Internal Medicine
Providers in the Adult Internal Medicine practice are Dr. Jose Abrego, Dr. Nancy Adams, Dr. Ronald Distajo, Dr. Xue Jun ( June) Kong, Dr. Cindy Levine, Dr. Elena Volozhanina and Nurse Practitioner, Tiffany Ting. All of our physicians are board certified in internal medicine. They are all members of the faculty of Harvard Medical School and all maintain admitting privileges at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Hours of Operation
Our regular operating hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and to schedule an appointment please call (617) 660-6700.
After Hours
A physician is on call for emergencies at all times. The doctor on call can be reached by calling the practice phone number and the answering service will page him/her.
Prescriptions
Your prescriptions can be refilled by calling your pharmacy or by contacting our office and leaving a message on our prescription line. Please allow 2-3 business days. In many cases, we can email prescriptions directly to your pharmacy.
Appointments
Once you have scheduled an appointment, we ask that you arrive 10- 15 minutes (30 minutes if you are a new patient) in advance of your appointment time. This will allow time to complete any necessary paperwork and have staff prepare you for your visit. Our goal is to have you ready to see your physician at your scheduled appointment time. If we are running late, our staff will advise you regarding when you can expect to be seen.
At the time of each appointment, please bring your health insurance card and your co-payment, if your insurance requires one, and a list of any prescriptions that you need refilled. For your first appointment bring a list of all medications that you are taking, and old medical records, if available. Our staff can provide you with a medical record transfer form to send to your former physician. Transfer of records typically takes up to six weeks.
Urgent Visits
We try to see every patient who needs an evaluation within 24-48 hours. Please call in advance to schedule an appointment. You will be seen by a primary care physician or our nurse practitioner.
Lab Results
Your physician will inform you of your lab results by letter, usually within four weeks. You will be contacted by phone if the test results warrant immediate action.
Insurance
Our office accepts most types of insurance, managed care plans, indemnity plans, as well as Medicare. We ask that you familiarize yourself with your health insurance policy, especially regarding referrals to specialists, emergency care and preventive care. Although many insurance plans cover preventive medical care, most indemnity (non-managed care) insurance plans, including Medicare, do not cover preventive visits, i.e., “a routine physical exam.” If you request preventive care, and your insurance plan does not cover this service, you will be responsible for payment for the visit.
Referrals
When your primary care physician determines that you need to see a specialist, you will be referred to a Beth Israel Deaconess specialist. Many specialists and services are available at the Chelsea facility, but on occasion you may need to see a doctor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Shuttle service to the hospital from the Chelsea facility is available several times throughout the day, on weekdays. We strongly recommend that you become familiar with the details of your health insurance regarding what is and is not covered in regards to specialist referrals. When you have scheduled an appointment with a specialist you must notify our referral coordinator. Call the practice phone number and follow the prompts for the referral line. Please allow at least 3-5 business days for your referral to be processed.
Billing Questions
If you have a question about a bill that you receive from us, please call the billing department directly at the number that is printed on the bill.
Hospitalists
We refer our patients requiring hospitalization to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. If an admission is necessary our patients are cared for by highly skilled specialists called hospitalists.
PatientSite
All of our physicians participate in PatientSite, a secure, user friendly, personalized messaging system that allows you to communicate with your physician via the Internet.
If you have questions or if we can provide any additional information about our practice please do not hesitate to call our office at 617-660-6700 and we will be happy to help you. We are striving to provide you with excellent and efficient medical care.
