Rio Grande Medicine

Dear Patients

Our physicians and staff at Rio Grande Medicine would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our office. As your providers of health care, we look forward to serving you. We hope that together, we can build a relationship that will ensure you receive the highest quality care and service.

In order to maximize your benefits, it is very important that you familiarize yourself with the systems, policies and benefits outlined in this section. Our courteous staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

We at Rio Grande Medicine (RGM) are working to make health care safety a priority. You as the patient can play a role in making your care safe be becoming an active, involved informed member of your health care team.

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Appointments

Office visits are meant to protect your health safety, to ensure the effectiveness of your treatments and to check for any side effects from your medications. Your specific wellness needs will determine the frequency of your office visits. Once you and Dr. Saviñon determine your wellness needs, all medications will be prescribed according to the next scheduled office visit. Refills (link down to Refills) will be given in accordance to office visit frequency.

Frequency of Office visits:

• Wellness / annual visit
• Frequency of visits may vary depending on medical necessity

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Emergencies

Always call 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. If you have a situation which you feel is urgent our telephone is the same day or night (956) 421-2757. When calling after hours, our answering service will locate your physician / provider. Please explain the nature and urgency of your problem clearly and concisely, and the physician on call will get in touch with you as soon as possible. Physical exam needed for diagnosis is missing in telephone medicine. An office or emergency department visit could be required by the physician.

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Medication Reconciliation

Please bring all of your medications to all your office visits, if not a complete list of all medications will be acceptable. The list should include over the counter medications when appropriate, doses and frequencies and any natural remedies or herbal products being taken.

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Refills and Medicine Policy

During your office visit, Dr. Saviñon will refill your medications. Follow-up appointments to monitor your progress on these medications are very important. There are instances when you can not attend to your office visit. In such cases contact our office for arrangements.

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Diabetics and Hypertensives

We ask all diabetic and hypertensive patients with home glucometers or home bp monitors to record their blood sugars and blood pressures at home as instructed by their physician, and to bring in the logs for review at each clinic visit. This will help in the management of these conditions.

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Patient Rights

1. You have the right to be treated with respect, consideration and dignity.
2. You have the right to high quality medical care delivered in a safe, timely, efficient and cost effective manner.
3. You have the right to be assured that the expected results can be reasonably anticipated.
4. You have the right to privacy to the extent possible.
5. You have the right to have our disclosures and records treated confidentially and expect when required by law, those disclosures and records will not be released without your approval Please refer to our Notices of Privacy Practices for further details on how we safeguard your medical records. You can find the privacy notices posted in the front waiting area.
6. You have the right to be provided, to the degree known, compete information concerning your diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and prognosis.
7. You have the right to copies of your medical records at nominal cost and, if you request it, those records will be transferred to another practitioner in a timey manner.
8. You have the right to be informed of all reasonable options or alternatives to care and or treatments and of the potential advantages and the alternatives to having the procedure performed in an office or other outpatient facility.
9. You have the right to participate in decisions regarding al aspects of your care.

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Patient Responsibilities

1. You have the responsibility to accurately and completely provide all clinical personnel with the health information they need including any medications that you are taking.
2. You have the responsibility to follow the directions of the nurse or physician with regards to diet and or medications.
3. You have the responsibility to abstain from using any drugs that have not been prescribed for you and that you have not revealed to our nurse or physician.
4. You have the responsibility to abstain from the use of alcohol as directed by your nurse or physician.
5. You have the responsibility to inform the nurse of physician if you do not understand any directions or if you do not understand the course of treatment planned for you.
6. You have the responsibility to timely pay all medical bills which are not in dispute and to forward to us any monies you receive from any insurance company for our services.

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Patient Education (helpful links)

• Patient Education
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Obesity
• Guide to Medicare's Preventive Services
• Heart Health
• Texas Medical Board
• American Medical Association

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Complaint Resolutions

We at Rio Grande Medicine Inc. strive to provide you with excellent quality care. We highly believe in changes to improve, and welcome an opportunity to listen to your suggestions and complaints. Please contact our office manager, Sal Green, at 956-427-7812 or via email at: sgreen@powerorigin.net to get further information on complaint resolutions policy. If your concern is not resolved, you may contact your physician at 956-421-2757.

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Parking

We have two patient assigned parking areas for your convenience. The South and the North of the building. The South entrance to the building is equipped with Automatic Doors. The building wheelchair ready. There are public rest rooms in the first floor, second floor and third floor. Our office is on the second floor suite # 205.

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Involvement In Your Healthcare

Everyone has a role in making healthcare safe. Our physicians, Nurses and technicians are working to make your health care safety a priority. You, as a patient, can play a vital role in making your care safe by becoming an active, involved and informed member of your healthcare team. So SPEAK UP.

S – Speak up if you have any questions or concerns and if you don’t understand, ask again.
P – Pay attention to the care, treatment and medications you are receiving.
E – Educate yourself about your diagnosis and your treatment plan.
A – Ask a trusted family member or companion to be your advocate.
K – Know what medications you take and shy you take them.
U – Use a healthcare facility that provides quality care.
P – Participate in all decisions about your treatment.

Webview Patient Portal Signup

Click the link below to open the Webview Patient Portal in a new browser window.



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Hospital Care

Dr. Savinon and Dr. Landero have privileges at Valley Baptist Medical Center and Harlingen Medical Center.

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Complete/Annual Physical Exams Policy

We highly recommend that ALL our patients have regular Complete Physical Exams (Annual Screening/Preventative Visits, etc.) every 1-2 years. It is your responsibility to verify that your insurance will reimburse preventative visits if you are scheduled for such. Be advised that some insurance companies routinely do not cover preventative visits (Medicare & some Blue Cross plans especially). For more information contact our billing department at 956-427-7814.

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Treatment of Minors

Dr. Saviñon is an internist; internal medicine physicians treat patients 18 years old and older.

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Lab Results

If you have lab work performed , please expect a phone call to receive your results. Lab work results may also be sent to your home address unless you specify other instructions.

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Results – Other Studies

An office visit will automatically be required to review ECG/MRI/CAT Scan studies with Dr. Saviñon or Mari Bloomquist, F.N.P

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Abnormal Results

Abnormal results (blood test, x ray or any other test) are preferably reported in person by the physician.

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Patient Privacy

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