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Welcome to Capital Healthcare Associates
Welcome to Capital Healthcare Associates (CHA) and to Community Care's network of physicians. We are privileged that you have selected us to care for you.
This website gives you information about our practice and about Community Care. Please contact us if you have additional questions.
My associates and I are here to serve you- competently, comfortably, and compassionately.
Please consider us your partners in achieving and maintaining that most precious possession—your good health!
Sincerely,
Ronald V. Musto, MD, MPH, CIME
Executive Vice President
Community Care Physicians, P.C.
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Listen to these Healthy Minutes as heard on WRVE The River and 98.3 WTRY:
High Blood Pressure
Does she or doesn’t she? Have hypertension, that is. Hypertension is high blood pressure. More than a third of Americans have hypertension and the only way to know if you’ve got it — is to measure it. Continue reading...
Don’t Get Bugged by Bites
It’s spring. The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing – and the bugs are biting! This is Dr. Ron Musto with Capital Health Care Associates of Community Care Physicians, here to warn you that bug bites are more than a nuisance.
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Services
Primary Care Adult Medicine
We provide preventive health care and we diagnose and treat medical problems in adults (age 18 and older). We recommend and arrange diagnostic tests and consultation with subspecialty physicians when needed, and we help integrate your medical care so that you understand what care you need, why you need it, how the care is provided, and what options for care are available to you.
Geriatric Health Care
People are living longer now than they were even 10 years ago. As people age, they often develop health problems that require special attention. Our providers have extensive experience in evaluating and treating older individuals. Our experience includes management of acute and chronic health problems through our office, in the hospital, in adult and skilled nursing facilities, and in rehabilitation centers.
Occupational Health Care
Businesses have special needs with regard to the health and safety of their most valuable resource – their employees. For over 20 years we have provided a wide array of health services tailored to meet the needs of businesses both small and large.
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Insurance
We accept most major insurances including Medicare. Visit our insurance page for a list of insurers with whom we currently participate. We welcome new patients.
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Referrals
Your primary care provider may recommend that you be evaluated and treated by subspecialty physicians if your medical condition warrants.
We will give you a choice of consultants whose services we think are most appropriate. We are happy to respect your preferences.
Our office will provide notifications to, or request authorization from your health insurer if these are required.
We will provide the consultant with your relevant medical history so that the consultant is informed.
We are not permitted to “back-date” referrals that are requested after the consultation has already occurred.
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Office Hours
Office Hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM, and Monday evenings until 6:30 PM.
After Hours, our Urgent Care Center at Capital Region Health Park is open from 5:00 PM until 11:00 PM weekdays, and from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM weekends and holidays.
A physician is on-call at all times for emergencies.
Peak Hours
Our maximum telephone traffic occurs between 8 AM and 10 AM. If your call is not urgent, we suggest you call after 10 AM. Otherwise, we will handle your call in the order in which we receive it.
Call Backs
The physician will return your phone call when his or her immediate patient responsibilities permit. This may be at the end of the morning or afternoon patient session. We will try to provide you with information about when you may expect to receive a call back.
Please provide our office with telephone numbers at which you can be reliably reached during the call back time period. It is a good idea to leave an alternate number. If you have caller ID, you need to disable it for the physician to call you back.
If your problem is urgent, please tell the operator, and the operator will connect you with a nurse. In general, if you are ill, the physicians prefer that you be seen and evaluated to receive the best care. We will usually offer you an appointment on the day that you call.
If you believe that you are seriously ill or injured, go to the emergency room or call 911. You should notify our office afterward.
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Prescriptions
Prescription medications can be an important part of your plan of care. To use your medications safely and effectively, follow a few simple suggestions.
Pill Bottles
Please bring all your pill bottles with you to EACH appointment so that we can verify the names and doses of your drugs, their expiration dates and number of refills available. Keep all medications in accurately labeled bottles or containers.
Formularies
If your drug plan sent you a list of allowable drugs (a “formulary”) please bring it to each office visit.
Refills
We want to refill at your office visit any prescriptions that will expire before your next scheduled visit. (Bringing your pill bottles helps us to determine which medications need refills).
If you must call the office to refill a prescription that expired between visits, you must call during normal business hours, and you must allow 48 hours for the physician to review your medical record and provide the prescription.
Depending on your drug plan and the drug, your prescription may be faxed directly to the pharmacy, or you may need to pick-up the prescription at the office.
Controlled Substances
Controlled substances (narcotics, sedatives, stimulants and the like) require special handling. Refills are limited, and in some cases are not permitted by law.
All prescriptions for controlled substances must be picked up in person at our office by the person for whom they are prescribed, or by their designated health care proxy.
Community Care physicians are not permitted to provide prescriptions for controlled substances by telephone when they are on-call.
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Appointments
We strive to provide you with the medical care that you need, when you need it, as comfortably and as conveniently as possible.
Making an appointment
To make an appointment, simply call our office during normal business hours. The number is 274-9126.
Coming Prepared
A little preparation will help us to serve you better. Bring to your appointment your health insurance identification card and your pharmacy plan insurance card. Bring also a form of picture identification, like a driver’s license.
If you are taking medications, either prescription or non-prescription, bring your pill bottles to our office.
If this is your first visit to our office, complete the "Patient Registration Form" and "New Patient Medical History Form" and mail them back 5 days before your scheduled appointment. If your appointment is scheduled in fewer than five days either fax the forms to our secure fax (274-9487) or bring them with you to your appointment.
Come to the office about 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment so that we can update your personal information in plenty of time.
Please check-in at the reception desk as soon as you arrive.
Waiting times
The medical provider makes every effort to see you on time. This is usually within 15 minutes of your appointment time.
Occasionally your provider may be delayed. If so, it is because the health condition of other patients has required more time than your provider anticipated.
Providers will afford each patient the time that is needed to attend to the health problems at hand. You will be provided the same service.
Please be patient if the provider is delayed. If the provider is occupied with a serious health emergency, you will be given the options to wait for the provider, to see an alternate provider, or to reschedule the visit.
If you have not been called from the waiting area within 15 minutes after your scheduled appointment, please return to the reception desk.
Primary Care Physician
You select your primary care physician. Your primary care physician provides your regularly scheduled medical care and will also provide care for illnesses or injuries that arise between scheduled visits, wherever possible.
All of our health care providers – physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners – are trained and certified in the diagnosis and treatment of medical problems.
If you are ill, and your primary care physician is not available, another medical provider will evaluate and treat you. If the problem requires further care, you will be given an appointment to follow up with your primary care physician. Your complete medical record is available to each provider within Community Care Physicians, so all are informed with the information they need to care for you.
Cancellation
If you must cancel an appointment, we ask that you do so within a day of the appointment. We are happy to reschedule your appointment.
We call every patient the day before their appointment to verify that they will attend.
We do charge a fee for patients who miss their appointment and who have not called to cancel.
Co Payments
Payment is expected at the time of service.
If your insurance requires that you pay a co-payment, they require us to collect it. For your convenience we accept cash, checks and most major credit cards. If we must bill you for the co-payment, an additional processing fee is charged.
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Hospitalization
Admitting Privileges
CHA physicians maintain admitting privileges at Samaritan Hospital in Troy. If you are admitted to a hospital other than Samaritan, CHA physicians are not authorized to provide care there, but we can help to arrange care from other physicians, and we can provide them with information about your medical history.
Hospital Rounds
If you need to be admitted on an emergency basis to Samaritan Hospital, you will be evaluated and treated by the physician on-call. The CHA physicians rotate “on call” duty so that there is always a physician available to care for you, should you need to be admitted to Samaritan Hospital.
In order to provide continuity of care for hospitalized patients, each of our CHA physicians is assigned to certain areas of the hospital. If you are hospitalized, you will be seen every day by the CHA physician who is assigned to your area (although this may not be your usual primary care physician).
Rest assured that your usual primary physician knows about your admission, and is kept informed about your medical status.
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Confidentiality
The integrity and the privacy or your personal health information is of utmost importance.
Privacy Policy
Your personal health information is strictly confidential and will not be divulged to ANYONE without your written permission except to other physicians involved in your care, to your insurer for billing and quality assurance, or by court order.
When you arrive for your appointment, you will be provided with a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices. You will be asked to sign an acknowledgment that you received it for our records.
If you would like to see a copy of our full Privacy Policy, click this link:
Community Care Physicians, P.C. official Notice of Privacy Practices
Electronic Medical Records
Community Care Physicians utilizes an integrated electronic medical record that meets or exceeds all government standards for protecting the integrity of your personal health information.
The electronic medical record allows Community Care Providers immediate access to medical information (including laboratory and imaging tests) that is generated by any Community Care provider, laboratory or imaging center.
Advanced Directives
It is prudent to designate a trusted person to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated and unable to decide for yourself. This individual is called a “Health Care Proxy”. If you have particular instructions with regard to the type of treatment you wish (or do not wish) under certain circumstances, you should inform your Health Care Proxy and you may state your wishes on the form.
Forms for the designation of a Health Care Proxy are produced by New York State, and may be obtained from our office.
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