Policies

Ashe Family Healthcare is owned, operated, and managed by Derek McClure and individuals under his employment or supervision unless otherwise indicated.  

Care or medical services rendered by Ashe Family Healthcare will be provided by or supervised by Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants (NOT physicians), unless otherwise stated as such at the time of your visit. Though Nurse Practitioners may hold doctorate level education, Nurse Practitioners are not physicians.  

Nurse practitioners are holistic, or all-encompassing, in their approach to care of the patient. This is not to be confused with herbal, natural, alternative, allopathic, osteopathic, or other philosophies of care. Nurse Practitioners may or may not include these other methods in the care they choose to provide. 

This office operates on principles of equality and honesty with the influences of professionalism, faith, hope, and compassion. We expect our patients to treat our staff with these same levels of respect and patience. Dishonest, malicious, or malingering behaviors are not tolerated. Belligerent behavior, disruptive behavior, or threats of any kind toward the practice or its employees will be grounds for immediate discharge from our practice and possible legal recourse.

^top  Contact  Link

Currently, Ashe Family Healthcare is not directly associated with any hospital agency. 

Diagnostic testing may be performed in a variety of hospital settings at local and/or non-local facilities. In order to maximize our skills to provide excellent outpatient care, Ashe Family Healthcare has opted to utilize the hospitalist services provided by area medical centers and hospitals in the event patient hospitalization is required. Emergency needs will be directed to the nearest available emergency service provider. It is the policy of some facilities that patients be screened for admission criteria by first being evaluated by their emergency department.

^top  Contact  Link

All patients are subject to random drug and alcohol testing. Patients who receive controlled substance prescriptions from our practice are required to sign a contract with high levels of restrictions and compliance monitoring. Please note this office participates in an initiative to help law enforcement control the growing concern with methamphetamine (METH) and/or illegal trafficking of controlled substances.  

Patients who receive controlled substance medication(s) from our practice understand and agree that legal action, including reporting suspected diversion, misuse, or trafficking, may be reported to appropriate legal authorities as well as notification to all/any prescribing providers identified may occur should the patient be suspected for or found in violation of our policies and/or controlled substance contract agreement.

^top  Contact  Link

Due to the nature of a healthcare environment where the ill and infirm are treated, food and liquids can easily harbor bacteria and other dangerous organisms. No food or drink is allowed in any part of the office or clinical areas beyond the waiting room.

^top  Contact  Link

SMOKING IS PROHIBITED ON THE PREMISES  

Cigarette smoking is an unhealthy and dangerous habit.  

Each individual is responsible for his/her own behaviors.  

It is out of extreme courtesy and respect for others (and their health) that should it be necessary to smoke, one must be GREATER THAN 50 FEET AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE OF THE BUILDING.  

Individuals caught disposing of cigarette butts in our parking area other than in a specified container may be asked to pay a $50.00 fine. Additional littering fines are regulated and enforced by town and county authorities.

^top  Contact  Link

After hour or on-call services are available. Please be respectful of providers, staff, their families, and their much needed personal time outside of their daily duties for work. Utilize communication methods through the office during normal office hours and only use the on-call number during non-office hours.  

DO NOT CONTACT THE PROVIDERS OR STAFF AT HOME OR ON PERSONAL MOBILE DEVICES OR USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ISSUES THAT PERTAIN TO A HEALTH OR MEDICAL CONCERN.  

The on-call service is not to be utilized as a refill request line, appointment line, or to discuss lab results or visit experiences. When calling the on-call line, caller ID that appears as "PRIVATE" may go unanswered and vague messages, such as "call me," will not be returned. On call messages are screened prior to returning the call. 

The on-call line is for URGENT MATTERS AFTER OFFICE HOURS ONLY: For emergencies, please report to your local emergency department or call 9-1-1 

NOTE: Depending on the context of the communication, office encounter fees may be applicable and the patient/patient's insurance my be billed accordingly.  

On-call/after hours phone number: 828-772-6888. However, please contact the office during normal office hours. For emergent concerns, please present to your local emergency department. Calls received to the after hours phone during normal office hours will be deleted automatically.

^top  Contact  Link

Please silence all cell phones when leaving our waiting area. Should a provider enter an exam room whereby you or a person in the exam room with you is using a mobile phone to text or talk, the provider reserves the right to step back out of the room and change the otherwise scheduled appointment into a work-in slot, thereby potentially increasing your wait time within the office.

^top  Contact  Link

For routine test results, please allow up to two weeks for a return phone call from our staff. If that time frame is not suitable, please arrange a follow up appointment to discuss any test results. Tests ordered by outside providers but collected by Ashe Family Healthcare will be forwarded upon receipt of results without review from this office.

^top  Contact  Link

Please bring all medication bottles to each appointment, including any product taken over-the-counter (herbs, vitamins, etc.) as well as any medications prescribed by non-Ashe Family Healthcare providers. 

Effective 1/1/2021, refills will only be honored at the time of the office visit or electronic request only. Phoned-in and faxed-in requests will not be accepted. Electronic refill requests (initiated by your pharmacy) will be approved within 3 business days if the request is a) deemed medically appropriate b) received within a reasonable time frame since your last scheduled appointment c) made while your account is in good financial standing d) made after your complete medication list has been verified as accurate and complete 

Requests for medication refills need to be submitted to your pharmacy who will in-turn will notify us electronically of your request for refills. Again, please allow up to three (3) business days for a response for a refill request. Our office will not contact you after a request has been made unless questions about the request should arise. Check for refill verification at the pharmacy rather than contacting our office. Controlled substance medications due to be refilled require more frequent office visits and is non-negotiable.  

Call-in requests for treatment without an office visit are evaluated case-by-case, but anticipate if it has been over 90 days since your last appointment, you will be asked to come in to be evaluated. Phone in requests for pain management or mental health will not be authorized and will require an appointment for evaluation of the concern.  

Messages or or requests will be addressed within three business days of receipt.

^top  Contact  Link

Patients may request a copy of his or her records at any time. A fee of $5.00 plus $0.25 per page can be assessed. All record releases require a patient (or guardian) and witness signed request. As an alternative, Ashe Family Healthcare offers access to a patient portal that can be viewed at any time, free of charge. With a valid email address, patients may enroll in the patient portal, allowing a patient to access his/her medical record information. 

However, if a patient is discharged or otherwise deactivated from our practice under any circumstance, records (including letter of discharge) will only be released to the patient's new provider.  

Records may be released without signed request as required by law, public health records or for collaborative medical efforts.

^top  Contact  Link

It is the patient's (or patient guardian's) responsibility to ensure current contact information, including phone, mobile phone, email, mailing address, insurance information, etc. prior to the date of his or her next appointment.  

***PLEASE UPDATE YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE REGULARLY*** 

Required demographic information for every visit: 

-Full legal name 

-Mailing address 

-A working phone number (mobile is preferred) 

-Patient date of birth 

-All medical insurance information 

-Patient's social security number.  

Required information for every patient (prior to scheduling an appointment) includes, but is not limited to, completion of the "new patient packet," which reflects all the above demographic information, as well as comprehensive information about medications in use, past medical/surgical history, and emergency contact information.  

We attempt to remind patients via email (requires sign-up), text message, and/or phone about their upcoming appointments. Please be sure your contact information is current. If we call/leave a message about the upcoming appointment, we consider this to be a successful reminder. Patients may also request appointments electronically once enrolled into our system. Speak with a receptionist for details. 

Due to limited space and often quite busy schedule for the providers, time allotted for a patient may vary from 15-60 minutes, depending on the need of the patient or procedures to be performed during that visit. A missed appointment without cancellation can result in taking time away from another patient who would have otherwise benefited from the appointment. With this understanding, we ask that patients maintain awareness of ALL pending appointments with Ashe Family Healthcare.  

Please know that our providers often have the need to adjust their work schedule due to family concerns, educational issues, or even personal illness. We make efforts to reschedule our patients in advance, but there may be times your visit will be shifted to another provider due to an urgent circumstance. If we are able to make adjustments to the schedule in advance, you will be offered the option to reschedule with the same or different provider, possibly even having an opening on the same day as the original appointment. 

See "MISSED APPOINTMENT" tab under "POLICIES" for important information and fees associated with NO SHOW or SAME DAY CANCELLATION as related to provider visits.

^top  Contact  Link

Please note, effective 1/2/2021 our NO SHOW or SAME DAY CANCELLATION policy has changed.  

If you are unable to make your appointment time, kindly contact our office at least 24 hours in advance. Failure to appear for an appointment or make effort of cancel at least 24 hours in advance will result in a missed appointment status ("NO SHOW").  

For this (NO SHOW or SAME DAY CANCELLATION) a $30.00 reschedule fee is applied to your account and must be paid prior to being eligible to reschedule, request refills, or have access to any of the services provided by our facility. 

After three TOTAL missed appointments, the practice reserves the right to discharge the patient from the practice. Three consecutively missed appointments will be considered grounds for immediate dismissal from the practice.  

Leaving after having been triaged by our nurse or medical assistant but prior to consultation with the provider will result in forfeiture of co-payment or any monies paid for that visit.

^top  Contact  Link

In the event of inclement weather, please call the office prior to your departure to your appointment. In the case of severe weather, we typically will open on a one or two hour delay. We will make attempts to adjust the message on our answering machine, as well as update our website and on our social media page during days we close due to inclement weather or for a holiday.  

In the event of complete office closure, such as during staff education days, holidays, or inclement weather, patients with matters needing to be addressed urgently that cannot wait until we reopen, we encourage our patients to visit the Mountain Family Care Center in front of Ashe Memorial Hospital  

Missed appointments during inclement weather are noted within the chart and typically do not apply to our missed appointment policy described above.

^top  Contact  Link

Our providers strive to provide excellent care. If you feel you need additional time at your appointment, please request an extended visit at the time of scheduling the appointment.  

Standard visits are 20-30 minutes including time to be prepped before the provider enters the room. Extended visits are 45-60 minutes. Patients who utilize the provider's time beyond the allotted time for the appointment create delays for the next patient to be seen.  

Please be respectful of the provider's time as well as the patient who is waiting to be seen after you. Multiple concerns may or will need to be addressed in separate appointments to avoid scheduling delays. Emergencies and case sensitive issues often create delays during the work day, so please be patient as we help those in crisis first.  

The order of priority is as follows: emergencies, appointments, and then work-in visits. Please note that emergencies occur daily and disruption to our schedule is possible. Please have patience with our staff and providers. 

In order to ensure time with the provider is maximized, PLEASE ARRIVE 15 minutes early for your appointment, 30 minutes early for CDL and Wellness Exams

^top  Contact  Link

Copayments or prior balances are expected to be paid in full at the time of the visit. Special arrangements can be made with our Accounts Manager in advance upon patient request. Billing services may appear as "Derek McClure," "Ashe Family Healthcare," "Dr. Daniel Strickland" (our collaborating physician), "West Jefferson Medical Associates," or the name of any provider under the employment of Ashe Family Healthcare. Questions regarding billing directly from our office need to be directed to our Accounts Manager who can be accessed by calling our main office number. Bills received by the patient that come from other companies that may be used by Ashe Family Healthcare, such as LabCorp, Ashe Memorial Hospital, Atherotec, etc., need to be directed to the originating company, not Ashe Family Healthcare. It is the patient's responsibility to ensure we have the most current insurance information. Balances over 90 days must be paid in full before future appointments can be authorized. 

Self-pay patients, or patients without insurance, please note we require the minimum office fee to be paid prior to seeing the provider. Any additional charges accumulated during your visit or as a result of the visit will be collected at time of check out. Ask about our different payment options. 

If you are unable to make minimum payments or cover the cost of an office visit or procedure, notify the staff as this office utilizes "a hand up" approach to help satisfy debts rather than "a hand out." We believe in the ability to exchange services that are mutually beneficial to the practice or the community for the services rendered through Ashe Family Healthcare. For example, an individual who is unable to pay a balance offers the exchange of pressure washing the parking lot. The work provided by the patient is deducted from any balance at a fair rate. Please speak with the providers if you need additional information about this unique option.

^top  Contact  Link

Pharmaceutical or Sales Representatives, Adjunct Clinical Personnel, Ancillary Support Companies, Laboratory and diagnostic facilities, Non-AFH employee supervisors, professional guests, non-patient/non-AFH employees 

Please read the attached memo (PDF) regarding our policy for access to either campus location

^top  Contact  Link