PATIENT CENTERED MEDICAL HOME

Welcome to Your Medical Health Home!

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At Borrego Health, we apply a team-based, patient-centered medical home approach. Our goal is to provide you with the best care possible. 

There are many benefits to patients of a patient-centered medical home: 
 

1. You select the Primary Care Provider (PCP) that you prefer.

2. Your PCP practices evidence-based care. This means that your clinician provides you with the health management that has proven to be most effective for your condition.

3. Your PCP works with the same team of nurses, medical assistants, and other staff.

4. You work with your team to develop a personalized health plan that meets your needs. 

5. You have more ways to reach your team and get answers to your healthcare questions.

6. You get to know the members of your team and they get to know you.

7. Your team listens to your concerns and suggestions to improve your experience.

8. Your team will provide services appropriate for your culture and primary language.

 

Your PCP and healthcare team will:
 

1. Discuss how you can improve your health by setting self-management goals and provide you with self-management support to help you achieve health goals.

2. Help you identify your medical conditions. 

3. Provide an integrated approach to your health (mind and body) by referring to Behavioral Health Specialists in our clinics or in the community.

4. Work with you to develop methods to manage your conditions.

5. Provide you with health education materials and information to help you manage your conditions

6. Refer you to other medical specialists when necessary.

7. Provide preventative services including screenings for chronic conditions, physicals, and immunizations.

8. Provide information about healthy diet and lifestyle choice.

9. Coordinate your care when you see multiple providers.

10. Follow your care when you are in the hospital and make sure you get in to see your care team for a follow-up appointment and medication reconciliation.

11. Review your medications to help you prevent adverse drug interactions and address any barriers that you may have obtaining or taking your medication.

 
What you need for your appointment:
 

• Photo I.D. for the patient (or parent/legal guardian if the patient is a minor)

• Medical insurance card (if applicable)

• Borrego Health Patient I.D. Card

• Payment for co-pay or applicable charges

• List of allergies (if any)

• Be prepared to provide a complete medical history and any care you receive outside of our clinics

• Bring all of the medications that you are taking including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin, vitamins, minerals, and natural or herbal medications

• A current immunization card for each patient

• List of all your health questions so you don’t forget to ask something that’s important to you

• List of names, address and phone numbers of other providers and your reason for seeing them

• The name of your preferred pharmacy (if you have one)

• Any prescription drugs you need to have filled or forms that you need to have completed by your provider

• Please make sure that, when scheduling an appointment, you let us know if you recently have been to the hospital or Emergency Department (ED) 

 

Borrego Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)

 

As an FQHC, we are required by the federal government to obtain additional patient information, as follows:   

 

1. Veteran Status

2. Housing Status

3. Agricultural Worker Status

4. Monthly Income
    

This information is kept confidential and is only reported in aggregate, which means that your personal information is NOT shared with outside agencies.

As an FQHC, Borrego Health also offers discounts for services for low to moderate-income families. The discounts are on a sliding fee scale, based on place of residency, family size, and income. If you're applying for our sliding fee scale discount, please also bring the following:

 

1. Proof of address (current utility bill or rent receipt with preprinted address)

2. Proof of income for the last 30 days, recent tax return, unemployment or homeless information. Other alternative sources of income may be considered 

3. Names and dates of birth of your immediate family members (spouse and children) 

 

Public Programs

 

Borrego Health also provides assistance with application for various public programs that may assist with the cost of your medical care. You may receive assistance from our Care Coordination Specialists (CCS) in applying for these programs. Please call to schedule an appointment for an assessment prior to receiving care.

 

Understanding Our Procedures  

Account Numbers

For your privacy and protection, we will provide you with a Borrego Health I.D. card that will contain your account number and your primary care provider's name. Your account number is the best assurance we have that the records that we are using during your visit are correct.  

 

Please be prepared to provide your account number whenever calling or checking in. If you cannot find your I.D. card, you will be asked for your social security number or date of birth. Never allow another person to use your I.D. card as that could result in a significant medical error.

Prescription Refills       

     
If your medication requires ongoing refills, your doctor will usually prescribe enough refills to last until your next appointment. If you need a refill of your medication, please call your pharmacy for your refills when you have at least 7 days of the medication remaining. It is important not to miss any doses if you are taking medication for a chronic illness.  

 

If you have not been seen in the clinic for over 6 months, your provider may require you to return for another medical visit before issuing another prescription to refill your medications. If necessary, your provider may give you a temporary five to ten day supply while you are waiting for your appointment.     

Lab Services                   

  
We do not have a full medical lab at the clinic. However, we are able to perform certain basic tests and draw/collect samples that are sent to an outside lab for testing. The provider will review the results of the tests and may request that you make an appointment to review the results for a variety of reasons.

 

If no follow-up appointment is indicated based on your test results, we will send you a letter to notify you of your results or a message through MyHealth patient portal. Please make sure we have your correct address and phone number in order to notify you of your results via letter/phone.

Medical Records Request 

You have the right to receive a copy or have a copy, of your medical record sent to another medical care provider. If your provider refers you to a specialist, a copy of your medical record will be sent to the specialist’s office. When transitioning your care from another provider, it is important that Borrego Health receive a copy of your medical information from your prior provider. You may be required to sign an Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Health Information form to authorize the release of your information to our clinic. The Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Health Information form is available at the reception desk or here for the English version, or here for the Spanish version.

Hospital/Emergency Department

There might be instances where you need to go to the Emergency Department (ED) or be hospitalized for a procedure. Please be sure to give them the name of your primary care provider and sign a Medical Records release form in order for them to fax us your ED/Hospital information and for us to be able to coordinate your care after you are released from the ED or hospital. 

Please let us know when making an appointment or as part of your visit if you have recently visited the Emergency Department or were admitted to the hospital.

Referrals    

During the course of your care, your clinician may determine the need to refer you to a specialist, a hospital, a diagnostic facility, a lab or another type of medical facility for other services not provided at the clinic. Borrego Health provides assistance in obtaining authorization from your insurance and coordinating your appointment.  

You should expect the following:

 

1. Routine Referrals: Please allow 1-2 business days for the request to be processed. This is necessary to comply with health plan requirements for prior authorization and to comply with any other plan limitations.  Every effort will be made to schedule your appointment within 30 days of your referral. 

2. Urgent Referrals: Many health plans require prior authorization for urgent referrals. These requests are usually processed within 24 hours. If your PCP determines that the required care must be provided sooner, you may be referred to the emergency room or another medical facility to provide immediate care.

3. Direct Referrals: You may make your appointment at any time. Borrego Health can provide a list of physicians that are known to our physicians and assist our patients. If your insurance plan does not require prior authorization, our Referrals Care Coordinator can help you schedule your appointment while you are in the clinic. If that is not convenient for you, our Referral Department Representative can assist you at a later time either in person or by phone. Please call your clinic directly for more information concerning the status of your referral. 

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Preventative Care

We provide age-appropriate preventative services. These include immunizations, well exams, cancer screening exams, family planning and screening for chronic disease. It is important that you and your children keep your appointments for preventive care visits, to ensure you receive the appropriate screenings. 

Small children receive frequent visits with the pediatrician in the first years of life. Young children and teenagers should see their doctor every year for well-child or adolescent exams.

 Adults should receive a well-exam every one to two years depending on the individual’s health status.

Acute and Chronic Pain Policy

Patients who experience a medical condition that causes acute pain will be treated as determined by the clinician for a short period of time until resolved or a referral to a pain specialist has been scheduled for further evaluation and treatment. No pain medication refills will be processed over the phone, on weekends or through the pharmacy. All pain medication refills require a follow-up visit.

 

Clinical advice during and after office hours

If you need advice during office hours, please call 855.436.1234. A nurse will be able to provide you with clinical advice. You may also submit a message through our MyHealth patient portal. For clinical advice after hours, please call our main line. The after-hours call center staff will be able to provide clinical advice or access a provider if needed.

Appointments and Walk-in Policy

 

 

• We encourage you to schedule appointments for your medical care. This helps the provider to have the time to spend with you and address your medical concerns. We respect your time, and it is our priority to see scheduled patients first, unless an emergency arises. 

• Walk-in patients are welcome but may experience wait times ranging from a few minutes to more than an hour. We accommodate walk-in patients between appointments.

• All patients are asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time to complete, review and update forms. Some forms are available for download here. 

• If you do not have insurance and wish to apply for a medical assistance or sliding fee scale program, please schedule an appointment with our Care Coordinator Specialist (CCS) prior to your appointment. Both appointments may be made by phone at the same time. Please allow at least 30 minutes for your CCS appointment.

Cancellation of Scheduled Appointments

If you cannot make your appointment, you may call us at least 24 hours in advance to let us know. This allows enough time to offer your appointment to another patient. Failure to provide at least 24 hours’ notice counts as a missed appointment.

Missed Appointments

Missed appointments will be documented in your record. If you miss more than three appointments, you may not be able to schedule appointments for a period of time and may only be allowed to be seen as a walk-in patient.
 

Late Arrivals

If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your scheduled appointment you will be given one of the following options:

 

1. Wait for a same-day opening in the schedule if your provider is able to see you. It might be at the end of the morning or afternoon.

2. See another provider if an appointment is available.

3. You may reschedule your appointment.

4. If you have any questions about our cancellation or our no-show and late arrivals policy, you may speak with any of the Customer Service Representatives or clinic staff.

Patient Portal - MyHealth

We have an online patient portal called “MyHealth”. Our online patient portal is a secure way to help you manage your health care and the health care of your minor children. Through “MyHealth” you can do many things from your computer, including:

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• Schedule an appointment with your primary care provider (PCP).

• Update your personal information, such as address, phone number, and marital status.

• View and download your medical history.

• View a clinical summary of your office visit and lab results.

• Review health educational materials.

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You can find more information on Borrego Health's MyHealth Patient Portal here.

 

Please ask one of Customer Service Representatives to assist you with signing up for MyHealth online portal to take advantage of these features.

Patient Satisfaction

It is our goal to provide you with high-quality medical care and excellent customer service at all times. We encourage your feedback, whether it is positive or negative. Specific questions or concerns can be directed to staff at the clinic, or you may also contact our Patient Relations Department:

Borrego Health Patient Relations Department
9325 Sky Park Court, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123 
888.895.9521
patientrelations@borregohealth.org

Comment Box

Do you have an idea or suggestion on how we can improve our services, or would like to give kudos to our staff? Each one of our locations has a comment box in the lobby area. We would love to hear your feedback. Please take a moment to complete a comment card. 

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Thank you!

We know you have many options in healthcare.

We thank you for choosing Borrego Health to meet your healthcare needs.

 

(This is a summary of some of our policies, it is not a complete list, if you have specific questions on our policies, please ask someone from our staff.)