Desert Family Medical Center
At Desert Family Medical Center, excellence in patient care and service a re the cornerstone of our medical practice . We look forward to providing you and your family's primary medicine needs. Established in 2001 by Dr. Erik Palmer, this office prides itself with providing stellar primary medicine care, serving as your coordinator for your specialty health referrals, and minor medical emergencies . From annual physicals to complex problems, our facilities are equipped with modern technology, and quality assurance and control to ensure accurate diagnoses and treatment plans in a compassionate and timely manner. Your health is our priority . Click here to learn more.
Hours of Operations
We are open to serve you, answer questions, or schedule an appointment from:
Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m. to noon, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
We are CLOSED between 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. to tend to administrative duties.
After Hours Care
Desert Family Medical Center is proud to offer After Hours Care through our On-Call Nurse . Please call us at (760) 323-4272 . This service is on during the following hours and times:
Monday-Friday: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Saturdays and Sundays: All Day
Holidays and Days-Off: All Day
During our office hours our DFMC Care Team will answer your calls from 9:00 am to 12 noon and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Between the Hours of 12 noon to 2:00 pm our answering machine will take the message and we will get back to you as soon as we re-open.
Our Mission
The mission of Desert Family Medical Center is to provide personalized, effective, and prompt medical attention to our patients. We know your time is precious, and your health is your most important asset. Our goal is to provide you with efficient and caring medical service in a timely fashion. Our medical providers and staff have been fully trained and educated to assist you with your health concerns, and we constantly keep abreast of new medical issues that affect you and your family. We have created an environment of compassion and professionalism to make your visit as comfortable and pleasant as possible. We look forward to your good health and a long and healthy relationship with you. If you have any questions about our medical office, please feel free to contact us.
Appointments
Your scheduled appointment time has been reserved specifically for you. We request 48-hours notice if you need to cancel your appointment. We are aware that unforeseen events sometimes require missing an appointment. After missing an appointment without notifying us 24 hours in advance, you are subject to being charged a $25 fee, which will be reflected on your account.
For new patients, if you miss your first appointment without notifying us, you will not be able to establish as a patient at this office. For established patients, if you miss 2 appointments in a row without notifying this office, you will be discharged as a patient from this office.
Office Policies for Our Valued Patients
The following polices are standard procedure at Desert Family Medical Center in order to assure the most positive outcome for your experience at our facilities:
- All patients are required to understand and know their own medical health insurance plans. Desert Family Medical Center is NOT responsible for any treatments or medications that are not covered by your plan. It is the patient's responsibility to contact their own insurance companies to make sure about the coverage they are receiving under their policies.
- Patients may NOT discuss their medical insurance policy or any political issues related to medical health coverage with the providers. Please refer your insurance questions with your agent or organization that sponsors your plan that you are covered by. Our Medical offices, team members and providers are not responsible for knowing the policy you have elected.
- All co-payments are due at the time of the patient's appointment. We reserve the right to refuse service if co-payment is not rendered. This office only accepts cash, MasterCard and Visa, Discover, American Express and money orders for payment. We do not accept personal checks for co-payments at this office. Co-payments must be rendered before seeing medical provider.
- All patient bill balances are due within 30-days of receipt of bill. Patient balances that are over 90-days due will be sent to collections, and this office reserves the right to discharge patients with overdue balances.
- If a patient is not able to make their appointment, it is required they contact our office 24-hours in advance. A $25.00 charge will be billed to patients for any missed appointment, if it is not cancelled within 24-hours. Our automated system will contact you with your appointment reminder.
- Patients who have missed two appointments in a row without informing our office will be discharged from this medical practice.
- All patients will be charged a MINIMUM of $25.00 for any medical records, medical forms or other forms (i.e. DMV forms, school forms, etc.) that require the doctor/medical provider's review and/or signature. This fee is due at the time of submitting forms to our office. Longer and more complex forms will be charged at a higher rate to be determined at the time of review. Each form is charged separately, hence one signature per form. Example, if you have 5 forms with 5 required provider signatures it will be totaled as $100.00. There are no exceptions to this situation regardless of patient's fiscal situation
- Please allow 72 hours for pharmacy refills. It is federal law for certain medications to be approved by the pharmacies to be refilled within the allotted time period.
- No smoking, drinking of beverages of any kind, or eating in the office.
- Please turn off your cell phone during examinations. The doctor/medical provider reserves the right to terminate the examination if patient talks on their cell phone during the examination.
- All triplicate prescriptions will be refilled only at the date that is allowed. Early refills are not permitted. We require 48 hours advance notice for triplicate refills. This is a federal law that our office must uphold for the safety of the patients.
- This office does not have the equipment or storage space to hold patients' x-rays. We receive patient x-ray reports electronically and can interpret results based on the reports we receive. The reports are stored in your patient chart. We suggest that patients retain their own x-rays.
- Desert Family Medical Center has a zero tolerance policy against aggressive behavior, unreasonable and/or unrealistic expectations, bullying, profanity, sexual innuendos, written and verbal abuse towards our staff from patients and their family members. Any display of this behavior will be subject to being terminated as a patient from this office.
- All patients are required to sign a Physician-Patient Arbitration Agreement. Patients whom refuse to sign this agreement will not have the privilege to be a patient with our offices .
- If a patient transfers to another primary care physician's office for reasons other than reassignment of their insurance plan which this office does not accept or moving to another geographic location away from the Palm Springs vicinity, we will not allow the patient the privilege of returning as a patient at this office.
- If patient is over 15 minutes late, your appointment will be rescheduled.
- Patients will be contacted about their normal lab results by the staff. Only in situations that warrant our physician or mid-level provider to contact you will the doctor or mid-level provider call the patient. This policy is standard and not amendable.
- If you feel that our operational procedures is not to your expectation; it is expected you go through due process by discussing it first with our Chief Operating Officer and then Executive Director before contacting the insurance plan. Aggressive and unwarranted complaints will result in your being discharged from this office.
- This office is not responsible for making appointments for your referrals for other medical providers or support services. It is the responsibility of the patient or his/her medical guardian.
- Our offices are not responsible for lost or stolen items that are brought to this office.
- If the patient believes there is an error with the coding for their medical diagnoses and treatment plan; it is the patient's responsibility to contact their health plan and discuss what the correct coding should reflect. This office is not obligated to make a correction unless it has been proven we have made an oversight on the matter.
- Copayments are due at the time of your appointment, failure to render the payment will require you to reschedule your appointment.
- No companion animals. Only legitimate service animals for seeing eye dogs and handicapped people.
- This is a not a dental or post-surgical clinic. We neither perform dental work nor remove elective surgical sutures such as plastic surgery or anything cosmetic. Only sutures placed by our own providers and the Emergency Room.
Desert Regional Medical Center
1150 N Indian Canyon Dr
Palm Springs
(760) 323-6511
Business Philosophy
As the regional medical center in the Coachella Valley, Desert Regional Medical Center's vision is the continuous improvement of the health and well-being of the communities we serve. A commitment to clinical excellence shall be demonstrated through measurable quality outcomes, while ongoing financial stability will enable Desert Regional Medical Center to fulfill its mission and attain its vision.
Mission Statement
The Hospital you trust to care for those you love.
General Facts
Founded in 1948, Desert Regional Medical Center is a 387-bed tertiary acute care hospital located in Palm Springs. The emergency department is the Coachella Valley's only designated trauma center, serving more than 8,000 square miles of Southeastern California.
Desert Regional Medical Center offers a comprehensive array of services that includes: Emergency/Trauma Services , Comprehensive Cancer Center , Institute of Clinical Orthopedics and Neurosciences , Bariatric Specialists , Joslin Diabetes Center , El Mirador Imaging Center and inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services. In addition, Desert Regional has expanded three of its clinics to the La Quinta Medical Center at 47647 Caleo Bay: Comprehensive Cancer Center, Institute of Clinical Orthopedics and Neurosciences, and La Quinta Imaging.
Desert Regional Medical Center has received The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval, its highest level of certification, for their Advanced Primary Stroke Center and Advanced Congestive Heart Failure program.
For Physicians
We believe that building relationships with physicians is a major way to secure a successful future in the rapidly evolving health care industry. Our facility offers a wide variety of rewarding and challenging practice opportunities as a medical staff member. Our team of dedicated Physician Relations Managers (PRM) is at your disposal to help make Desert Regional a convenient place for you to practice. To connect with the appropriate PRM and subsequent services you require visit www.desertregional.com/prm
Find Opportunities
Check here to find and inquire about a physician opportunity at our facility.
Find Information
Resources for current Desert Regional medical staff members and new applicants
Breast Cancer Pre-Treatment Conference
Every Wednesday
Tumor Board - Cancer Conference
Every Thursday
Thoracic Pre-Treatment Conference
2nd Tuesday each month
Grand Rounds
1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month
For more information on CME's, please contact the Medical Staff Office at (760) 323-6158.
Medical Library at Desert Regional Medical Center
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed Saturday-Sunday.
For more information, please contact Judith Cohen, Medical Librarian at (760) 323-6151.
Our Services
Click on one of the links below to see a complete list of each service we offer.
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Our Commitment to Quality |
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One of the keys to the success of any worthwhile endeavor we choose to undertake is our ability to measure our progress in achieving the objectives we have set for ourselves. Without this critical feedback, we cannot accurately judge whether our efforts are truly effective or not. I'd like to tell you about the initiatives we have implemented to improve quality of care and patient safety at Desert Regional Medical Center. On this web site you will see information on some of the programs and processes we have put in place to help us achieve our quality goals, and highlights some of the individuals who play a key role in these important efforts. Desert Medical Center achieved an aggregate score of 97.4% in the CMS core measures reported by the federal government, which is above the national average of 97.1% . I am very proud of our performance and extremely appreciative of the dedicated staff and physicians whose hard work are behind this great score. The information contained in this document offers tangible evidence of the progress we are making toward accomplishing our No. 1 objective: ensuring that we consistently provide safe and effective care for every patient who seeks treatment at our hospital. At Desert Medical Center, we are committed to providing each and every patient with quality care. |
