FAQs.

Q: What are your hours of operation?
A: Monday—Thursday from 8:00 am—4:00 pm, with lunch from 11:30—1:00 pm and Friday 8:00 am—Noon.

Q: Do you take a lunch break or can I walk in over the lunch hour?
A: We are closed for lunch from 11:30—1:00 pm and ask that our patients not walk in, unless it is an emergency, during that time so that our staff can take a break.

Q: What is your fax number?
A: 866.483.5899

Q: I filled out the patient enrollment forms online. Does that mean I am now a patient of Brooks Family Care?
A: No, you must receive prior approval from the office to be guaranteed as a patient. You can fill out the forms, but you will still be put on the wait list and added to the practice when we have an opening.

Q: I was a patient of Dr. Brooks’ at a previous practice, am I still considered a current patient or am I a new patient?
A: Because this is a different practice, any patients who have not been seen in this office are considered new patients to the practice.

Q: I was a patient of Dr. Brooks’ at a previous practice, can I get a copy of my records from your office?
A: Patient records are owned by the practice and not by the doctor. So, when a doctor changes offices you must get your records from the old office and bring them to the new office.

Q: Do you have my child’s vaccine records?
A: Vaccine records are the responsibility of the parent. We provide pink immunization record forms for all vaccines administered in the office, but do not keep the hard copies here. We ask that parents keep those in their records for future reference and to record any additional vaccinations their child receives.

Q: I want to cancel my membership. What do I need to do?
A: Dr. Brooks here. I am sorry that you do not see the need for the membership. I felt that I needed to get out of the insurance driven practice arena due to the upcoming disaster known as Obamacare. It is quite clear that the days of having a personal family physician are numbered. In the future most primary care will be done by nurse practitioners at the local Minute Clinic. I do not think that this is what is best for you, the patient. As a result I started Brooks Family Care as a response to Obamacare. If you are desirous of quitting the membership, it will be very easy to do at the end of the twelve months of your contract. When you are up for renewal you can opt to quit then with no strings attached. I do see a day in the near future when we will be a members only practice, out of necessity, due to the ever expanding membership numbers that we are experiencing.

Q: How often should I have my child come in for well child checks?
A: Dr. Brooks likes to have children come in at 1 week old, 2 weeks old, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months and 18 months and then yearly after that.

Q: I scheduled my appointment for a certain number of minutes, but I have more to ask Dr. Brooks. Is it okay to just extend my visit while I’m in the room?
A: To keep our schedules on time and to prevent the patients who follow you from having to wait longer, we ask that you stick with the number of minutes you scheduled and request a follow-up appointment to finish going over your issues.

Q: What is a virtual visit and how does it work?
A: If you are a member of Brooks Family Care and are too sick to drive in to see the doctor, don’t have any means of transportation or just plain don’t have time during the day to go see Dr. Brooks, we can schedule you for a virtual visit. A virtual visit is a consultation with Dr. Brooks over the phone or over the internet. It’s just like an office visit, but from the comfort of your home. Virtual visits can be used for any type of appointment that doesn’t require any palpation or physical examination. In most cases for sore throats, rashes, etc, pictures of the issue can be sent in ahead of the appointment. All you need to do is call us or send in an online request to make an appointment, provide us with the way you would like to be contacted, provide your credit card information and Dr. Brooks will contact you for your appointment. It is one of the great perks of joining a membership at Brooks Family Care.

Q: How long will my lab results take to be returned?
A: Routine labs generally take a few weeks to process and return. Hormones, thyroid labs, Western Blot, etc can take up to a month or longer. The most common time, however, is two weeks. If you haven’t heard back from us on results for your labs, please call our office and we would be happy to check on the status of the results.

Q: Can I walk in for an appointment?
A: We don’t have the capability to see patients who decide to walk in because our schedule is set in advance and each day is already booked. Please schedule any appointments that you need by calling or making an on-line appointment request. If, however, it is an emergency — laceration, broken bone, etc — please notify us that you are coming and we will make preparations to see you.

Q: I have refused to pay my balance at two different times of service. What will happen to my role as a patient?
A: If you have been negligent in paying your overdue balance for more than a month or for more than two office visits, your status as a patient in this practice will be put under review. At the time of review, we will determine if you will continue to be a patient of Dr. Brooks’ or if you will be terminated.

Q: How many weeks in advance should I call to schedule an appointment for a medication check?
A: We would prefer if you would set up standing appointments, so that you can always be assured to get an office visit at or around the time your medications will need to be refilled. If you prefer to not make standing appointments, we recommend scheduling them 2-3 weeks in advance.

Q: I forgot to cancel my appointment, is there a charge?
A: We allow our patients one grace appointment with no charge. Any additional no show/late cancellation appointments will be billed to the patient. Our minimum charge for no show/late cancellation appointments for members is $20. For non-members, it depends on the number of minutes scheduled and if you have missed appointments in the past. More than 2 missed appointments with no notification can result in termination as a patient of Brooks Family Care.

Q: I arrived late to my appointment, can I still be seen?
A: Depending on how late you arrived to the appointment and whether Dr Brooks is running on time, we will make that decision at the time of the appointment. If we do see you even though you are late, you will be charged for the number of minutes you were late.

Q: Where can I find office announcements or notifications regarding the office?
A: There is a section on our Contact Us page that will periodically list announcements, office closures, etc. We also post all announcements on our office Facebook page, facebook.com/brooksfamilycare.

Q: Are you taking new patients?
A: At this time, Dr. Brooks is not taking new patients. Please call the office and leave a message at 913.850.1108 or email us at questions@brooksfamilycare.com if you would like to be added to our new patient wait list.

Q: How long can I wait between visits in order to remain a current patient?
A: Our office policy is that in order to remain a current patient, you must be seen within two years of your previous visit. After the two year mark, you would be removed from active patient status and would be put on the new patient wait list if requested.

Q: Are you taking new Lyme patients?
A: At this time, Dr. Brooks is not accepting new Lyme patients. He does, however, refer them to the Olathe Lyme and Associated Diseases Clinic. Their phone number is 913.221.0750.

Q: What are your privacy practices?
A: Notice of Privacy Practices