Gastroenterology Clinic of San Antonio

Our clinic was established in 1970 and is one of the oldest and best established medical group practices in San Antonio. Our clinic is independently owned and operated by the eight physicians in our group. Our mission is to provide leading edge subspecialty care to patients with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas and gallbladder with compassion and sensitivity in a friendly, family oriented environment. Our vision is a family oriented environment that works hand in hand to provide the best quality of healthcare for our patients and their loved ones.

GCSA has been recognized through national award and publications. GCSA physicians lecture at national meetings, receive national and local teaching awards, and are inventors of new endoscopic surgical techniques as alternatives to traditional surgery. The Gastroenteroly Clinic of San Antonio has established itself as the leader in gastrointestinal research in South Texas.

APPOINTMENTS

We see patients on Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM by appointment only. New patient visits may take up to 2 hours, allowing time for checking in, collecting insurance information, seeing the doctor, scheduling tests, getting blood tests arranged, and setting your bill. Follow up visits usually take 30 minutes but may be longer if tests need to be scheduled.

We try our best to stay on time as we know your time is valuable. Emergencies sometimes detain us at the hospital. We will try to inform you of delays as soon as we can. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. This courtesy allows another patient to be seen more conveniently.

Appointments can be made by calling our office during regular office hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT

During your first visit, we must have appropriate medical, insurance, and demographic information. You may need to obtain authorization from your primary care physician or insurance carrier prior to your appointment. Many new patients are sent by other doctors for consultation. Feel free to contact our office for help on obtaining your medical records from other physicians, clinics, or hospitals. Please do the following….

– Complete medical information forms before your visit

– Bring a list of your medications

– Bring your insurance card

– Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment so we can complete and confirm the necessary information

– Bring all pertinent previous studies and other medical records.

EMERGENCY CARE

If you have an urgent problem, please call your primary care physician, if that is required by your insurance. Otherwise, call our office at 615-8308. After hours and on weekends, the call will be forwarded to our answering service which will contact the physician on call for our group.

In a true emergency, go directly to a hospital emergency room. The ER physician can begin your evaluation and will contact us for advice or further care. We use the emergency rooms at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital, all located in the Medical Center area.

TELEPHONE CALLS

You can call us anytime during office hours for questions regarding your condition, medications or treatment. Please let our staff know what you need or what your problem is. If our staff cannot answer your question, or you need to speak to the doctor, leave your name, phone number, and approximate time you wish to be called. We return calls as we have time, but usually late in the day. If you are calling about a new problem, we will probably ask you to come in for an office visit and be evaluated by the physician.

PRESCRIPTION RENEWALS

Please call your pharmacist for renewals. The pharmacist will contact our office for prescription renewals. Please arrange for these refills during regular office hours. We do not service renewals after hours or on weekend.

BILLING AND INSURANCE

We expect payment for our services at the time of your visit. Payment of your co-pay and payment to meet your deductible is expected. We accept cash, checks, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. We do accept Medicare assignment. However, you are responsible by law, for the 20% difference between Medicare allowable and the Medicare reimbursement. We will file your insurance for you at no added cost. For this convenience, we ask that you provide us with insurance updates at each visit.

The balance not paid by your insurance will be your responsibility to us. If you have questions about your bill or need to establish a payment plan, contact our billing office directly at 615-1212.

ENDOSCOPY

As Board Certified Gastroenterologists, we perform endoscopic evaluations in one of our two convenient outpatient endoscopy facilities and in a few selected hospital endoscopy labs. You will most likely be an outpatient for these examinations. The hospitals will bill you and your insurance carrier separately for their services. We will provide detailed instructions regarding your procedure when it is scheduled. The majority of these procedures are performed upstairs from Gastroenterology Clinic at the San Antonio Endoscopy Center (SAEC) at 8550 Datapoint, Suite 100, and at the Alamo Heights Surgical Center. Procedures are also performed in Fredericksburg and at Methodist Hospital.

RESEARCH

Conducted for illnesses not responding to conventional techniques. Research is also beneficial to patients who cannot afford care. All GERSA studies are free regardless of insurance coverage status. Additionally, patients may be compensated for travel expenses.