Patient Guide

Our physicians and support staff would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to your medical home. As your partners of health care, we look forward to serving you. We hope that together, we can build a relationship that will ensure you receive the highest quality care.

In order to maximize your benefits, it is very important that you familiarize yourself with the different process in place as well as policies outlined in this section. Our courteous staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

We are working to make health care safety a priority. You as the patient can play a role in making your care safe be becoming an active, involved informed member of your health care team.

  • Appointments

    Office visits are meant to protect your health safety, to ensure the effectiveness of your treatments and to check for any side effects from your medications. Your specific wellness needs will determine the frequency of your office visits. Once you and your doctor determine your wellness needs, all medications will be prescribed according to the next scheduled office visit. Refills (link down to Refills) will be given in accordance to office visit frequency.

    Frequency of Office visits:

    • Wellness / annual visit
    • Frequency of visits may vary depending on medical necessity
  • Emergencies

    Always call 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. If you have a situation, you feel is urgent please call:
    (956) 514-1643

  • Medication Reconciliation

    Please bring all of your medications to all your office visits, if not a complete list of all medications will be acceptable. The list should include all prescribed medications, over the counter medications when appropriate, doses and frequencies and any natural remedies or herbal products being taken.

  • Refills Policy

    During your office visit your physician or mid level provider like a physician assistant or nurse practitioner will refill your medications. Follow-up appointments to monitor your progress on these medications are very important. We understand that there may be situations when you can not attend to your office visit, in such cases contact our office for arrangements:

    (956) 514-1643 | 208 E. Starr St. Mercedes, TX

  • Self Management of Diabetes

    We ask all patients with diabetes and or hypertension to record blood sugars and blood pressures at home as instructed by their physician, and to bring in the logs for review at each clinic visit. This will help in the management of these conditions.

  • Patient Rights
    1. You have the right to be treated with respect, consideration and dignity.
    2. You have the right to high quality medical care delivered in a safe, timely, efficient and cost effective manner.
    3. You have the right to be assured that the expected results can be reasonably anticipated.
    4. You have the right to privacy to the extent possible.
    5. You have the right to have our disclosures and records treated confidentially and expect when required by law, those disclosures and records will not be released without your approval Please refer to our Notices of Privacy Practices for further details on how we safeguard your medical records. You can find the privacy notices posted in the front waiting area.
    6. You have the right to be provided, to the degree known, compete information concerning your diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and prognosis.
    7. You have the right to copies of your medical records at nominal cost and, if you request it, those records will be transferred to another practitioner in a timely manner at no cost to you.
    8. You have the right to be informed of all reasonable options or alternatives to care and or treatments and of the potential advantages and the alternatives to having the procedure performed in an office or other outpatient facility.
    9. You have the right to participate in decisions regarding all aspects of your care.
  • Patient Responsibilities
    1. You have the responsibility to accurately and completely provide all clinical personnel with the health information they need including any medications that you are taking.
    2. You have the responsibility to follow the directions of the nurse or physician with regards to diet and or medications.
    3. You have the responsibility to abstain from using any drugs that have not been prescribed for you and that you have not revealed to our nurse or physician.
    4. You have the responsibility to abstain from the use of alcohol as directed by your nurse or physician.
    5. You have the responsibility to inform the nurse of physician if you do not understand any directions or if you do not understand the course of treatment planned for you.
    6. You have the responsibility to timely pay all medical bills which are not in dispute and to forward to us any monies you receive from any insurance company for our services.
    7. Bring Vaccination Cards
    8. For newborn infants: bring hospital discharge forms
  • Patient Education (helpful links)
  • Complaint Resolutions

    We strive to provide you with excellent quality care. We want to improve your experience and welcome an opportunity to listen to your suggestions and complaints. Please contact any member of the management team:

    208 E. Starr St. Mercedes, TX – (956) 514-1643

  • Parking

    We have one fairly large patient assigned parking area for your convenience in front of the buildings. The buildings are wheelchair ready.

  • Involvement In Your Healthcare

    Everyone has a role in making healthcare safe. Our physicians, Nurses and technicians are working to make your health care safety a priority. You, as a patient, can play a vital role in making your care safe by becoming an active, involved and informed member of your healthcare team. So SPEAK UP.

    S – Speak up if you have any questions or concerns and if you don’t understand, ask again.
    P – Pay attention to the care, treatment and medications you are receiving.
    E – Educate yourself about your diagnosis and your treatment plan.
    A – Ask a trusted family member or companion to be your advocate.
    K – Know what medications you take and time you take them.
    U – Use a healthcare facility that provides quality care.
    P – Participate in all decisions about your treatment.

  • Patient Portal Signup
  • Hospital Care

    Please follow up with a physician after an ER visit or Hospital Discharge.

  • Complete/Annual Physical Exams Policy

    We highly recommend that ALL our patients have regular Complete Physical Exams (Annual Screening/Preventative Visits, etc.) every 1-2 years. It is your responsibility to verify that your insurance will reimburse preventative visits if you are scheduled for such. Be advised that some insurance companies routinely do not cover preventative visits. For more information contact us:

    208 E. Starr St. Mercedes, TX – (956) 514-1643

    Infant exams: at Birth-2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 2y/o, 2 1/2 y/o, 3 y/o, 3 1/2 y/o and 4 y/o after age of 4y/o; yearly physical exam.

  • Lab Results

    Lab Results are preferrably reported in person by physician.

  • Results – Other Studies

    An office visit will automatically be required to review Labs and Xrays.

  • Abnormal Results

    Abnormal results (blood test, x ray or any other test) are preferably reported in person by the physician.

  • Patient Privacy

Patient Forms

RGV Adult & Internal Medicine Forms.

Completed forms can be dropped off by patient with photo I.D.
Please note that we can not accept faxed signatures on medical release of information forms.

Patient Survey

We would like to know how you feel about the services we provide so we can make sure are meeting your needs. Your responses are directly responsible for improving these services. All responses will be kept confidential and anonymous. Thank you for your time.

Submit Survey

Patient Community Resources

There are a number of available programs from the federal, state and local levels, which can help pay the medical bills for individuals or families who have low income and cannot afford medical care.

Below you will find information on the various assistance and community outreach programs. This information is provided as a convenience to our patients and their families, but it is not meant to be a comprehensive source for public or private insurance programs and other third-party assistance programs. Patients and their families should consult directly with the programs or other sources for upto-date and accurate information regarding the programs.

Medicaid

Medicaid is the State and Federal cooperative venture that provides medical coverage to eligible needy persons. The purpose of Medicaid in Texas is to improve the health of people who might otherwise go without medical care for themselves and their children. Texas Medicaid Telephone number is 1-877-541-7905. Their website is www.tmhp.com.

Crime Victims

Texas courts collect court costs from convicted offenders for the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund. If you are a victim of violent crime, you may be eligible for benefits.

The County Indigent Health Care Program

County Indigent Health Care Program provides health care services to eligible residents through the counties, hospital districts and public hospitals in Texas. Counties that are not fully served by a public facility (i.e., a hospital district or a public hospital) are responsible for administering an indigent health care program for eligible residents of all or any portion of the county not served by a public facility.

Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services

If you have a disability and need rehabilitation services, you may qualify for the Texas Rehabilitation Assistance Program. Please note: This program does not cover individuals who are legally blind or visually impaired.

211 Texas – Connecting People and Services

211 Texas is a free resource finder service which is available to all. Individuals are required to enter their zip code
in the search bar to locate the desired service. When you enter your zip code you will be redirected
to the main services page, there you will find information to the following:

Kaizen Clinical Partners

We are excited to announce that we are now part of a new organization called Kaizen Clinical Partners.

RGV Adult & Internal Medicine Specialists, PA has joined forces with Donna Medical Clinic, PA and Pedro J. Peñalo, MD, PA in order to serve our community in the Rio Grande Valley through a stronger work force, better resources for our patients, and shared values. Together, we will create a sustainable healthy society by improving well-being in our communities. We will become better every year at delivering equitable, excellent, and efficient primary and preventive care to all we serve.

Learn More

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