Happy New Year!

Holiday Schedule

Saturday, December 30th – NO CLINIC

New Year’s Day – CLOSED

Our after hours call center is always available at 865-546-9751.

All Summit Express Clinics are open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. New Year’s Eve.

Most Summit Express Clinics  are open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. New Year’s Day.

Merry Christmas from IMA Physicians and Staff!

Holiday Schedule

Friday, December 22nd – Closing at 1 p.m.

Saturday, December 23rd – NO CLINIC

Christmas Day – CLOSED

Our after hours call center is always available at 865-546-9751.

All Summit Express Clinics are open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Christmas Eve.

Summit Express Clinic  on Bearden Hill is open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Christmas Day.

Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule

Thursday, November 23rd – CLOSED

Friday, November 24th – CLOSED

Saturday, November 25th – CLOSED

Our after hours call center is always available at 865-546-9751.

Summit Express Clinic  on Bearden Hill will be open Thanksgiving Day, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Bearden Hill, Fountain City and Powell Express Clinics will be open Friday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

All Summit Express Clinics open Saturday, 8 a.m.  – 8 p.m.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM YOUR SPOOKY FRIENDS AT IMA!

Covid-19 Vaccines

Updated Covid Vaccines are Now Available

We have the Pfizer Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine mRNA 2023-2024 formula. These are updated to provide immunity against the XBB 1.5 subvariant of omicron which is showing effectiveness in avoiding serious illness and hospitalization against currently circulating Covid virus strains.  The Covid vaccine can be given at the same time as your flu or other vaccines.  Most insurance companies cover these vaccines as a preventive benefit.

FLU SHOTS ARE HERE!

Flu shots are now available!

We have regular and high dose flu vaccines available.  You may get your vaccine during your appointment or stop by during regular office hours.  We do ask that you avoid the hours of 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., as we have staff at lunch during that time.

FALL OFFICE HOURS

JUNE - NOVEMBER 2023

Monday – Thursday:  7:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

 Friday:                          8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

     Saturday:                     8:00 a .m. – 12:00 noon

Labor Day Holiday Schedule

Saturday, September 2nd – CLOSED

Monday, September 4th – CLOSED

Our after hours call center is always available at 865-546-9751.

All Summit Express Clinics will be open Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.  Summit Express Clinic on Bearden Hill will be open Monday, 8 a.m. – 2p.m.

Office Closed Tuesday, July 4th

Our after hours call center is always available at 865-546-9751.

Summit Express Clinic on Bearden Hill will be open 8 a.m. – 2p.m.

Dr. Spoons appeared on WBIR News  earlier this week to talk about the severe allergy season we are experiencing this year.

Memorial Day Holiday Schedule

Saturday, May 27th – CLOSED

Monday, May 29th – CLOSED

Our after hours call center is always available at 865-546-9751.

All Summit Express Clinics will be open Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.  Summit Express Clinic on Bearden Hill will be open Monday, 8 a.m. – 2p.m.

New Year's Holiday Schedule

Our office will be closed for the New Year’s holiday on Saturday, December 31st and Monday, January 2nd.  We will re-open on Tuesday, January 3rd at 8 a.m.  For urgent needs during this time, please contact our on call center at the regular office number:  865-546-9751.  Summit Express Clinics will also be open during the holiday for acute, non-emergent visits.

Merry Christmas from IMA Physicians and Staff!

Dr. Hall, Presley, Alexis, Dr. Bentley

Christmas Treats

Christmas Holiday Schedule

Our office will open at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 23rd and close for the Christmas holiday at 12 noon through Monday, December 26th.  We will re-open on Tuesday, December 27th at 8 a.m.  For urgent needs during this time, please contact our on call center at the regular office number:  865-546-9751.  Summit Express Clinics will also be open during the holiday for acute, non-emergent visits.

Summit Express Clinics Christmas Schedule:

December 24th – All express clinics open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

December 25th – Bearden Hill open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.  All other clinics closed.

December 26th – All express clinics open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We want to wish our patients a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Our office will be closed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The after hours call service is always available at 865-546-9751. Summit Express Clinics will be open during the holiday as follows:
Thursday, Nov 24th – Bearden Hill Express Clinic – Open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday, Nov 25th – Bearden Hill, Fountain City, and Powell Express Clinics – Open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov 26th – All Express Clinics open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Call or go on line to schedule.

Happy Halloween from your friendly ghouls at Internal Medicine Associates!  Today was our annual Halloween Employee Appreciation celebration!  We truly appreciate our exceptional team.

Our office will be closed on Saturday, September 3rd , and Monday, September 5th, in observance of Labor Day.  For urgent after hours needs, our call center can be reached at 865-546-9751.  Summit Express Clinics will also be available over the holiday weekend.

In September, we will welcome two new physicians to our practice.  Dr. Chad Hughett and Dr. Jared Spoons will join Internal Medicine Associates September 6, 2022 and are both welcoming new patients.  Please call the office at 865-546-9751 and choose option 3 to schedule.

Our office will be closed on Saturday, July 2nd, and Monday, July 4th, in observance of the July 4th holiday.  For urgent after hours needs, our call center can be reached at 865-546-9751.  Summit Express Clinic schedules can be found here. Only the Bearden Express Clinic will be open Monday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Our office will be closed on Saturday, May 28, and Monday, May 30, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.  For urgent after hours needs, our call center can be reached at 865-546-9751.  Summit Express Clinic schedules can be found here. Only the Bearden Express Clinic will be open Monday.

Our own Dr. Kathryn Coombes was featured on WBIR news at noon earlier this week.  A good reminder about the importance of scheduling a check up with your primary care physician and how to prepare for the visit.

Flu Shots are now available as well as Covid boosters for eligible patients.  Please call 865-546-9751, Option 3, to schedule, or ask us at your next appointment.

A Vaccine Delivery Update from Summit Medical Group CEO, Ed Curtis                                              January 25, 2021

 

Dear valued patient:

At Summit Medical Group, we have been planning and taking the necessary steps to ensure that our community receives the vaccine in as timely a manner as possible. Despite these efforts, we have yet to receive any allocation of vaccines whatsoever from the state — including the 1a2 allocation intended for our essential, front-line medical caregivers.

Despite my repeated inquiries, we have not even received a delivery date for the vaccines. I diligently continue to work directly with federal, state and local authorities on securing a timeline and allocation for Summit, but it continues to be a very frustrating and complicated process for the State of Tennessee.

In the meantime, to provide our most at-risk patients with the vaccine, Summit is partnering with various local healthcare organizations that have received their allocations and have a surplus of vaccines available. We are currently working with these organizations to schedule our highest-risk patients for vaccinations at the various locations. In conjunction with federal and state guidelines, the level of risk is determined by age; the older the patient, the higher the perceived risk.

Therefore, we have created a list of our patients 75 and older, from our most senior to our youngest within the 75+ age group. If your name is on this list we will be reaching out to you individually to schedule an appointment once one of the hospital systems has provided us with the number of appointments/vaccinations they have available. While this isn’t the preferred method of providing this vital service to our patients, we are thankful and fortunate to have these organizations team with Summit to care for our patients. We truly are all in this together.

We hope this helps ease any fears or quell any rumors that may circulate regarding the availability or distribution of the vaccine by Summit Medical Group. As always, I will provide real-time updates as they become available regarding our timeline and eventual receipt of the vaccine. We are grateful to you, our patients, for your continued confidence in us. It’s your trust that allows Summit Medical Group to do the remarkable and for that, we thank you.

 

Stay safe and be well.

Ed Curtis, CEO

Summit Medical Group

COVID-19 Vaccines – A message from Summit Medical Group CEO, Ed Curtis

Dear Valued Patient,

Summit Medical Group continues to work closely with federal, state and local officials to develop the plan for COVID-19 vaccine distribution here in East Tennessee. We understand and appreciate that as our patients, you want to know exactly when and how you will be able to access the vaccine. To help keep you informed, I will share regular updates via our patient portal and email as the Tennessee State Department of Health releases more detailed guidance on the next phases of vaccine administration.

We do not yet know the specific timeline for when we will be able to provide the vaccine to patients and must follow Tennessee’s mandated plan, which is to ensure vaccination of all front line responders and health care workers prior to offering vaccinations to the residents of our local communities. Presently, we are awaiting the delivery of vaccinations for our medical staff. On Tuesday, I spoke directly with a state health official regarding this timeline and was not given a definite date.

We are aware that the Knoxville Health Department did offer a ‘clinic’ this past weekend to provide vaccinations to individuals aged 75 and older. However, Summit Medical Group is not on the same timeline as the Health Department, so there is no need to contact your provider or provider’s office to schedule a vaccination appointment at this time.

I will continue to share updates and let you know when it is time for you to schedule your vaccine appointment as soon as we receive our supply of the community vaccines. For general COVID-19 vaccine information, visit the CDC’s FAQ as well as its page on Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines. For now, I ask you to continue to focus on prevention — wear a mask, socially distance, and wash your hands.

The most important thing is to stay on top of your overall health and well-being. Telehealth and in-person appointments are available for all your other primary care needs. Please call your provider’s office to make an appointment. Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation.

With gratitude and optimism,

Ed Curtis,

CEO, Summit Medical Group

New Year's Holiday

Our office will be closed in observance of New Year’s on Friday and Saturday, January 1st and 2nd.  We will re-open on Monday, January 3rd.  If you have an urgent need that cannot wait until the office re-opens, the physician on call is available by calling our office number (865)546-9751.  Summit Express Clinics holiday schedule is listed below:

Bearden Express Clinic Closed New Year’s Day

Farragut, Fountain City and Powell Express Clinics Open New Year’s Day, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

As of September 1, Summit Medical Group will have a new and improved patient portal. This portal will allow patients to request and view
appointments, send messages or refill requests and view test results and billing online without having to schedule an appoint menu or wait on the
phone. After September 1, Summit will no longer use the ‘FollowMyHealth’ portal; however, you will still have access to your medical history through follow my health.  All new information will be in our new Athena Health patient portal.

Thank you for your patience.

To help us provide better service for our patients, we have upgraded to a new and improved electronic medical records system.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to learn how to use our new system and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are also experiencing problems with our telephone system, and we understand your frustration with not being able to contact us.  We are working diligently to resolve these issues.  If you receive a message that you have reached a non working number, please call back.  The problem is intermittent, and you should be able to eventually reach us.  We sincerely apologize for this and hope to have it resolved very soon.

Thank you for choosing Internal Medicine Associates!

We had a baby shower last week for Danielle to welcome Baby Jacey!

We wanted to provide an update to our patients regarding our office response to the coronavirus pandemic. Our office is open, and we are going to great lengths to follow CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and cleaning while continuing to provide all of our patients with quality care. Everyone who enters our building, including employees, must have their temperature checked prior to entry. We also ask that everyone wear a cloth mask while in the building.  When we call to remind your of your appointment, you may be instructed to wait in your car and call when you arrive.  We are doing this to minimize the number of patients in our reception area at the same time.  All patients with a fever or respiratory symptoms are screened and treated in a separate area outside the building.  We want to assure you that we are taking every possible precaution to ensure the safety of our patients and staff. In addition to these precautions, our physicians are offering patients the option of telemedicine appointments when it is appropriate. This allows patients to have a virtual visit with their physician if they don’t feel comfortable getting out during this time. A recent article in the Knoxville News-Sentinel provides more information about Telemedicine. Please call the office if you would like to schedule a telemedicine appointment.

Telehealth appointments with your physician are now available.

Farewell to Elizabeth Gager, NP

Nurse Practitioner, Elizabeth Gager and her family have moved to Nashville.  We will certainly miss Elizabeth at IMA, and we know our patients will miss her as well.   We wish her the best and know she will be an asset in the new community she serves.  Here are some pictures with IMA family on  Elizabeth’s last day.

 

Thank You!

Thank you to our patients and members of the community who have reached out to provide much needed supplies.  Thank you to Brickey-McCloud Elementary School for hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.  Thank you for the cloth masks for our staff that several patients and friends have provided.  Thank you for the snacks and meals that have been provided.  Your kindness and generosity is much appreciated!

NOTICE OF INSURANCE CHANGES FOR 2020

Effective January 1, 2020, Summit Medical Group will no longer accept Cigna Healthspring insurance plansPlease note we will continue to participate with most other Cigna plans.  

We do participate in two other Medicare Advantage Plans:

  • Humana Gold Plus or Humana Choice                                                                  1-800-211-2356 (ext. 4703934) or humana-medicareadvantage.com
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Advantage or BlueEssential                                 1-888-770-8840 or bcbst-medicare.com

 

Effective January 1, 2020, Summit Medical Group will no longer accept United Healthcare Dual Complete or Amerivantage Dual Complete insurance plans.  Please note we will continue to participate with most other UHC plans.

We do participate in two other Dual Eligible Special Need Plans (D-SNP):

  • Humana Gold Plus D-SNP                                                                                           1-800-211-2356 (ext. 4703934) Humana.com
  • BlueCare Plus of Tennessee                                                                                        1-888-413-9637 bluecareplus.bcbst.com

 

You can switch to one of these plans and continue to see your Summit provider in 2020.

How do you switch?

  • If you know the plan you want to select, contact the health plan directly.
  • If you are unsure, contact a health insurance agent for guidance.
  • For a free consultation with an independent health insurance agent, contact:
    • Senior Financial Group (an independent health insurance agent) 865-777-0153 or 800-677-0153 email:  info@sfgmedicare.com

 

CareNotify by HealthGrid

We are pleased to announce the launch of CareNotify by HealthGrid!  CareNotify allows patients to receive visit summaries from your physician via secure text messaging.  After your visit, you will receive a text message with a secure link to your visit summary.  When you access the link, you will be asked to enter your last name and date of birth in order to access the summary.  Please see the link below to Frequently Asked Questions for more details on CareNotify.  If you have additional questions, please give us a call, and we will be happy to address.

CareNotify-FAQ

Free Diabetes Education

The American Diabetes Association is offering online education for people living with Type 2 Diabetes.  Click here for a link to the town hall educational series.

We are are excited to serve you in our new office at 7744 Conner Rd in Powell.

We are just behind the hospital at the corner of Conner and Dannaher.  If you haven’t been in yet, we look forward to seeing you soon.  Click here to read about our new convenient location on the Summit Medical Group website.

Standard Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage Plans

Medicare plans can be confusing.  Follow this link for some helpful information as you make decisions about your Medicare coverage: http://www.smghealthadvantage.com/issues/2014/october-2014/medicare-billing.aspx?SGUID=54241387-be43-4eb7-bfa0-a569a9636955

IMA is now performing DOT Physicals!

Call (865) 546-9751 for an appointment.