Some of you may have received notice that your shot appointment has been cancelled. A power bump from caused a drive to crash on one of our servers. We have repaired the issue and shots are continuing as normal. Thank you for your understanding and patience!
News & Announcements
Office Closures
OCTOBER:
The Sterling Office will close at 3 PM on 10/31/2024. There are limited shot and office hours.
HOLIDAY HOURS:
Coming Soon…
Welcome AANV Patients!
You may have heard by now that Dr. Sally Bailey is closing her practice, effective 7/31/2024. Please note that we are hard at work to help relocate records and serum for her patients. We currently have a waitlist for all who are interested in scheduling with one of our providers. Please provide your insurance information so that we can verify participation. We will do our absolute best to accommodate virtual and in-person visits as we have the openings. Thank you so much for your patience!
For all allergy shot patients- please obtain the following records prior to scheduling (full records and treatment vials will be transferred after final shots are received at AANV) : Allergy shot records, Skin test results, Lab results, Serum Recipe and Visit notes from last year.
Upon establishing care with our office, please note that Allergy and Asthma Associates will need updated insurance referrals made out to our providers as well as new prior authorizations for prescribed medications and biologics. School forms and other patient requests require that you are an established patient w/AAA, have completed a patient request form, and submitted proper documentation for completion of request. We look forward to making this transition as easy as possible!
Are Allergy Shots Right for Me?
No doubt many have felt the impact of seasonal allergies this year! Allergy shots work to gradually desensitize the body to allergens. Over time, this may greatly reduce your allergy symptoms. Many have benefited from this treatment and have a greatly improved quality of life!
Does your schedule work? There is an initial time commitment to think about. Patients receive shots 1-2 times a week in the initial build-up phase. We do offer RUSH immunotherapy which allows for a shorter build-up phase. Our shot hours are limited, appointments are required. If you schedule the last time of the morning or afternoon, you must arrive on time. Otherwise, you will be asked to reschedule. There is a 30-minute wait time post-injections. These factors are some you may want to consider before consenting to treatment.
Does my insurance cover extracts and injections? Contacting your insurance provider prior to skin testing is beneficial in order to make informed consent to start allergy immunotherapy. Our lab will work with you to help estimate doses and provide billing codes in order that you may inquire about your out-of-pocket costs.
What other factors should I consider? This is a unique recipe, only for the prescribed patient. We ask all consenting patients to start closely after they are notified that their serum had been mixed. Potential side-effects and reactions will be reviewed with your provider and our clinical staff team. If you miss a shot or are out of town for a period of time, we will adjust schedule or dilute your extract in order to keep you at a safe dose. Shots are administered on different days other than appointments for visits or procedures.
A Quicker Check-In Is Here!
You may have gotten a link, asking you to check in prior to your appointment. We have partnered with Phreesia, for a faster, more streamlined patient registration, eliminating the bulk of forms typically completed at each visit. You will have access to your appointment details, any required annual forms, patient health surveys and billing information- all from your mobile device.
We are excited to work with our patients to decrease lengthy check-in times and unnecessary paperwork. Please make sure you open the link and view the needed information. We are hoping you will see the benefits of a seamless check-in process over time.
For more information, please visit https://www.phreesia.com/company/about-us/
Important Reminders for New Patients
Please review the following reminders prior to coming in for your new patient appointment:
- If scheduling online please note we only schedule one person per family, per day.
- Please contact referring providers for any clinical notes, labs or other records and have them forwarded to our office ASAP.
- A credit card or deposit is required for any out-of-pocket expenses, such as copay, co-insurance or deductible amounts. Please contact our office PRIOR to your appointment for a list of billing codes in order that you may determine plan coverage and patient responsibility. You are responsible for providing payment at the time of service.
- You will receive a link to patient forms via Phreesia. Please complete mobile check in PRIOR to your visit.
- Most initial appointments are for consultations only. Procedures, such as skin testing, will be ordered by your provider. Skin testing requires you refrain from medications that must be reviewed by our clinical staff.
- If you need to cancel or change this appointment, we require 48 hours notice. Please speak to one of our receptionists to confirm your appointment has been cancelled. By providing notice, you avoid being charged the $100 missed appointment/late cancellation fee.
- Please confirm with your insurance company PRIOR to your appointment if there is a preferred lab in the event that lab work is ordered by your provider. You will be asked to provide this information at check in.
- Please contact our office if you have any questions, are unable to refrain from taking antihistamines for scheduled skin testing, need a new Phreesia link or assistance registering for the patient portal to access your online chart.
Thank you and we look forward to meeting you.
Allergy and Asthma Associates
Patient Reviews!
Please see our new Patient Reviews Page. We love to receive positive feedback on Google as well! Our Reviews Page is a collection of quotes from real patient testimonials from 2021. We are so pleased to have served our patients well, and look forward to providing excellent care in 2022. Thank you AAA patients for your kind words of support over the last many years.
Allergy Shot Patients
In an effort to keep current with guidelines for COVID-19 prevention, we are limiting our allergy shots to BY APPOINTMENT ONLY and are scheduled through your patient portal. Masks are optional. Please come with only one caregiver if needed.
Due to the ongoing situation with COVID 19 we may at times have to update our schedules. We thank you for your support and patience and ask that you check our website regularly.
If you have not received an allergy injection for an extended period of time and are unsure of your current dosing schedule, please contact our lab supervisor for an update. We will do our best to return you to your previous schedule.
As a reminder, our last few appointments of the day have firm arrival times. Late patients will not be given a shot if they arrive after their scheduled appointment, especially near the near the end of the day. Please allow for traffic and parking needs. Plan to arrive 5 min before your scheduled shot appointment so that you are not turned away.
Our staff will accommodate late arriving allergy shot patients by either 1) offering another appointment time that day or 2) rescheduling their appointment to another day. If you have arrived after we have closed or arrive late for your allergy shot, we will not be able to give you one that day. Also, if your personal schedule has changed or if our hours of operation are not in alignment with yours, please talk to our staff about alternative sites of care for you to receive your serum from Allergy and Asthma Associates.
Avoid Lengthy Check-In
Whether you are new to our practice or established, you may have questions prior to your appointment. Avoid a lengthy check-in process by getting answers prior to coming in!
We will be happy to help you with:
- verifying new insurance
- providing you with details about your visit
- giving you an estimate of your out of pocket costs
- supplying billing codes
- listing what information you will need in order to contact your insurance
- anything else
Please reach out to our reception or billing team with any questions you may have. We look forward to assisting you!
Testing Medication Checklist
Reminder: If you are requiring allergy skin testing or a specialized test, some medications limit test accuracy. If medically possible, you must refrain from certain medications one week prior to the test date. Please speak to our nursing team if there are any questions about medications you are currently taking- prior to your appointment.
There are numerous medications, including some Anti-Depressant medication that interfere with testing and should not be stopped due to the nature of the drugs. Please check with your physician or pharmacist if you have any questions about specific drugs not listed below.
WARNING: Some sleep aids, cough and cold medications and heartburn medications may have antihistamines. Please read the packaging carefully.
⛔Stop these medications 7 days prior:
AccuHist Karbinal ER (Carbinoxamine)
Actifed Kronofed-A
Advil PM Marax (Hydroxyzine)
Alavert Meclizine
Allegra (Fexofenadine) NyQuil (Doxylamine)
Antivert (Meclizine) Pepcid (Famotidine)
Atarax(Hydroxyzine) Phenergan (Promethazine)
Atrohist RyVent (Carbinoxamine)
Axid (Nizatidine) Rynatan
Benadryl (*3 days) Semprex D
Bromfed Tagamet (Cimetidine)
Claritin (Loratadine) Tavist
Clarinex (Desloratadine) Temaril (Alimemazine)
Chlor-Trimeton Triaminic
Dayhist (Clemastine) Trinalin (Azatadine)
Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate) Tylenol PM
Dimetapp Vistaril (Hydroxyzine)
Elestat Xyzal (Levocetirizine)
Flexeril (muscle relaxer) Zantac (Ranitidine)
Hispril (Diphenylpyraline) Zyrtec
⛔Stop these nasal sprays / eye drops 7 days prior:
Afrin Optivar (Azelastine)
Astelin Nasal Spray Pataday
Astepro Patanase
Bepreve Patanol
Dymista Zaditor (eye drops)
🙂Okay to continue:
Antibiotics Nasalcrom
Atrovent Prednisone
Accolate (Zafirlukast) Prelone
Azmacort (Triamcinolone) Singulair (Montelukast)
Aciphex Sudafed (Pseudoephedrine)
Cromolyn Theophylline
Gualifed Zicam
Humibid (Guaifenesin) Zyflo (Zileuton)
Medrol (corticosteroids)
Motrin
🙂Nasal Steroids:
Flonase (Fluticasone) Nasalide
Qnasl Nasacort
Nasonex
Xhance
🙂Inhaled Asthma Steroids / Bronchodilators:
Aerobid Dulera
Aerospan Flovent (Fluticasone)
Advair ProAir
Asmanex Pulmicort
Albuterol Qvar
Alvesco Symbicort
Beclovent Ventolin
Breo Xopenex HFA
Breztri
🙂SSRI Antidepressants:
Celexa (Citalopram Hydrobromide) Paxil (Paroxetine)
Effexor (Venlafaxine) Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Lexapro Zoloft (Sertraline)
🙂Antacids:
Nexium (Esomeprazole) Prilosec (Omeprazole)
Prevacid (Lansoprazole) Protonix – Pantoprazole
**On some occasions, even if you have avoided the above medications, the physician may decide that a blood test would be indicated before allergy testing is preformed.
