This means that the person answering the phone, the receptionist, needs some basic information in order to write out a message for the triage person. The person answering the phone needs to know what the problem is, how long it's been going on, what type of treatment the patient has tried to alleviate the problem, and how soon the patient wants to be seen. In some offices, messages are recorded on an answering machine which is checked throughout the day and the patients are called back on a timely basis. Depending on the information given at the time of the call, a health care professional will return the call within the next day or so, in order to evaluate whether the patient needs to be seen and how quickly that can be accomplished. The goal for all involved is to provide appropriate medical care for the type of problem presented.
Many offices have separate phone numbers for prescription refills.
These can be recorded as a phone message and simply called into the pharmacy during the day. Sometimes the original prescription had refills already authorized, and this can be easily checked by talking to the pharmacy. It's a good idea to be aware of the services available in your physician's office. If they have specialized phone lines for prescription refills or for triage of acute patient needs, it's generally faster to use these services.