Update: Fayette Family Medicine Successfully Moved
Fayette Family Medicine has now successfully moved to 2620 Wilhite Drive, Suite 102, Lexington, KY, 40503; to see a Google map (which includes the much-celebrated “Street view”), click here. Dr. Skaggs is currently accepting some new patients, though availibility is limited. If you would like further information, please contact Dr. Skaggs here.
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Fayette Family Medicine Scope of Practice
Dr. Skaggs is a Family Physician, with training and practice experience in a broad range of clinical settings. As a formal discipline, Family Medicine embraces care of the whole person. In remote areas where access to specialists is limited, some family doctors provide almost 100% of the medical care, “from cradle to grave.” In Lexington, Kentucky however, medical resources are abundant and access to all medical specialties is readily available. This situation makes it impractical for every primary care office to provide all services, either because it is not cost effective, or because failure to make use of more highly trained specialty care violates the accepted standard of care for certain conditions.
Dr. Skaggs provides office based primary care, including preventive health risk assessment, general adult screening, Pap smears, management of many common chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol (among many others) and treatment of acute illnesses and minor injuries. Dr. Skaggs does not provide prenatal care, deliver babies, provide pediatric vaccination, and does not see children younger than 2 years of age. Children 3 and older may be seen for acute illnesses, but parents are encouraged to continue to seek primary care for preadolescent children with a pediatrician, of which there are many in Lexington.
Procedures available at Fayette Family include: Physical examination, Pap smears, suturing of minor lacerations, “lancing” and drainage of abscesses, removal of skin lesions, large joint injection, and immunization against Tetanus/Diphtheria and Pneumococcal Pneumonia.
Lab tests in the office are limited to strep testing and urinalysis; blood drawn in the office is sent out to Quest Diagnostics. All radiology tests are referred out. Dr. Skaggs does not provide fracture care, chronic pain management, or psychiatric evaluation or treatment, other than for mild depression or situational anxiety. Dr. Skaggs does not currently perform screening colonoscopy or cardiac stress testing.
Treatment for acute musculoskeletal pain, including back pain, is limited to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (such as ibuprofen) and referral for physical therapy, unless there is evidence of fracture or neurological impairment, which would necessitate treatment in the Emergency Department.
Patients who wish to have Dr. Skaggs take over an established and successful treatment plan previously managed by a specialist should provide records from the specialist to effect transfer of care, but changes in the treatment plan would not be made without referral back to the specialist. Even with specialty input, Dr. Skaggs does not treat psychiatric conditions in children or adolescents, nor does she treat substance abuse or chronic pain in patients of any age.
Dr. Skaggs does not perform independent medical evaluations or disability evaluations.
Most major insurance plans are accepted at Fayette Family Medicine, but we do not take United Healthcare, nor do we file Worker’s Compensation, Automobile or other liability insurance claims. Persons who have suffered an injury at work, or have been in a motor vehicle accident are encouraged to proceed to the Emergency Department for urgent evaluation, and to follow up with specialty care as indicated. A number of urgent care facilities in the area provide services under Worker’s Compensation contract and often accept assignment from liability insurances.
If you have any questions about Dr. Skaggs’ scope of practice, services available at Fayette Family, or payment policies, please write or call the office at 276-5566 and we will attempt to provide the information as quickly as possible.
