Patient Info

Frequently Asked Questions

What information do I need to make my appointment?
You should have in hand your referral (if your insurance requires one) and a complete description of exactly what service you need from the Neurology Center, i.e., consultation versus testing. Different services require different time slots or different professionals to provide the service. You will be asked the chief complaint or the reason for the visit as well as the name of your referring physician and your insurance information. You will need to provide us demographic information, such as name, address, social security number and a day time phone number where we can call you (or a care-giver) during the day time. If your treatment is related to an automobile accident, you will need to provide the name and address of the PIP carrier, the claim number, the date of accident, and the claims adjustor's name and phone number.

What languages, other than English, are spoken within your practice?
We have physicians that speak the following languages:

Spanish Dr. Seth A.Morgan

Mandarin Dr. Jueyang Wei

Hebrew Dr. Rhanni N.Herzfeld
Dr. David L.Taragin

How long will my first appointment take?
Prior to actually meeting with the physicians, you will be asked to provide a photo ID and insurance card, as well as any referral required by your insurance for the visit. You should plan on arriving 15 minutes ahead of the time you will actually see the doctor to complete paperwork to include a medical history form (including a complete list of your medicines), certain financial forms, and HIPAA paperwork. You may complete the interactive form on-line and print out the form and bring it to your appointment. There is also a follow-up form availabe for completing and printing, so you can bring it to your physician. Insurance rules for payment require the completion of these forms. The consultation visit with the neurologist (if no additional testing is involved) should last 30-60 minutes, on average. This depends on your chief medical complaint, as well as the complexity of your medical history and other factors. The actual length of the visit will vary patient by patient.

What do I need to bring to my first appointment?
You should bring a photo ID, your current insurance membership card, a referral or authorization number (if required for the visit), a current listing of medications, any current or relevant films/scans and their interpretation(s) reports, as well as relevant prior medical/surgical records, if available. If the chief complaint involves cognitive or memory issues, we advise you to be accompanied by a family member or caregiver who can assist the physician with background information on your condition.

What is going to happen during the initial appointment?
The neurologist will review your chief complaint, past medical history, family and social history, current listing of medications and allergies. He/she will give you a physical exam, including a specific neurological exam. At the conclusion of the visit, the physician may request certain lab or other diagnostic tests to identify or rule out certain diagnoses. Initial prescriptions or sample medications may be provided. A follow up visit may be scheduled to review lab and/or test results with you.

What insurance plans do you take?
We participate with Medicare and with most of the major carriers in this area. We do not participate with any Medicaid programs. If you have an HMO which requires a referral to a specialist, it is your responsibility to obtain that referral from your PCP. Please see our listing of participating carriers for more information.

Will you bill my insurance?
Yes, if we participate with your insurance company.

What will I have to pay at my first appointment? What form of payment do you accept?
We collect all co-pays and outstanding deductibles at the time of service. If you have Medicare coverage, but no secondary coverage, we collect the 20% co-insurance at the time of service. We accept cash, checks (no second party checks) and credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.)

What is the education and training of the Neurologists in your practice?
All of our neurologists have medical degrees and they have done specialty training in neurology at some of the top programs in the United States. They have all had a minimum of four years of post-medical school training and many have had extra fellowship training in a neurological sub-specialty. All physicians are either board eligible or board certified in neurology. Biographies and curriculum vitae of each physician are provided. Additionally, bios of the physicians are posted in the waiting rooms of our offices.

Can I have a test on the same day that I have my appointment with the neurologist?
Generally diagnostic testing is scheduled separately from office visits, unless there is an emergency. Most of the diagnostic tests involve the assistance of a technician so same day testing is often difficult to schedule.

What if I have to cancel my appointment?
If you have to cancel or re-schedule an appointment, you should call our main number (301-562-7200) during regular business hours and follow directions to our scheduling department. We have a late cancellation / missed appointment policy, and ask that you give us a minimum 24 hours one business day notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment or you will be responsible for a $50 administrative no-show fee.

Why do you charge no show fees?
Like many other professionals who set aside time by appointment, we charge no-show fees when an appointment slot is lost due to a patient failing to give timely notice to the practice about the need to cancel or reschedule their appointment. Given fair and reasonable advance notice, we can almost always fill the time slot for the physician with someone who needs to be seen. We are here to see patients, try to honor appointment times, and request and appreciate the same courtesy in return.

Do you have a wait-list?
Yes, but being on the wait list will not necessarily guarantee an earlier appointment. When a slot opens up due to a cancellation, we contact patients on the wait list to see if they wish to move up their appointment to the earlier time slot.

With which hospitals are The Neurology Center physicians affiliated?
Please view our list of hospitals covered.

What if I have to speak with my Neurologist after hours or over a weekend/holiday about a medical issue or a prescription refill?
Generally speaking, if this is an emergency, you should go directly to the nearest emergency room for assistance. Routine prescription refills are not completed after hours and requests for controlled substances will absolutely not be filled after hours/weekends or holidays. We have two separate on-call groups serving our practice. One group covers patients from the Providence Hospital and Washington Hospital Center offices and the other group covers patients from the other offices in our group (Chevy Chase, Rockville, Wheaton, Leisureworld and K St). The on-call doctor can be reached through our answering service at 301-294-8335.

What if I have a medical issue or a prescription refill and my Neurologist is out of the office?
During business hours, other physicians in the office cover for those physicians who are out of the office. After hours, an on-call physician is available on an emergency basis.

How do I obtain prescription refills?
We prefer to avoid refilling prescriptions between routine follow up office visits. Please review your medications prior to your scheduled visit to see what needs refilling so you can tell the doctor. He or she then can provide you with adequate refills of any medication to last until your next follow-up visit. It is your obligation to be seen as recommended by your physicians so that your medications can be monitored. The physician may choose to only provide you with a limited quantity of your medication to get to the next office visit. In the event you do need a refill of your medication between visits, you or (preferably) your pharmacy can contact us at 301-562-7200. To avoid errors, please have the following information available if you call: The name of the medication, the pill strength, the dose schedule you follow, and the pharmacy phone number. Without this information, we will not be able to refill your prescription. If you have a mail-order pharmacy, we can mail your written prescription to you if you send a written request and a self addressed stamped envelope, or you can pick up the written prescription at our office. We do NOT phone prescriptions to mail-order pharmacies, but may fax them if the pharmacy has a routine policy of accepting faxed prescriptions. You can also use our on-line prescription refill service.

Why are some patients taken back to the examination area first when I have been waiting longer?
Each physician has a unique schedule based on his/her needs. Our physicians strive to stay on schedule, but there are occasions where unscheduled, medically urgent patients have to be worked in, or earlier patients have been late, which impacts the best intentioned and compulsive physician's schedule.

What tests are done at the Neurology Center offices?
For more information, see our testing and services page.

Where can I find additional information on my particular neurological problem?
Check out the section called About Neurology or review our list of Resources on the Internet.