Greater Binghamton Eye Surgery Center

Dr. Geremie Palombaro is a board certified physician. He grew up in Vestal and is excited to have returned and to practice in his hometown. He attended Binghamton University, where he studied Biology and later received his medical degree from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Palombaro completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Cleveland’s University Hospital. He then completed his Ophthalmology residency, during which he was named Chief resident, at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. After intensive micro-surgical training at LECOM, he was then accepted into a highly selective Oculoplastic and Facial Reconstruction fellowship in El Paso Texas. His fellowship allowed for a diversity of experience and training while working at El Paso Children’s Hospital and University Medical Center of El Paso, which is a renowned teaching and research hospital and the only level 1 trauma center in a 280-mile radius of El Paso. During his fellowship, Dr. Palombaro worked with eminent Facial Plastic surgeons, Otolaryngologists (ENT surgeons), Dermatologic (Mohs) surgeons, Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons (OMF), and Oculoplastic surgeons. Dr. Palombaro has written many medical articles, including research publications in The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).Upon finishing his Oculoplastic surgery fellowship he joined a multispecialty practice in Pennsylvania. Through his dedication to his patients Dr. Palombaro has received many awards and accolades including Top Ophthalmologist Pennsylvania, and Top 10 Best Plastic Surgeons Pennsylvania.

After his extensive and intense training and work experience Dr Palombaro has returned home to New York to join Sambursky Eye and Esthetics. He is excited to provide the highest quality Oculofacial Plastic and Ophthalmic surgery to his patients.

On the day of your surgery, you’ll be greeted by our receptionist and will begin a short admission process.

One of our registered nurses will then escort you and assist you into a surgical gown and prepare you for your surgical procedure.

You will be greeted by the anesthesiologist and surgeon and have an opportunity to ask any questions.

When your surgical procedure has ended, you will be taken back to our recovery area.

You will then be served a light snack and a postoperative recovery room nurse will explain your postoperative instructions.

The entire process, from admission to discharge is typically no longer than 3-4 hours. The next day one of our nurses will call you to check up on how you’re feeling.

Insurances We Accept

We are in-network for most major insurance companies. Please contact your surgeon’s office if you have questions about your insurance.

Information About Your Bill

Thank you for choosing the Greater Binghamton Eye Surgery Center for your surgical needs. The following will provide you with some of our billing information.

CoPay – if your insurance has a co-pay, we will try to collect this in full at the time of check in for your surgical visit. We will make every attempt to contact you prior to your surgical visit to inform you of the co-pay amount that is due at the time of check in. If you have any questions on whether a co-pay is to be collected, contact our office at 607-821-0669 and we will provide you with this information.

Upon completion of your surgical service, we will bill your primary and secondary insurance carriers. It is your responsibility to provide us with accurate and current information either prior to or on the day of your visit.

We have in-house billing staff, who take care of filing claims with your insurance carrier as well as collecting any balances attributed to your responsibility by your insurance carrier. Please reference the telephone numbers listed on your patient statement if you have any questions about your bill. Payments can be made by calling our office at 607-821-0669, or sent in the mail to our address which is: 530 Columbia Drive, Johnson City, NY 13790.

You can expect to receive 3 separate bills following your surgical visit from:

The Greater Binghamton Eye Surgery Center, and this covers your surgical visit which includes the supplies, equipment, and staff time to care for you while you are at our surgical center.

Your surgeon’s office.

The anesthesia provider (Model Anesthesia), if you received anesthesia.

As a Patient, You Have the Right to:

• To have access to the patient rights and responsibilities established by this center;
• Be treated with respect, consideration and dignity;
• The right to effective communication;
• The right to be respected for your cultural and personal values, beliefs, and preferences;
• To be provided appropriate, security and privacy;
• The right to pain management;
• The right to access, request amendment to, and obtain information on disclosures of his or her health information, in accordance with law and regulation;
• The right to receive care in a safe setting;
• The right to information in a manner tailored to the patient’s age, language, and ability to understand;
• The center provides interpreting and translation services;
• The center communicates with the patient who has vision, speech, hearing, or cognitive impairments in a manner that fits the patient’s need.
• To be free from all forms of abuse, harassment, or neglect;
• To be fully informed about a treatment or procedure, agree with their care, and the expected outcome before the procedure is performed;
• Have the right to be involved with all aspects of their care including refusing care and treatment an resolving problems with care decisions;
• Have the right to have access to spiritual care while at the center if desired
• The organization respects the patient’s right to receive care in a safe setting;
• Appropriate information regarding the absence of malpractice insurance coverage.
• If a patient is adjudged incompetent under applicable state health and safety laws by a court of proper jurisdiction, the rights of the patient are exercised by the person appointed under state law to act on the patient’s behalf;
• If a state court has not adjudged a patient incompetent, any legal representative designated by the patient, in accordance with the state law, may exercise the patients’ rights to the extent allowed by state law;
• To see posted written notice of the patient rights in a place or places within the ASC likely to be noticed by patients (or their representative, if applicable) waiting for treatment. The written poster will include name, address, and telephone number of a representative of the state agency to whom the patient can report complaints, as well as the web site for the Office of the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman
• Patient disclosures and records are treated confidentially, and patients are given the opportunity to approve or refuse their release, except when release is required by law.
• Patients are provided, to the degree known, complete information concerning their diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and prognosis. When it is medically inadvisable to give such information to a patient, the information is provided to a person designated by the patient or a legally authorized person.
• Patients are informed of their right to change their provider if other qualified providers are available.
• Patients are given the opportunity to participate in decisions involving their healthcare, treatment, or services, except when such participation is contraindicated for medical reasons.
• The center involves the patient’s family in care, treatment, or services decisions to the extent permitted by the patient or surrogate decision-maker, in accordance with law and regulation.
• The center provides the patient, or surrogate decision-maker, with the information about the outcomes of care, treatment, or services that the patient needs to participate in current and future health care decisions.
• The center informs the patient, or surrogate decision-maker, about unanticipated outcomes of care, treatment.
• Marketing or advertising regarding the competence and capabilities of the organizations is not misleading to patients.
• Patients are informed about procedures for expressing suggestions, complaints, and grievances, including those required by state and federal regulations.
• The patient has the right to voice grievances regarding treatment or care that is (or fails to be) furnished.
• The patient has the right to exercise his or her rights without being subject to coercion, discrimination, reprisal, or interruption of care that could adversely affect the patient.
• Patient rights, conduct and responsibilities;
• Services available at the organization;
• Provisions for after hour emergency care;
• Fee for services;
• Payment policies;
• Patient’s right to refuse participation in experimental research;
• Advance directives, as required by state and/or federal law and regulations;
• The credentials of health care professionals;

Prior to receiving care, patients are informed of their responsibilities. These responsibilities require the patient to:

Provide complete and accurate information to the best of his/her ability about his/her health, any medications, including over the counter products and dietary supplements and any allergies or sensitivities;

Follow the treatment plan prescribed by his/her provider;

Provide a responsible adult to transport him/her home from the facility and remain with him/her for twenty-four (24) hours, if required by his/her provider;

Inform his/her provider about any living will, medical power of attorney, or other directive that could affect his/her care;

Accept personal financial responsibility for any charges not covered by his/her insurance;

Be respectful of all the health care providers and staff, as well as other patients.

This facility will temporarily rescind the patients DNR; based on conscience (the scheduled procedure is an elective procedure), regardless of the contents of any DNR or instructions from a health care surrogate or attorney. If an adverse event occurs at this facility, we will initiate resuscitative or other stabilizing measures and transfer patient to an acute care hospital for further evaluation. The receiving hospital will implement further treatment or withdrawal of treatment measures already begun in accordance with patient wishes, advance directive or health care power of attorney.

To receive written information about their physician’s possible ownership in the Surgery Center. Patients are informed about physician ownership prior to their procedure.

The Center strives to provide high quality of care and achieve patient satisfaction. Patient grievances/complaints provide a means to measure achievement of this goal and to identify a need for performance improvement.

Grievance/Complaint: Grievances are defined as care that the ASC provided or allegedly failed to provide.

Neglect – Failure to provide goods and services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness (42 CFR 488.301).

Abuse – The willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish (42 CFR 488.301).

All complaints received by the Center personnel shall be forwarded to the clinical director or his/her designee immediately, at least the same day. The clinical director will respond to the grievance within 72 hours of receiving it. For a full copy of the grievance procedure, please ask any Center personnel.

All patients will be advised, in advance of the procedure, the center’s policies on patient rights, patient responsibilities, patient grievance, NYS surprise bill law, advance directives, and disclosure of ownership. The patient has the right to receive this information in a language and manner that the patient or the patient’s representative understands. The center gives brochures to each patient being admitted with the center’s written policies regarding this information. The nurse making the preoperative call informs the patient verbally of this information.

NEW YORK Board of Physicians
Information: www.op.nysed.gov/opd/
Email: conduct@nysed.gov
Phone: 800-442-8106
Fax: 212-951-6420
Write: Office of Professional Discipline, 1411 Broadway, Tenth Floor, New York, NY 10018

NYS Department of Health
NEW YORK Department of Health
Centralized Hospital Intake Program (CHIPS)
1/800/804/5447
State Medical Board of NEW YORK
Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC)
Riverview Center
150 Broadway Ave, Suite 355, Albany, NY 12204

The TJC (The Joint Commission)
Mailing address:
Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois 60181
Fax: 630-792-5636
E-mail: complaint@jointcommission.org
Online: http://www.jointcommission.org/report_a_complaint.aspx

Office of the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman
Online: http://www.medicare.gov/claims-and-appeals/medicare-rights/get-help/ombudsman.html
Visit the web site listed above or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for more information, to ask questions, and to submit complaints about Medicare to the Office of the Medicare Ombudsman. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.