Lubbock Digestive Disease Associates
Contents

Our Web Pages
Home
LDDA
SPEC

Patient Resources

Diets


Physicians
W.C. Williams
Ted L. Phipps
Kelly P. Kensing
Steven C. Block
Boyd Fenton
Usha Ganga
Miled Jabor

Links
American College of
Gastroenterology

American College of
Physicians

American
Gastroenterological
Association

American Medical
Association

American Society of
Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy

Texas Medical
Association

Texas Society for
Gastroenterology and
Endoscopy

South Plains Endoscopy Center (SPEC) is a freestanding, fully JCAHO accredited endoscopy center that is physician owned and supervised. It is Medicare approved and state licensed. Licensed personnel assist your physician in performing any procedure.

OFFICE HOURS
     Regular procedure hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.

PROCEDURE APPOINTMENTS
     Of necessity, we must work by appointment. Procedure appointments are seen at our SPEC location and will be made at the time of your LDDA office visit.
     Every effort is made to keep to SPEC's procedure schedule. However, some procedures may take longer than anticipated. We ask your patience if you have to wait; we know your time is valuable. If we are seriously delayed, we will try to notify you beforehand. Please assist us by being on time for your procedure.

CANCELLATION OF APPOINTMENTS
     If you cannot keep an appointment, please try to inform us as soon as possible. This courtesy makes it possible to give the time to another patient. To cancel your procedure at SPEC, please call (806) 797-1015.

EMERGENCY CARE
     If you have an urgent problem, please call Lubbock Digestive Disease Associates (LDDA) for instructions (806) 793-3141, Option 0. You may be instructed to come to the office or go to the Emergency Room. If you have an urgent problem after hours, you may call the office number (806) 793-3141, Option 6. The answering service will take your number, locate your doctor or the doctor on call, and he/she will return your call as soon as possible. One of our 8 physicians is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
     In a true emergency, it is best to go to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital where the physician on duty will begin treatment and call your doctor.

ENDOSCOPY
     Examination of the GI tract is often best done by a procedure called endoscopy (examination of the upper GI tract), or colonoscopy (examination of the lower GI tract). If your physician feels that an endoscopy or colonoscopy is necessary to aid in the diagnosis or treatment of your condition, the procedure will be explained fully to you, outlining the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives at the time of your LDDA office visit. Brochures explaining these and other procedures are also available to you at LDDA. We usually recommend that you view an educational videotape after your doctor visit regarding your procedure, which will provide further information.
     On the day of the procedure, we will ask you to sign a consent form, which outlines the risks and benefits of the procedure. If your test requires sedation, it is important for you to have a relative or friend come with you in order to drive you home after the procedure. Our policy is no sedation for a procedure will be administered unless the patient has made arrangements for someone to drive he/she home. If arrangements have not been made, you will be asked to reschedule your procedure. After your test, the doctor will discuss the findings with you. Usually, you will be asked to return for a follow-up appointment to review the findings and any biopsies which were taken, and to discuss the plan of treatment in more detail.

FEES
     If you have a procedure performed at SPEC, you will receive two separate charges. One will be from LDDA (Drs. Williams, Phipps, Kensing, Block, Fenton, Ganga, or Jabor) for their professional fee; the other charge will be from SPEC for the use of the facility (room charge, medication, equipment usage, nursing care, etc.). In general, the fees charged at SPEC are comparable with those charged by other ambulatory surgery centers in this area. These fees are available by telephone request. Please do not hesitate to discuss our fees if you have any questions.

INSURANCE
     SPEC physicians accept assignment on Medicare patients. The individual is responsible for co-payments and deductibles. We also participate in a number of managed care contracts. Please inform the admitting clerk if you are covered by one of these programs. For your convenience and ours, please have your insurance card ready at the time of your visit.
     We will file your insurance claims for inpatient services and procedures. As an added courtesy, we will also file your secondary or supplemental insurance claims. In addition, a deposit may be required before the procedure.

PATIENT INFORMATION
     Medical records are maintained in a confidential manner. Information regarding your diagnosis, medications, test results, and other necessary items will be made available to your referring physician. Worker's compensation, insurance, disability, rehabilitation, and others can obtain information only with a signed release from the patient. Hospital records and records from other physicians or labs may be helpful to your SPEC physician. You may be asked to sign a release so that we may obtain these records.

TELEPHONE CALLS
     The doctor-patient relationship is a private one. For this reason, we do not provide information to others about our patients without their prior consent. We receive a large number of calls everyday and it is impossible for the doctor to personally talk to each patient. If you have questions regarding fees or billing, your call will be directed accordingly. If you have questions regarding your medical problems, your call will be directed to a nurse who will speak with you or return your call as soon as possible.
     Calls regarding medications or refills should be made to LDDA during regular office hours so that your chart may be reviewed. Please have the name, dosage, and schedule of your medication, as well as the pharmacy telephone number on hand when you call. The LDDA staff will do their best to provide your prescription or refill in a timely manner.

OUR LOCATION
     Our office is located in a free standing handicap accessible building on the corner of 24th and Louisville. Free, convenient parking is available.