1. If you want to be seen TODAY:

a. Call the office at (563) 557-9111 and tell the switchboard that you are a patient at Dubuque Internal Medicine, you have a medical problem and you want to be seen by a physician today.

b. Every effort will be made for you to see your usual physician. However, because of schedules and emergencies, this is not always possible. For this reason, one of the physicians at Dubuque Internal Medicine is always "on-call" so that he or she can see patients with urgent medical problems.

c. A receptionist will give you the next available opening in the physician's schedule. If this appointment time is not satisfactory or you are uncertain about whether or not you should wait for the appointment, you should ask to talk to a nurse. After listening to your symptoms and consulting with our physicians (when necessary), you may be advised to do one of the following: go to the hospital emergency room, wait for your scheduled appointment time or try something at home without coming into the office to see the doctor.

2. If you want to be seen sometime in the future but cannot wait until your physician's first available opening in the schedule, ask to talk to your physician's nurse to discuss the nature of your problem. If we cannot work you into your physician's schedule, you may be asked to see a different physician who can accommodate your needs.

3. If you want medical advice but do not want to be seen by a physician, call (563) 557-9111 and you will be referred to a nurse (either to your physician's nurse or to another nurse in our office). The nurse will review your problem and give you advice or consult with a physician. If your question cannot be answered immediately, we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. If you anticipate being at a location with a different phone number, please let us know so we can reach you. Depending on your symptoms and the best judgment of our health care team, you may be asked to either come to the office or go to the hospital emergency room.

5. If a circumstance arises where you are unable to keep your appointment, please call us at (563) 589-4848 as soon as you can.

* When making an appointment, schedule it as far in advance as possible and specify the nature of your problem so we can schedule an appropriate amount of time for your visit.

* Bring the following items with you on your visit:                              - any MEDICATIONS you are taking. (It is a good habit to bring your medications, including nonprescription medicines, on every visit to your doctor.)                                                                              - Your insurance and/or Medicare or Medicaid ID cards.

* Please advise Patient Registration (located in the main lobby) of any changes in your address, telephone number, insurance coverage, marital status, etc., that might have occurred since your last visit. Also, when your visit is for a job-related illness or injury (workers' compensation), please notify Patient Registration EVERY time you come for such a visit.

* If your physician recommends any follow-up tests or examinations, please schedule these tests with the receptionist before you leave our office.

* If you have any diagnostic tests (blood work, x-rays, mammography, Pap smear) during your office visit, you will be informed of the results. If you have not been notified of the test results within three weeks of your office visit, please call Dubuque Internal Medicine.

Switching physicians  

On rare occasions and for a variety of reasons, a patient may desire to switch to another health care provider within Dubuque Internal Medicine. We understand that situations arise that warrant switching physicians and we want to make such a transition as easy as possible for you.  You can call the office at 563-557-9111 to switch physicians.  Some physicians at Dubuque Internal Medicine have longer waiting times until their next available opening for a new patient.  Also, specialists at Dubuque Internal Medicine usually require a referral from another health care provider before you can schedule an appointment with these physicians.  We will do our best to accommodate your request for a new physician.  You need to remember that our doctors cover for each other on nights, weekends and during vacations so if you switch to a new physician, there is a possibility of being seen by your former physician.  Our physicians understand the rationale for choosing a different physician and your care will not be compromised in any way because you switched to a different physician.  If you are still concerned about switching physicians, please call our office at 563-557-9111.  

Non-emergency problems after the office is closed.

We realize that non-emergency medical problems may occur when our office is closed.  If the problem can wait until our normal office hours (see top of this page), you can choose to wait.  If you do not think your problem can wait, Dubuque Internal Medicine does not currently offer an "urgent care center ".  Instead, you may want to go to the:

Convenient Care located at The Finley Hospital (hours are 4 PM-10 PM Monday through Friday and 10AM-10PM on Saturday and Sunday).

Convenient Care is considered an "urgent care center".  If your non-emergency medical problem needs evaluation outside of these hours, you may need to present yourself to the nearest emergency room.  Generally, an evaluation at an emergency room is more costly and your co-pay or co-insurance is likely to be more money.  If your at not sure what to do, you can contact our physician on call at 563-557-9111.  This call will be answered by our answering service and they will have the on call physician contact you.