advance to guarantee a slot
- Try frequently calling UHS scheduler extensions
: 3000
Explanation: Great efforts have been made to
accommodate patients for appointments. The number of
doctors available at UHS has doubled since 1994. We
still see more than 50% of our patients every day
without appointments and until we have an adequate
number of doctors this problem may continue. Our head
nurse also screens visitors to see if they need
immediate care or can wait for a later appointment.
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I have an ear pain and I would like to see an ENT
doctor, how to proceed? |
- Get yourself examined by a UHS doctor
- Accordingly, the UHS doctor will either handle
the problem himself/herself or refer you to a
specialist
Explanation: According to HIP regulations the
Specialist doctor will not be reimbursed for any visit
you may make on your own without a referral. If you have
an ear pain or any kind of pain or problem, Should you
decide to refer yourself on your own to another doctor,
you will have to pay the fees incurred by that referral,
as clearly stipulated by HIP regulation book. |
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Does the Infirmary cover health check ups for
prevention? |
- Yes, your doctor should provide you with an
annual check up as needed based on the
recommendation for health promotion and disease
prevention.
- Let's hope in the future that Infirmary doctor
will call you to come and receive such check up
including the entire necessary laboratory tests.
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What should I do if after seeing a UHS doctor I am
not convinced of his/ her treatment? How to get a SECOND
opinion? |
- Be open and tell the doctor that you do not
understand or agree with his/her treatment &
management and that you would like to have a second
opinion.
- From here on it will depend on the kind of
relationship you have with the UHS doctor.
- He/She may agree to go ahead and give you the
chance to have a second opinion outside UHS or may
ask you to see another doctor at UHS.
- In the rare occasion where you disagree with the
opinion of two UHS doctors you may ask the UHS
Director to address your case.
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I have been assigned a family physician, what should
I do if the doctor is not available? |
Your assigned family doctor will be able to respond
better to your needs and the need of your family.
But in case you need to see a doctor urgently and your
family doctor is not available at UHS, you may see any
other doctor available at the time needed. |
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I want to do some Lab tests and check my Cholesterol.
Can I go ahead and do as I want? |
According to HIP, only Lab tests that are requested by
physicians will be covered. Other Lab tests will be
charged to the patients; requesting Lab cholesterol on
your own would not be reimbursed
Explanation: You will have to see a doctor who would
order this Lab test as indicated by medical
recommendations not because of your interest or need to
know or curiosity. Medical indications for lab tests are
standardized and are listed and all our doctors are
trained at executing them. |
Sick Leaves
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How do I get my sick leave authorized by UHS doctors?
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- Sick leaves have to be signed by yours
supervisor (make sure to write your ID # and
department on it)
- Then, referred to UHS administrative doctor for
medical evaluation. This is usually done without
seeing the patient.
- The outside doctor's report is critically
reviewed
- Students are given medical report that they
might use it to justify missing classes or exams.
If the UHS administrative doctor reviewing the sick
leave thinks that there should be further evaluation it
is referred to one or two other doctors and the patient
may be interviewed and the doctor originating sick leave
may be contacted. Back to top
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Referrals and Sick leaves
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How much does the referral cost? |
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When someone requests a referral he is visiting UHS
(University Health Services) and the fee for a UHS visit
is 3,000 LBP. Additional copayment is assigned by HIP |
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Should the referral be taken before the appointment
with the specialist? |
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You have to guarantee the referral before taking any
appointments with the specialist |
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After submitting a request for referral, how long
does it take to be issued? |
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Around 48 hours (2 working days) |
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Can a patient directly go to a specialist? |
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The patient has to come see a doctor at the infirmary,
then after evaluation, the doctor will judge whether the
patient needs to see a specialist or not. |
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What does the referral cover? |
The referral covers all lab tests, x-rays and
prescriptions that are given by the specialist for a
period of three months |
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How many visits does a referral cover? |
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The referral covers 1 visit, however there are some
cases where the patient may need to request more than
one visit, in such cases the Doctor has to judge. |
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Do I need a referral upon the first visit after the
operation? |
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No referral is needed for a period of 6 weeks after the
operation |
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I have a chronic problem with seizure disorder that
requires special medication and frequent follow ups .Can
I get referrals for 3 monthly visits without seeing the
UHS doctor? |
- Make arrangements with your personal doctor at
UHS to have your name listed on the automatic
quarterly referrals to the specific doctors
mentioned.
- Your case is to be reviewed by your personal
doctor and the UHS administration and then your name
would be listed with the Triage nurse and you would
be able to obtain the necessary referral by calling
either the triage nurse, usually in the afternoon,
or your own family doctor.
- Make an effort to call 4 or 5 days in advance
this will make your papers ready on time when
needed.
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I am used to going to doctor X for my GYN exam. Can I
go to the specialist directly without seeing the UHS
doctor first? |
You need to visit your UHS doctor and upon his/her
decision that it is not in his/her expertise he/she will
refer you as needed
Explanation: The HIP plan restricts access to
specialists that are not on contract with the
University. This restriction is channeled through UHS.
Like any Insurance Plan it has certain advantages and
disadvantages. Limitation of direct access to any doctor
of one's own choice is one of the restrictions of the
HIP. You can always go to any doctor of your choice but
would have to pay the incurred fees. In return, the HIP
ensures that the UHS doctors can provide the services
that are needed. HIP will reimburse only for those cases
where the UHS doctors are not able to provide service.
The decision on whether these doctors can or can not
provide a service is left to those doctors and their
supervisors, so in case of a Gynecological problem. |
| Chronic Prescriptions |
I have a chronic prescription to renew on a monthly
basis; what should I do? |
When your personal doctor prescribe you a chronic
prescription to be taken on a monthly basis, you have to
inform the concerned nurse at UHS
- Repeated NSSF prescriptions are automatically
generated every month.
- Please visit us in person and discuss this with
the nurse in charge.
Explanation: These prescriptions are reviewed
periodically by your personal doctors who will need to
see you and check your medications periodically. If a
doctor modifies your chronic medications, please bring a
copy of the new prescription to the concerned nurse at
UHS to update your computer file.
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General
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What should I do if I think the doctor did not perform
the needed investigation at an interview, such as not
doing a physical examination or prescribing a medication
without physical examination? |
In such situation you should report:
- The doctor, the date and the event that
happened;
- Address it in writing to the UHS Director so
that disciplinary action can be taken if warranted.
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