FAQs and Testimomials

Always call 911 with any life-threatening emergency. For any non urgent matters call the office during business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with any urgent matters. For any urgent matters outide regular office hours, please call (847) 427-2100 and our answering service will take your message.

Again, for any life-threatening emergencies, at any time, call 911.

Dr. Karam is contracted with most major insurance company plans. This includes, but is not limited to, Aetna, BCBS, CIGNA, Humana, Medicare, Medicare Replacement Plans and United Healthcare. It is always advisable to verify with your insurance company before making an appointment.

If you have a question about your bill you should call our billing service. They will want your name, date of birth and the date of service you're inquiring about.

Professional Billing Analysis
(847) 515-8131

All copays, past-due balances, and non-covered service fees are due at the time of your visit. We are required by our insurance contracts to collect copays at the time of your visit. We accept cash, check, Discover, Master Card and Visa. As a courtesy to you, our billing service, Professional Billing Analysis (PBA) will submit claims to your insurance company. Once your claim has been processed you will receive a monthly account balance statement showing any patient responsibility. Payment in full is then expected. If you need to set up a payment arrangement please speak with the office manager.

Call the office at (847) 427-2100 to schedule an appointment. We do not accept walk-in appointments. At initial contact with our office you will be asked to provide us with some basic information. We ask that you arrive on time for your appointment and new patients should plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early. If you are running late or are unable to keep your appointment please call us. Patients more than 10 minutes late may be asked to reschedule.

We receive most test results within 2 business days. It is our policy to notify all our patients regarding their test results. This includes providing you with education about your normal and abnormal (if any) test results. We feel it is very important that you are proactive in your own healthcare. If you have not heard from us within 5 days from your lab draw please call our office.

For those patients who are on Patient Portal, once an office staff member has notified you of your lab results and any further recommendations from Dr. Karam, your results will be posted to the Patient Portal. You will receive an email informing you that results are ready for your review.

Many insurance companies require prior authorization for special testing or prior to seeing a specialist. Often insurance companies require that a patient first see his/her Primary Care Provider (PCP) to initiate a referral/prior authorization request for a new condition or recurrence of a condition for which you have never received a referral. Once a referral/prior authorization request has been initiated it may take up to 5 business days to process with your insurance company. Once your referral/prior authorization has been approved or denied, you will be notified. You should continually familiarize yourself with the requirements of your particular insurance as their policies often change.

Refills may be requested by calling your pharmacy directly, by sending a request through the Patient Portal or by calling our office during regular business hours. Please try to anticipate your refill needs by planning ahead so you do not run out of your medication. It is necessary to allow 48 hours to complete your refill request. As the physician does not have your chart available after hours, routine refills will not be processed until the next business day. If you are due for an office visit with Dr. Karam, a 30 day supply may be authorized to carry you until you can be seen in our office. It is important that you bring in all you medications or a complete list of them to each appointment.

If Dr. Karam gives you an order for a particular facility, you may call that facility directly to schedule your testing appointment. Most orders can be taken to Northwest Community Hospital  at (847) 618-1000. As with any medical service check with your insurance for any restrictions there may be on your plan.

Take the samples following Dr. Karam's instructions. When you are almost out of sample medication, please contact the office at (847) 427-2100. Please let us know how the sample medication is working for you and if there are any concerns or side effects regarding the medication. We will then discuss the matter with Dr. Karam and follow up with you with further instructions. You can also send a message through the Patient Portal if you have been web-enabled during a previous visit.