"Family medicine is a medical specialty.  Our physicians are certified through the American Board of Family Practice."

There is a strong emphasis in family medicine on promoting health and preventing disease, and our physicians here at University Family Medicine are well prepared to provide complete health care to patients of all ages.

The knowledge of individual, family, and community resources optimizes health care.  The family physician's care for the patient must include the entire continuum of intervention: health improvement, disease prevention, health maintenance, risk assessment, early detection, management, curative therapy, and rehabilitation.  The secure family physician does not hesitate to seek consultation to solve or manage problems when necessary for the patient's benefit. Efficient utilization of the entire health-care team is a necessary skill of the family physician.

University Family Medicine Center

Every member of your family can come to University Family Medicine for health care.  We can provide you and your family with continuing, comprehensive care during all the phases of your lives - from infant/childhood, through adolescence, to adult life and the changes it brings, such as acute injuries, illness or pregnancy.

The University Family Medicine health care team of professionals include nurses, a psychologist, and physicians. Our physicians are specialists in Family Medicine as well as Resident Physicians who are qualified doctors specializing in Family Medicine.

A Guide to Services

• Comprehensive care for the entire family
• Emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion
• Child, adolescent and adult health care
• Routine well-baby and well child care
• Geriatric care
• Minor surgery and other procedures performed in our office including screening for abnormal PAP smears and colon cancer
• Health care for women, including obstetrical and prenatal care
• The support of MUSC and Trident Health Care specialists and services as needed

Office Hours

Monday through Friday
8:00am - 12 noon
1:00pm - 5:00pm

Location

9228 Medical Plaza Drive
North Charleston, South Carolina
See our map.

Parking

Ample free parking for our patients is located in the front of the office building.

Making an Appointment

For new patients, please call MUSC Health Connection at 1-800-424-MUSC or locally at 843-792-1414.  Established patients, please call (843) 876-2626 to make an appointment. You may also schedule an appointment on-line through our Online Appointment Request Form.

For urgent, same-day appointments, please call as early in the day as possible so that we may accommodate you. You may also simply come in to use our Same Day Service.

Please arrive 15-20 minutes before your scheduled appointment to allow time to register you before you see your doctor.

After your first visit, you will have a family physician and a patient care team.  If your physician is not in clinic the day you wish to be seen, you will be scheduled with another physician on the same patient care team.

If you see that you will be unable to keep your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so that your time can be scheduled for another patient.

Same Day Visits:

Patients who arrive at the office without an appointment seeking medical care may be seen on a first come, first served basis by one of our providers. We will always try and be available to see you, but during certain times we may have to give patients with medical emergencies priority and ask that you wait or reschedule for a later time. Walk-in patients not requiring emergency service who arrive after 11:00 am will be seen by a provider during the afternoon session from 1:00-5:00 pm; those arriving after 4:00 pm not requiring emergency service may be asked to return to the office the following day or to schedule an appointment for a convenient time.

A doctor is available for medical emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  This does not mean that a doctor is at University Family Medicine after hours, but that one can be reached in case of an emergency.

For after hours emergency care, call our office at (843) 876-2626.  Listen carefully; you will be offered several selections from our answering service.  If you choose to be connected to the physician, you will be forwarded to the MUSC operator. Please give the operator your name and let them know you need to speak with the University Family Medicine doctor on call.  The physician will then return your call.

If the emergency is life threatening, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 for emergency transport.  Give emergency personnel the name of your doctor, or let them know you are a patient of University Family Medicine. Our doctors see patients for emergencies at MUSC and Trident Hospital Emergency Rooms.

Hospital Care

If hospitalization is necessary, our patients are cared for by the University Family Medicine in-patient team or referred to the appropriate medical specialists.  Our physicians admit patients to Trident Hospital and MUSC Hospital.

Telephone Messages

You may wish to call us at (843) 876-2626 with any questions you have about your health or the health of one of your family members.  Our nurses are able to answer most of your questions.  If your question requires a doctor's opinion, the nurse will contact your doctor and return your call.  If your call is about a confidential matter, or you need to speak directly with a physician, the nurse will arrange for a physician to return your call.

Available Services

These additional services are also offered at our Trident Hospital medical complex:

    *  Blood Drawing and Laboratory Services
    *  Consultation with a nurse patient educator
    *  Psychological and Substance Abuse counseling

Fees and Insurance

Your insurance will be billed for your services. If there is a co-pay due or you do not have insurance, payment for services is expected at the time services are rendered and may be made in cash, by check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express.

Each insurance policy is different and reflects a contract between you and your insurance company.  Some companies pay a fixed amount for a given service, and others pay a percentage of the charge. Please check your policy or call your insurance company to determine how your policy will pay.  It is your responsibility to be familiar with your insurance policy and to pay the balance of any deductible or for services not paid for by your insurance company or any co-pay amounts.