Clinic information

A timely response to your questions and medical problems is very important to me. At present I think we have a functioning system for taking care of clinical issues. The phone numbers to use for different situations are listed below, as well as the answers to some frequent questions.
Contact information summary
How do I contact Dr. Lindsey?
How do I know if I am having a relapse and what do I do about it?
Emergencies
Prescription refills
Appointments
Medical Records
Does the clinic ever run on time?

Contact information summary:
For most problems, call my medical assistant, Linda Taylor, at 832-325-7082.
For appointments, the scheduler is Julia McCulloch, 832-325-7080. Call Linda for backup.
For medication refills, call your pharmacy, and have them fax us a refill request.
Linda is very reliable. She checks her phone messages several times a day, and always knows how to reach me or whoever is covering for me if I am out of the office. If for some reason you don't get a response, you can also leave messages with my secretary, Donna Bordeau, at 713-500-7029 and on my office phone at 713-500-7141. I do want to know if you have trouble getting through to me.

How do I contact Dr. Lindsey?: The best way to get a message to me is through Linda Taylor, my clinic assistant, at 832 325-7082. She is very reliable, and knows how to contact me at all times. You will often get in touch with her directly, but sometimes will need to leave a message. When you leave a message, say why you are calling and leave a call back number where we can reach you both during the day and in the evening. I answer phone calls during breaks, which tends to be at the end of the day or early evening, so make sure I have a number which will work during that time. If I get an answering machine, I leave a message saying that I called, but will not leave details to protect your privacy. I prefer not to use email because the phone is a more effective way to communicate for almost everything except simple yes or no questions. As a last resort if phone calls don't get a response, you can email me at john.w.lindsey@uth.tmc.edu.

How do I know if I am having a relapse and what do I do about it?: Usually an MS exacerbation is obvious with new symptoms such as weakness, loss of sensation, or vision problems that develop over a few days and persist for weeks. Symptoms which last for less than a day or appear only when fatigued are not an exacerbation. We want to know about MS relapses or exacerbations promptly since treatment with corticosteroids can make the symptoms go away faster. We recommend treatment with corticosteroids for any exacerbation where the symptoms affect your usual activities. It is important that you do not wait more than 3-5 days before calling unless symptoms are mild and/or improving.

Emergencies: Fortunately, there are not many neurologic emergencies, particularly in multiple sclerosis. Most problems can be handled with a scheduled clinic visit. If you think you are having a medical emergency, you should either call 911 for an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency room. For urgent problems, use the procedure above. If you have a problem which can’t wait until our office is open but it is not an emergency, you can call 713-704-4284 and ask to speak to the UT neurologist on call.

Prescription refills: The easiest way to handle these is to contact your pharmacy and have them fax us a refill request at 713-500-2239. This should get done within 48 hours. Make sure they put either my name or Linda Taylor's name on the fax so it gets to the right person.

Appointments: To schedule an appointment, please call the clinic appointment line at 832 325-7080. If you don't get a timely response, please call Linda Taylor at 832 325-7082. As always, you can contact my office phone 713 500-7141 as the final backup.

Medical Records: If you need to have your medical records sent out from UT Physicians, please contact: UT Physicians, Medical Records Department, 6410 Fannin, Suite LL100, Houston, Texas 77030, or telephone 832 325-6543.

Does the clinic ever run on time? We try to, but we often get behind schedule. This usually happens when someone is late for their appointment, we squeeze in someone with an urgent problem, or someone has a complicated problem that takes a long time. Insurance issues can also cause delays. You should arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment to take care of the paperwork, and make sure you have preauthorization for the visit if it is required by your insurance. The first appointments in the morning and afternoon should always be on time, so try to schedule your appointment then if promptness is important to you.