F.A.Q.
Welcome to Burlington Medical Associates!
For over twenty years Burlington Medical Associates has been providing quality healthcare to our residents. Working with the latest in diagnostics, technology, and research, our primary care and specialty teams include dedicated physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed social workers, dieticians, and clinical and administrative support staff.
Burlington Medical Associates provides a comprehensive range of adult primary, specialty, and preventive healthcare services, and 24-hour physician coverage. When it comes to your health, we believe the best decisions - and the best results - begin with a good doctor/patient relationship. Quality healthcare starts with your own personal physician who will coordinate all of your healthcare needs.
Burlington Medical Associates is a member of Partners Community Healthcare, Inc. (PCHI), a unique network of over 1,000 internists, pediatricians and family practice physicians and over 3,500 specialists who provide care to more than 1.5 million patients. PCHI is part of the Partners HealthCare System, Inc., a network of physicians and hospitals founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Burlington Medical Associates is also affiliated with Winchester Hospital, voted as one of the top 100 community hospitals in America. Winchester Hospital and Partners give you, and us, access to the expertise available at these world-class hospitals when and if you need it. Burlington Medical Associates accepts most major insurances, including HMO Blue, Tufts, Tufts Health Plan Medicare Preferred, Medicaid, Medicare, HPHC and many others.
In recent years, we have invested heavily in technology, including the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). The EMR has revolutionized the way we practice medicine, by ensuring that all your clinical information is captured, stored, and available to your care team any time, any place.
If you are a current patient, we thank you for entrusting Burlington Medical Associates as your source of healthcare services. If you are exploring your medical care options, we invite you to learn more about Burlington Medical Associates today. We are always available to provide whatever help we can to help you make an informed choice for medical care.
Patient Gateway - Contact Us by the Web
Burlington Medical Associates is pleased to offer you this exciting web based message service to communicate with your doctor!
To send a confidential message to Burlington Medical Associates, log onto Patient Gateway, click “Mail” on the top menu bar, and then click on “Write” on the top right-hand side of the screen. Then select the relevant drop-down item in the “About” box, add a subject, write your message, and click on "Send" when you are finished.
A member of our staff will contact you within three business days.
HOW TO GET CARE
New Patients
The entire staff of Burlington Medical Associates is happy to join with you in promoting and maintaining your good health. We will guide you through the healthcare system, serve as your healthcare advisor when you have questions, and make sure you get appropriate treatment.
Except in serious, life-threatening emergency situations, your primary care physician is the first person to call when you need medical care. We are a group of physicians with a rotating call schedule, so that you will never be without a physician to call.
To enhance our ability to provide you with access to the best specialists and hospitals, we are affiliated with the Partners HealthCare System, Inc. and Winchester Hospital. These organizations bring together the specialists of Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, together with our community doctors to create a complete network of patient care.
By working together, we will be able to ensure that you receive the highest quality medical care in the most cost-effective way possible. We welcome your comments on how we can best serve you. Again, welcome to our practice.
Select Your Primary Care Physician
To select a primary care physician at Burlington Medical Associates, please review the information in our Physician Directory and then contact your insurance company to let them know your choice. Also, please be sure to confirm with your insurance company that it will cover services provided by our physicians at Burlington Medical Associates. Even if you don’t need to see a doctor now, it is important that you chose your doctor so you will be prepared when you do need care.
If you have any questions about selecting your primary care doctor, you can call us directly at 781-505-8700. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
We encourage all new patients to contact our office to schedule an initial visit, during which your doctor and you can get acquainted and review any healthcare needs.
Now that you have become a Burlington Medical Associates patient, we invite you to learn about our many convenient services.
Insurance Carriers
Burlington Medical Associates is contracted to provide services for the following insurance carriers:
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
(HMO Blue®, Blue Choice®, Blue Care Elect®,
and indemnity plans only)
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Private Healthcare Systems
Tufts Health Plan (HMO, PPO, POS, and EPO products as well as Medicare Preferred)
UniCare Classic New England PPO
Medicare
Medicaid
Mass Health
We also accept most indemnity plans.
If you have any questions about whether your insurance plan will cover services provided by Burlington Medical Associates, please call your insurer directly.
Schedule a Visit with Your Doctor
We offer two convenient ways to schedule an appointment:
You can either call the BMA Appointment Scheduling Office at 781-505-8700 or, once you are an established patient, you can request an appointment through Patient Gateway. Our convenient Office Hours are designed with your schedule in mind. As a courtesy to our patients, confirmation calls may be made prior to you appointment. However, it is your responsibility to know the date and time of your appointment. Please bring your health plan ID card. Remember that for all appointments, your co-payments (visit fee) or deductible is due at the time of your visit. For your convenience, we accept cash, checks, and major credit cards.
If You Need Illness or Injury Care
Always call our office, day or night, whenever you need urgent care. Urgent assistance is available 24-hours a day. Call the BMA Appointment Scheduling Office at 781-505-8700 to speak with our Scheduling Secretaries or After-Hours Coverage Service. Calling first helps your doctor schedule and prepare for the care you need, whether it is at our office or at a hospital. It also helps ensure that the care you receive will be covered by your insurance plan.
If You Have a Life-Threatening Emergency
In a life-threatening emergency – like a heart attack, stroke or loss of consciousness – call 911 or go directly to the nearest medical facility. Then have someone call our office as soon as possible. This is the only time that we don’t ask you to call us first.
If You Need a Prescription Refill
At your next visit, discuss any ongoing medication needs you may have. Plan ahead so you don’t run out of necessary medications. If you require a prescription refill, please notify us several days in advance. You can request a refill through Patient Gateway or by calling the office's Prescription Refill Voice Mail at 781-505-8750. Before using Patient Gateway or calling the Office Prescription Voice Mail, have available your pharmacy phone and fax number, a list of any medications needed, the dose, how often you are taking the medicine and how many days are needed.
If You Need a Referral to a Specialist
Your doctor will coordinate the majority of your healthcare needs. During the course of evaluating your medical needs, your doctor may feel that an opinion from a specialist may be necessary. Your physician would then recommend an appropriate specialist with whom we work. With rare exception, most health insurance plans require that your primary physician approve all health services you receive, so referrals to specialists should always occur prior to the specialist visit.
To request a referral, you may visit Patient Gateway or you may call the office's Referral Request Voice Mail at 781-505-8750.
Please allow at least 72 hours for referrals to be approved and processed. Referrals can not be back-dated if the specialist is seen without prior approval from your doctor. Please do not expect to get approval for a referral while you are in the specialist's office unless you have discussed your request with your doctor before the visit. It is possible that in these situations you will be financially responsible for the specialist’s fees.
If You Can’t Keep a Scheduled Appointment
Call our office at 781-505-8700. At least 24 hour’s notice is best, but please call us any time before your appointment if you can’t keep it or if you are running late - Your doctor will appreciate the courtesy, as will other patients who may need to be seen. Appointments cancelled without sufficient notice may be subject to a charge.
To Schedule Laboratory Tests or Receive Your Lab/Test Results
Winchester Hospital's Laboratory has a drawing station conveniently located at each of the BMA offices.
If we receive an abnormal test result, either a staff member or your physician will call you to discuss followup. If the test is normal, we will communicate the result via mail or telephone, and results may also be available online through Patient Gateway. Tests take varying amounts of time to complete, so it's always a good idea to ask when to expect your results at the time of testing.
Privacy/HIPAA
The physicians and staff of Burlington Medical Associates take very seriously our responsibility to safeguard your privacy, and we comply with the Federal Government’s HIPAA privacy regulations. At the time of check-in, you will receive a copy of the BMA HIPAA Privacy Statement. Patients will be asked to sign a form acknowledging receipt of our privacy notice. If you feel your privacy has been compromised, please call the BMA Office Manager, Ruth Tetreault, at 781-505-8703.
To Obtain or Transfer Copies of Your Medical Record
Patient medical records are the property of Burlington Medical Associates and we are required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to maintain the original record for seven years. We are not allowed to give out the original medical record, even to the patient. However, patients are always entitled to obtain a copy of their medical record. Patients must sign the BMA medical record release form in order for us to send copies to anyone. Please allow ten business days following the receipt of a signed Medical Record Release Request for us to copy and send your medical record. Initial requests for a medical record copy may be subject to a copying fee. Subsequent copies and all requests from attorneys and insurance companies will incur the copying fee.
Questions About Your Bill or EOB (“Explanation of Benefits”)
Please call the BMA Billing Office at 781-505-8780, if you have any billing questions. However, please don't call your physician's office, as the clinical staff doesn’t process patient bills and will not have access to your billing information. If you notice an error on your billing statement, please call the billing office. We won't be aware of errors unless you call.
Patients who ignore collection notices and fail to pay their balance risk negative credit ratings and possible termination from the practice.
If You Have Questions
If you wish to contact your physician, please send a message through Patient Gateway or you may call the office and leave a message with a staff member. Your physician will return your call as soon as possible. Please limit any after-hours calls to urgent matters.
For referrals, prescription renewals, appointment confirmation or laboratory inquiries, please use Patient Gateway or you may call the appropriate office Voice Mail numbers listed above. If you need anything at all – whether it’s the answer to a simple question, an appointment with your doctor, or urgent attention for an unforeseen problem, please contact us. We are here to help.
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Affiliations with BMA, which provide you faster access to additional care if needed:
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