Patient Information

Please take a moment to register for our “patient portal” – the patient portal offers a way to communicate with us electronically and securely and by bypassing the phone. Test results can also be found on the patient portal, including laboratory studies and the results of MRI’s and CT scans.

To access the patient portal, click here.

To properly track messages and ensure they are replied to, our practice uses a system where a phone message is received and entered as a “task” that is sent to our team. Please allow adequate time for a reply. We will make every effort to reply to your message in a timely fashion.

Determining what the “price” you must pay for a procedure can be a complicated process. We do have a “Financial Counselor” who can assist you in determining what your financial responsibility will be for procedures. Please ask to have the Financial Counselor contact you if you have any questions.

FMLA, Disability, work-related, and other forms are completed by our medical records department. Remember to leave enough time for completion of these forms. Typically they can be ready for pick up within 3-5 business days.

Our regular office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30am–5pm.

In the event of a life-threatening medical emergency, call emergency medical services at 911 immediately. DO NOT WAIT! Inform the emergency room staff that you are a patient of Dr. Ashraf Guirgues and they will contact us.

If you have an urgent medical need and need to talk to Dr. Guirgues after our regular hours, please call our office at (252) 773-0614. Dr. Guirgues or his partners are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your call will be returned promptly.

We accept most major insurance plans. Please call our office at (252) 773-0614 to find out if we accept your plan. If your insurance plan requires you to pay a co-payment, co-insurance, and/or a deductible, you will need to pay at the time of your visit. For your convenience we accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. If you have a question related to your bill or insurance, please contact our billing specialists at (252) 773-0614.

If your insurance is an HMO/managed care plan and you are required to obtain a referral from your primary care physician, the referral must be obtained before you can be seen for an office visit.

Please coordinate this with your primary care physician in advance. Appointments will be rescheduled if required referrals are not received in the office by the time of your visit.

Dr. Ashraf Guirgues has hospital or surgery center affiliations with:

• Carteret Healthcare
• Onslow Memorial Hospital
• The Surgical Center of Morehead City

Prescriptions and refills for established patients of Ashraf F. Guirgues, MD are routinely issued during our regular office hours (see above). You can make your request by calling our office at (252) 733-0614.

No refills are issued during the evenings, weekends, or holidays, as Dr. Guirgues does not have access to your medical records during those times. It is helpful to anticipate your refill needs to avoid an interruption in your medication therapy.

Once you and your doctor decide that surgery will help you, you will need to learn what to expect from the surgery and create a treatment plan for the best results afterward. Preparing mentally and physically for surgery is an important step toward a successful result. Understanding the process and your role in it will help you recover more quickly and have fewer problems.

Working with Your Doctor

Before surgery, your doctor will perform a complete physical examination to make sure you don’t have any conditions that could interfere with the surgery or the outcomes. Routine tests, such as blood tests and X-rays, are usually performed a week before any major surgery.

• Discuss any medications you are taking with your doctor and your family physician to see which ones you should stop taking before surgery
• Discuss with your doctor about options for preparing for potential blood replacement, includes donating your own blood, medical interventions and other treatments, prior to surgery
• If you are overweight, losing weight before surgery will help decrease the stress you place on your new joint. However, you should not diet during the month before your surgery
• If you are taking aspirin or anti-inflammatory medications or warfarin or any drugs that increase the risk of bleeding you will need to stop taking them one week before surgery to minimize bleeding
• If you smoke, you should stop or cut down to reduce your surgery risks and improve your recovery
• Have any tooth, gum, bladder or bowel problems treated before surgery to reduce the risk of infection later
• Eat a well-balanced diet, supplemented by a daily multivitamin with iron
• Report any infections to your surgeon. Surgery cannot be performed until all infections have cleared up
• Arrange for someone to help out with everyday tasks like cooking, shopping and laundry
• Put items that you use often within easy reach before surgery, so you won’t have to reach and bend as often
• Remove all loose carpets and tape down electrical cords to avoid falls
• Make sure you have a stable chair with a firm seat cushion, a firm back and two arms

If you are having day surgery, remember the following:

• Have someone available to take you home, you will not be able to drive for at least 24 hours
• Do not drink or eat anything in the car on the trip home
• The combination of anesthesia, food, and car motion can quite often cause nausea or vomiting. After arriving home, wait until you are hungry before trying to eat. Begin with a light meal and try to avoid greasy food for the first 24 hours
• If you had surgery on an extremity (leg, knee, hand or elbow), keep that extremity elevated and use ice as directed. This will help decrease swelling and pain
• Take your pain medicine as directed. Begin the pain medicine as you start getting uncomfortable, but before you are in severe pain. If you wait to take your pain medication until the pain is severe, you will have more difficulty in controlling the pain