Dr. Birken sees patients by appointment only, at his office conveniently located in the Texas Medical Arts Tower on Red Oak Drive. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to Noon and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.

In advance of your first office visit, please complete our on-line registration located under "Patient Information" on our website home page. This form is used for new patients and established patients wishing to update their information.  The information included in these forms -- basic medical history and insurance coverage -- will enable us to set up your patient file, make the necessary insurance confirmations, and to give Dr. Birken a chance to review your file before your appointment. We do ask that you include insurance information even if you plan to handle all payments yourself so that we may maintain complete records. All information supplied by you -- including conversations with Dr. Birken or the office staff -- will be held in the strictest confidence, and released only upon your written request.

We realize that our patients also have schedules to keep, and dislike being kept waiting past their reserved time. We make every effort to adhere to scheduled appointment times; however, circumstances beyond our control occasionally cause delays. Whenever it appears that a delay might occur, we try to notify patients so that they may delay their arrival accordingly. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding in these cases; we do try to keep such inconveniences to a minimum.

Should it become necessary for you to cancel an appointment, we ask that you contact the office as soon as possible so that you can be rescheduled, and the time can be allocated to another patient waiting for an appointment. At least 24 hours notice of a cancellation would be appreciated.

Appointments for surgical procedures are handled on an individual basis, and depend upon factors such as the nature of the operation and its urgency, availability of operating rooms and outpatient facilities, and Dr. Birken's schedule. Surgical patients will be given specific information about the procedure to be performed, and thorough instructions about any necessary preparations. Dr. Birken and the staff will be pleased to answer any questions you might have about the surgery itself, and discuss what you might experience and expect in the way of recovery time. We will do everything we can to make every surgical experience not only successful for our patients, but as pleasant as possible.

Dr. Birken participates in a variety of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO's) and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO's) in addition to private or group insurance plans. We are pleased to file appropriate insurance forms for our patients. For HMO and PPO patients, however, we do require that you present your program's identification card at each visit, or you must pay the amount due at that time.

We accept cash, personal checks, Master Card, Visa and American Express for our patient's convenience. We recognize that unexpected medical expenses can sometimes place a burden on family budgets. Please schedule a meeting with our Financial Manager if it becomes necessary to work out a mutually acceptable payment plan. Please notify us if there are any changes in your insurance coverage.

Dr. Birken's fees are based upon the current average fees for our specialty in the northwest Houston area. If you have any questions about fees or other financial policies, please ask our Financial Manager for clarification to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.