More Information about Dr. Looney
Some patients like to have more information about my background before the first visit. Brief information is available on Dr. Looney's Duke website.
Making an Appointment
Call for Dr. Looney's availability for seeing a new patient or providing consultation. The office number is (919) 684-6457.
Your First Visit with Dr. Looney
Once you are in Dr. Looney's office he will try to provide you with very private and sensitive care. However, before you get there a number of things possibly could be frustrating. There are things he cannot control which will require your planning and patience. Duke is a big place and it is easy to get lost. Please plan to come as much as an hour early to your first appointment to allow for getting lost or for slow processing at the registration desk.
There is a Valet Parking Service in the circle in front of the Duke South Clinic. Dr. Looney suggests you use that service at least for your first visit in order to make that visit as easy as possible. If you want to park yourself, use the deck on Trent Drive. Click Here for a Duke South Clinic Campus Map
Please download and bring the two forms Resolution of Concerns Agreement and Privacy and Professional Reputation Agreement (see FORMS TO BRING).
Please arrive at Registration Desk 1-D. It is near the gift shop and pharmacy on the first floor of Duke South Clinic. They will direct you to Dr. Looney's office.
Again, please come early. Dr. Looney has had the unhappy experience of having a patient come from far out of town and yet he could not see them because they did not arrive until after their appointment was over, and he had others he had to see.
PLEASE keep the appointment you were given. CHANGING APPOINTMENTS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. Please review the information on rescheduling and cancellation below under CHANGING AN APPOINTMENT/MISSED APPOINTMENTS regarding the policy about these matters.
Billing and Insurance
Dr. Looney can provide you with a list of fees for different services. He will also discuss your insurance. Often your insurance company will ask you to be responsible for part of the fee. If you wish to find out if Dr. Looney is covered by your insurance, call (919) 684-0105. Dr. Looney asks that you follow Duke Medical Center’s policy to pay the co-payment at the time of each visit. You will be billed for Dr. Looney’s services by the Private Diagnostic Clinic (PDC). This organization is the group practice of faculty at Duke. Your billing from the Private Diagnostic Clinic will show the total amount of the bill, how much you have paid in co-payment and how much the insurance has paid. If you have questions about your bill, please discuss them with Dr. Looney.
Many patients prefer to make direct financial arrangements for Dr. Looney’s services thus avoiding an insurance company having access to any information about them. If you wish to use this option Dr. Looney can explain its pros and cons when you see him.
Changing and Appointment/Missed Appointments
Dr. Looney will ask you to abide by Duke Medical Center’s changing of appointment and cancellation policy. Your time with Dr. Looney is reserved only for you. Unlike some other types of medical practices, Dr. Looney does not over-book. If you cancel an appointment, Dr. Looney’s ability to substitute another patient on short notice is very limited. For this reason he asks that you be aware of the cancellation policy. You may cancel or request a change of appointment without incurring any fee by telephoning Dr. Looney’s office (684-6457) two business days prior to that appointment. Otherwise, the Private Diagnostic Clinic will charge you for a missed visit. The fees for a missed visit are $56.00 for a missed 20-30 minute visit and $112.00 for a missed 45 minute visit. These charges are not covered by insurance.
Again, what about changing an appointment with adequate prior notification to Dr. Looney? Dr. Looney understands that important issues come up in the lives of his patients that require schedule changes and he will try to make these changes. There will, of course be no charge for changes requested with adequate notice. Nevertheless, Dr. Looney asks that patients try their best to avoid rescheduling. He asks that patients understand that it could be as long as several months before the appointment can be rescheduled. Time slots to see patients are longer in psychiatry, and thus it is harder to move patient appointments. Rescheduling can also cause prescribed medications to run out.
