Established Patients
We want to thank you for choosing ECMC as your care facility of choice. We value your commitment to your health and we are enthusiastic to help you in your journey through life as healthily as possible. Below you will find some helpful links regarding your care with us.
Follow My Health – Getting Started – Patient Portal, access to your health information.
Insurance
ECMC accepts most insurance policies. If you are out of out network, we will still see you, but you may have to pay out-of-pocket. The insurances we do not accept are:
- Medcost
- Wellpath
- Cigna Connect
- Humana Gold Plus
- Blue Local
Shopping Medicare Open Enrollment?
We take almost all Medicare Advantage plans.
Having Insurance is not required to be seen in our office.
ECMC offers payment plans to qualified established patients. Ask our staff about this today.
Uninsured/Self-Pay
Not having health insurance doesn’t prevent you from getting care at ECMC. Learn about our options for uninsured/self-pay patients. Please speak with one of our insurance or billing staff. You may stop in or call today. Department phone numbers can be found on the Contact Us page. *pls add link to this page here.
If you need to access further resources about a condition, medication or testing, the following websites are sources we recommend using for the most accurate and uptodate information: underlined words in this section are links. These should be used to direct patients straight to those websites.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The NIH website accurately describes conditions, causes, symptoms, treatments, etc in an easy-to-read format. Additional resources are trusted websites as well.
Offers patients and loved ones with endless resources and information on diabetes, treatments, ongoing research, nutrition advice and meal planning, fitness programs and other lifestyle changes. It also connects patients with local community support groups.
The Mayo Clinic website offers easy-to-read, concise information regarding disease, causes, symptoms, management, testing, treatment, etc. You may also find self-assessments, calculators and interactive quizzes.
Provides well-organized information on diseases, treatments, procedures, drugs, and current research in various modalities such as interactive videos and educational materials.
Patients can read about their prescriptions or research the various drugs available for their condition. This site provides an easy-to-use drug interactions checker, and an innovative pill identification wizard that allows patients to enter the shape, color, and imprint of their mystery pill and view photographs of potential matches to identify the medication.
Your Rights
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
The Privacy Rule is a Federal Law that protects your health data. You may choose who you wish to share that data with and it applies in electronic, oral and written form.
The Security Rule is a Federal Law that ensures security of data in electronic form.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) give you as a patient rights over your health. It also ensures you get copies of your documented encounters, that they are correct and that you know who has seen that information.
Please click here to access more information on HIPAA and your rights.
Health Information Privacy. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html *reference needs a drop down
No Discrimination Policy
Eastern Carolina Medical Center complies with Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Eastern Carolina Medical Center does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
Forms to download (All)– DANNY – ahmad has these
Billing and Insurance
Keeping your costs down
Medical expenses can add up quickly. There are many actions you can take to lower your health care costs beyond choosing affordable health insurance. We’d like to share some easy things you can do to keep health care costs low.
See your doctor.
It’s hard to stress the importance of preventive care, but it’s one of the easiest ways to help reduce health care costs for you and your family in the long run. Visit the doctor for an annual physical to be sure you are in good overall health. At the exam, the nurse and doctor will discuss any concerns you have, ensure you are up to date on vaccinations, and perform recommended screenings and tests depending on factors such as age, gender, and health status.
Under the Affordable Care Act, many preventive services are covered at no extra cost to patients. This means no copayment, co-insurance, or deductible apply to preventive services covered under the law, including well-women visits; screenings such as blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity; immunization vaccines such as the flu shot, hepatitis A and B, and tetanus; and more.
Healthcare Coverage Rights and Protections. Healthcare.gov. https://www.healthcare.gov/health-care-law-protections/ Last Accessed Feb 2, 2019.
Perform self-exams, avoid reactive care.
Become familiar with your body to help alert you when problems arise before they escalate into major health concerns. An example of this could be following monthly breast or testicular exams in order to detect changes. Skin self-screenings are also recommended for everyone.
If you notice a growth, lump, or just something that wasn’t there before and has not gone away over a period of time, get it checked out. If you feel out of sorts without explanation, trust that your body is telling you something. Track your symptoms and schedule an appointment to discuss them with your physician. Don’t wait six months; go now. Specialty doctors are more expensive than a family doctor, and sometimes a family doctor can diagnose the problem. If you need to be seen by a specialty doctor, your primary care physician will be able to give you a recommendation.
Breast Self Exam. Susan G. Komen for the Cure. https://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/BreastSelfExam.html Last Accessed Feb 2, 2019.
Signs and Symptoms of Testicular Cancer. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/testicular-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-and-symptoms.html Last accessed Feb 2, 2019.
How to Perform a Skin Check. Skin Cancer Foundation. https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/early-detection/step-by-step-self-examination Last Accessed Feb 2, 2019.
Save the emergency room for emergencies.
- If you have a cold, see if you can remedy it with soup, over-the-counter medicine and rest. Otherwise, schedule an appointment with your family doctor or drop into an urgent care or Minute Clinic for minor illnesses and injuries, such as strep throat, poison ivy, joint sprains, pink eye, or infections related to the ears, nose, and/or throat.
- Going immediately to the emergency room will undoubtedly be more expensive than a visit to your local pharmacy or primary care physician. Save the ER for life-threatening situations. Urgent care is another alternative for after-hours visits or situations in which you need treatment right away but can’t get an appointment. Although urgent care will cost less than the ER, it will still be more expensive than a regular appointment.
- For more information, Read “Listen to Your Symptoms – When to Seek Emergency Care” from the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Emergency Care for You. American College of Emergency Physicians. http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/emergency-101/listen-to-your-symptoms—when-to-seek-emergency-care/#sm.00000im4x4vx84eznypffa4urzyaa Last Accessed Feb 2, 2019.
Health insurance marketplace
- Finding the Right Plan
If you need help figuring out which insurance is right for you, click here to search for resources on available plans in your area.
- Financial Assistance
Care Credit, if approved is an option for patients with financial restraints. Please see one of our billing or insurance specialist for more information.
Medical Records
- Patient Requesting
You as a patient have the right to request and review copies of your protected health information maintained by or for Eastern Carolina Medical Center. This includes the right to ask ECMC to transfer a copy to a selected person or other health care provider of your choosing. This rule also extends to a patient’s personal representatives who have the right to make healthcare decisions on the individual’s behalf in the event necessary.
For a copy of your medical records or other protected health information including radiology imaging and/or immunization records, etc), please complete the Authorization for Release of Medical Records (this should be a link) and fax it to our main fax line: 919-894-1320 or email your request to:
- Third parties Requesting
For a copy of medical records or other protected health information on behalf of a patient of Eastern Carolina Medical Center, please submit a HIPAA compliant patient authorization Or Authorization for Disclosure of Medical Information (this should also be a link). Please submit this completed form to ECMC main fax line: 919-894-1320 or email your request to:
***NEED FORMS***
- Forms as clickable links to PDFs:
- Authorization for Release of Medical Records form
- HIPAA compliant patient authorization form?
- Authorization for Disclosure of Medical Information