On-call Coverage

Click if you have an emergency. 

There is only one doctor in this program.  When I am out of town, on most but not all occasions Dr. Jon Sobotka, or Dr. David Hart,  Dr. Henry Elder, will be covering my practice.  His number will be given on my voicemail message at those times. 

However, when I am in town, the "on-call" doctor is me, carrying a pager and a cell phone.  There will be times when the cell phone goes dead; or when the pager gets left on the dresser.  Every doc' I know has blown it from time to time like that.  In other call groups, there is usually -- but not always -- a back-up person or group to chase down.  Not here. 

If you need a program that includes more certain "on-call" services, you will need a different provider.  If you are a current patient of mine, please let me know and I'll try to arrange transfer to another doctor. 

My local emergency room colleagues in Corvallis are excellent, and they understand that they can call me anytime.  So if you end up there, perhaps because you couldn't reach me somehow, they may be able to find me.  If I am in town, and I need to see you in the ER at Good Samaritan, I will do so at any time of day or night (this is regarded as standard care in most large towns, not heroism). 

But what if I am out of town?  I will still carry the pager and phone, and in most cases will still be available that way even if it's from Texas or somewhere.  

Again, if you have an emergency level of risk, call 911 or go -- if it's safe to do so -- to the closest emergency room.  The doctors there can call my pager or try to reach me at home.  If I'm out of town, and you need to be in a hospital for safety and/or treatment, the emergency room doc's can arrange that even without me. 

Dr. Phelps