Skip to main content

Google Translate Widget by Infofru

Author Site Reviewresults

Your First Visit

During your initial visit to Salem Oncology Center, your medical history will be taken and a physical examination will be performed by Dr. Salem. He will order appropriate tests and later review the test results with you in person. If you are referred to us by another physician, we will send a typed summary of your visit with Dr. Salem to your doctor, and if you need to take medical documents home wiith you, we will provide them for you.

We coordinate all outpatient testing and use the highest-quality laboratory, pathology, and radiology facilities. For outpatient chemotherapy, we arrange quiet, private rooms in our outpatient center.

Schedule
Your Visit

Schedule Your Visit

If you have the materials listed below, please call

713-796-1221

What You Will Need

Pathology slides and paraffin blocks, as well as the pathology report. It is important to bring both the slides and blocks to enable a more accurate confirmation of diagnosis. Paraffin blocks contain additional tissue that is critical for special stains. These blocks are different from slides and do not break, as slides sometimes do. You must bring both slides and paraffin blocks because it is important for pinpointing a definitive diagnosis, which in turn is essential for planning your treatment.
  • All actual x-ray films and x-ray reports.
  • All medical reports and documents, including a recent medical report from your doctor.
  • Insurance card.
  • Financial deposit (please see Financial Information section). Please do not leave your city, state, or country of origin before you obtain financial clearance from our Business Office.
  • A list of questions or concerns regarding your condition.

Prescription Refills

Please contact your pharmacy for prescription refills during our office hours because this allows the pharmacy to reach us if necessary. We must check your medical chart before approving refills.

If you need a refill as the weekend approaches:

  • Please call us before 2:00 P.M. on Friday to permit enough time to approve refills.
  • Kindly have your pharmacy telephone number ready.

Hospital Admissions

All patients who require hospitalization are admitted to St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, which is located across the street from Salem Oncology Center. All hospital admissions are coordinated and facilitated by Eleni A. Papageorge or another member of the Salem Oncology Center staff, thereby minimizing the stress of the hospital admission process on the patient. Without such assistance, this process can be time-consuming, frustrating, and tedious.

For information about St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital admission and financial policies, you may contact the St. Luke’s Admitting Office at 832-355-2132 or, for international patients, at 832-355-3350, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Once pre-admission requirements are fulfilled (including financial arrangements), you will be given information about the time of admission, the expected length of your stay, and your plan of treatment.

Prescription Refills

Financial Information

Prior to the commencement of testing or treatment at Salem Oncology Center, an estimate of the cost of services will be provided by our Business Office. NOTE: We are NOT contracted with any insurance companies, including Medicare, therefore all insurance patients will be going “out of network” when they come to Salem Oncology Center. Any agreement by your insurance company to pay for your medical care is a contract between you and your insurance company. The ultimate responsibility of paying your medical expenses rests with you. Accordingly, at the time of your initial visit, you will be required to sign a statement in which you accept and acknowledge ultimate financial responsibility for your medical expenses. Because we are not contracted with any insurance companies, an upfront financial deposit for all estimated services is to be made prior to the start of testing and/or treatment. If any of the treatment provided by Salem Oncology is covered by your insurance, it is your responsibility to file the claims directly with your insurance carrier, instructing your insurance company to reimburse you directly.
  • For U.S. insurance patients, testing charges (x-ray, labs, pathology, EKG, Echo, outside consultants, etc.) approved by your insurance will be billed directly by the testing facility to your insurance carrier.
  • For International patients, all charges will be submitted to your Salem Oncology Center account and included in all estimates provided. Salem Oncology Center does not accept Letters of Guarantee from any government agencies, embassies or third-party payers.

Why we do not accept insurance

Salem Oncology Center is a highly sophisticated cancer treatment facility which is committed to providing the patient with the very best chance for a cure. Insurance companies and third-party payers routinely interfere with the delivery of medical care frequently due to financial parameters. While the objective of our Center is to cure the patient, the main objective of insurance companies, historically, is to minimize costs all too often to the detriment of the patient. In diseases other than cancer, the difference between care which is insurance reimbursable and care which is independent of third-party payers could be the difference between excellent care and poor-quality care. But in cancer, the difference could be between life and death. What differentiates our Center is that we provide both medicine and care far beyond standard norms to achieve a cure. Therefore, we do not accept any restrictions or impediments to the delivery of the very best medical care. Accordingly, we do not accept insurance or third-party payers.

A financial deposit sufficient to cover the estimated associated costs of services is required before testing or treatment can start. This estimate and deposit should be discussed with our Business Office, with the understanding that testing and/or treatment will not begin until such a deposit is made. Upon completion of testing and the finalization of all bills, any funds remaining on deposit with Salem Oncology Center will be returned to the patient. As an example, if a deposit of $35,000.00 is obtained, and the actual charges total $32,000.00, after your departure from Salem Oncology Center and after all services have been paid in full, $3,000.00 will be refunded to you in the same manner in which your initial deposit was made, e.g., if you paid with a credit card, we will issue a refund to your credit card.

Salem Oncology Center will never guarantee a hospital admission for a patient. All hospital admission charges and related expenses are the responsibility of the patient, who will be required to make a financial deposit to the hospital prior to admission. Accordingly, all patients should arrive in Salem Oncology Center with a VISA, MasterCard or American Express credit card which can be used as a deposit for hospital admission expenses, should this be required. Your credit card(s) should be able to authorize a minimum of at least $15,000 as a deposit for hospital expenses.

Financial Information