Medical Care and Treatment

Prescription refills

If you are on medications prescribed by our office and you need a refill, it is best to ask your physician or nurse practitioner for a new prescription at the time of your appointment. However, if you need a refill between appointments, have your pharmacy fax the request to our office at 925-677-5027. Please allow sufficient time for us to handle your prescription refill needs. We can normally process your request within 48 hours. (Please note that opiate prescriptions can only be refilled with a written prescription.) Please call us ahead and make arrangements to pick these up at our office.

Infusion therapy

If you require treatment with chemotherapy, biologic or immunotherapy, antibiotics or a combination, you will first be scheduled for counseling with a nurse practitioner. This is usually a 30-minute appointment during which the nurse practitioner will go over the treatment regimen your physician has ordered for you. The nurse practitioner will explain each of the medications, the potential side effects and how to manage them and the scheduling and usual course of events. You will be provided with a consent form, educational materials and information on outside community resources. You may which to come to this appointment with a prepared list of questions, and you should bring a family member, caregiver or friend with you. We will make every attempt to answer all your questions and make sure that you understand the treatment regimen that you and your physician have agreed upon.

Chemotherapy administration

We are fully staffed with chemotherapy certified oncology nurses. We use standardized protocols and have a strict quality assurance program. Chemotherapy and other treatments are administered in our Infusion Center unless your insurance company dictates otherwise. Some insurance companies require preauthorization prior to treatment. Appointments for treatments will be scheduled with our staff in the Infusion Center. When you are having treatment, you may bring a family member with you. Space is limited so it is best to have only one family member per patient. For safety reasons, children are not allowed in the Infusion Center. Treatments lasting longer than 4 hours will be scheduled to start by 10:00am. Shorter treatments may be given in the afternoon. Shots are given Monday through Friday between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 pm and on weekends at 10:00am. We will do our best to accommodate you in scheduling your appointments.

Clinical trials

In an effort to provide our patients with access to the latest drugs and cutting-edge treatments we participate in a variety of clinical research trials, administrated by the Bay Area Cancer Research Group or by the clinical trials office at John Muir Medical Center. Your physician or nurse practitioner may discuss a research protocol with you. You may also ask us whether there are any research trials appropriate for you.