A. Do not eat or drink anything except water, black coffee or black tea. You should take all of your medications at their normal times. 

A. Flu shots are not generally available before Labor Day and in the last few years have been much later. They are ideally taken before the end of October, but can be effective if take up to 6 weeks before the onset of flu season. Flu Season can start any time in the late Fall to Spring. 

A. Unfortunately only with Diet and Exercise. A balanced diet containing necessary nutrients (protein, fat carbohydrates in moderation, calcium, fiber, vitamins and minerals) has been found to be the safest and most effective way to lose weight, rather than diets that exclude entire food groups. Aerobic exercise has been shown to increase the effectiveness of diet alone, and weight training can also be helpful, although the muscle mass gained initially balances the fat lost. Adequate sleep is important, to prevent excessive "stress" hormones that increase appetite and insulin levels. And a support program with behavioral training (such as commercial weight loss programs) give additional benefit. Drugs give little additional benefit over these techniques, and are rarely useful. Bariatric surgery ("stomach stapling") is used only for the most severe and untreatable cases.  

A. Absolutely. All insurance plans require this. Bowdoin Medical Group will not schedule your next visit if you have an outstanding co-pay. If you need financial assistance please talk with your doctor. 

A. Because insurance companies are constantly changing, and your insurance plan may also change, it is important that you call your doctor's or prospective doctor's office and confirm that they are able to accept your insurance. The insurance company's website is also a good source of information, although we have had trouble with web sites being accurate. 

A. Medicare has never paid for health maintanence examinations. They have recently begun to pay for some screening tests and procedures. For a long time Medicare paid for physicals that were associated with disease diagnosis, however, under government guidelines, we must charge the portion of the exam related to a diagnisis under a specific "evaluation and management code" [99213,99214, etc.] and the remainder of the physicial is an uncovered service under the medicare program. Sounds like something the government would do, doesn't it? 

A. All of our offices are accepting new patients. Because we want all patients to be able to see their own doctor in a reasonable time, some of our more established doctors are not taking new patients or have some restrictions on the patients they are taking. Please call the office of the doctor you would like to see and his/her staff guide you. 

A. Bowdoin Medical Group has a wide range of options to reduce the bill for patients in financial hardship. This is best initiated with the office manager or billing staff member in your doctor's office. You can also use this web site to contact the billing office. All of our arrangements are credit for payments that you make, so you can really make your money multiply by making arrangements with the office and making small regular payments. 

A. Many of our physicians who are taking new patients offer brief, free, "Get Acquainted" visits. The visit can identify the doctors experience with your problems and his/her approach to them. No medical record is developed, so no specific history is appropriate, and no examination is done. Also no prescriptions will be written or refilled. If you want more services than listed here you want to make an appointment for an initial office visit (for which there is a charge). 

A. The physicians who work in the Emergency Room at Mid Coast Hospital are employees of Bowdoin Medical Group working under contract to Mid Coast Hospital. The bill from Mid Coast Hospital is for technical services [nursing, labs, x-ray or IVs]. The bill from Bowdoin Medical Group is for the professional services of the doctors or Nurse Practitioners or Physician's Assistants.