OUR MEDICAL SERVICES

At LucitaMD our most important service is as a Primary Care Provider or to serve as your first point of contact for all of your medical concerns. A primary care provider (PCP) is a physician or nurse practitioner that takes care of a patient’s basic needs across many different areas. The primary care provider cares about the patient’s whole health including aspects of preventative care such as screenings, medications, and referrals. This provider makes sure the patient receives the proper care and coordinates with various specialists as needed.

One of the best ways to treat a condition is to diagnose it early. That is why we care deeply about screening and early detection for diabetes, cancer, COPD, heart and kidney disease, and other ailments as one of the most important services of our office.

PRE-SCREENING

We specialize in screening for early detection of diabetes, cancer, COPD, heart and kidney disease, and other ailments, to ensure the health of your and your loved ones.

PUBLIC HEALTH

We focus on promoting health, preventing disease, and managing the health of all communities. With public health knowledge and skills, we want to make sure everyone is as healthy as they can be.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

We focus on the health of all workers to ensure the ability to perform work, even under certain environmental exposures. We promote good health in the work place and the prevention and management of occupational injury, illness, and disability.

GENERAL PREVENTION

We care about preventative medicine for everyone’s needs. Our expert medical advisory team and friendly clinical staff provide you with the utmost quality with each and every visit.

Blood draws and urine collections are usually referred out and results can be available within 48 hours. In office collection can be accommodated with special consideration.

BLOOD DRAWS

We refer you to expert nurses who will safely and effectively draw blood for laboratory testing to ensure your health. Results can be available within 48 hours.

IRON DEFICIENCY

We refer you to expert nurses who will safely and effectively draw blood to check for iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. Detecting this early from blood drawings will prevent you or a loved one from any harmful side effects of being iron deficient. Results can be available within 48 hours.

IN-OFFICE

Under special circumstances, blood draws can be accommodated in our medical facility. Please notify us if you or a loved one have any special requests and we will do our best to accommodate you.

REFERRALS

Typically, we refer our patients out to a team of expert nurses who will facilitate blood drawing and iron collections. Once we receive the the laboratory tests, we can compare results to results from previous tests or discuss current results.

RESULTS

Laboratory tests are often part of a routine checkup to look for changes in your health. They also help us diagnose medical conditions, plan or evaluate treatments, and monitor diseases. Results can be available within 48 hours.

Referred out of office and results are available within 5 to 10 business days.

MAMMOGRAPHY

We refer our patients out of office for mammography. Mammography is used as a screening tool to detect early stages of breast cancer in women experiencing no symptoms and to detect and diagnose breast disease in women with symptoms such as a lump, pain, or nipple discharge. Results are available within 5 to 10 business days.

ANGIOGRAPHY

We refer our patients out of office for angiography. Angiography is used in the examination of the arteries, veins and organs to diagnose and treat blockages and other blood vessel problems. Results are available within 5-10 business days.

FLUOROSCOPY

We refer our patients out of office for fluoroscopy. Fluoroscopy is used where real-time examination of the patient’s body is required.

RADIOGRAPHY

We refer our patients out of office for radiography. Radiography is an important tool for the diagnosis of many disorders as a light beam of x-rays is transmitted through the part of the body that needs to be scanned. Results are available within 5-10 business days.

ULTRASOUND IMAGING

We refer our patients out of office for ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound imaging uses computerized images produced by sound waves that are reflected by organs and other interior body parts in real-time.

We understand that having the appropriate medication in a timely fashion is key to keeping good health. Together with a care network including your pharmacist, health plan, family members and other places of support we work as a team to make the appropriate medication available to you when you need it.

YOUR HEALTH

We care about the health for you and your loved ones. Under the highest quality supervision for medication maintenance, we make sure all your health needs are met.

PHARMACIST

We send prescriptions directly to your pharmacist so it is convenient for you to pick up prescriptions on your own time. Prescriptions and refill requests are sent right to your pharmacist so you can receive the medicine you need to keep you and your loved ones healthy.

HEALTH PLAN

Having health insurance is the only way to keep health and medicinal costs down. Call our friendly staff members anytime to discuss health plans that will fit your lifestyle.

FAMILY SUPPORT

There is nothing more important than the support of your family to ensure you or a loved one is properly taking the medication as prescribed. It is exceptionally important to make sure you take the exact amount of what the doctor has prescribed for you.

PROPER MEDICATION

We strive to ensure you receive the medication you need to maintain good health. Together with a care network including your pharmacist, health plan, family members and all other places of support, we work as a team to make the appropriate medication available to you when you need it.

When there is something that requires more specific medical knowledge and care we will do our best to help identify where to go in a timely fashion. If referrals require authorization our office works to get approval as quickly as possible. (Urgent request approved within 3 business day. Standard approved within 10 or 14 business days depending on the HMO.)

LUCITA M. CRUZ, M.D.

As your primary care physician, Lucita M. Cruz provides your routine care, preventative care, and treatments for common illnesses. If we are unable to provide you with a special service that is needed, we will refer you to a specialist who excels in their respective field.

HMO PLANS

For most, but not all, HMO plans, you’ll need a referral from your primary care physician before you can see any other health care professional. If referrals require authorization, our office works quickly to get approvals for you. Urgent requests approved within 3 business days. Standard approvals within 10 to 14 business days, depending on the HMO.

WHY DO I NEED ONE?

Referrals are an important part of an HMO plan because they help us be able to keep track of the care you receive and ensure that the care is right for you.

REFERRALS

When we issue you a referral to see a specialist, we have taken care of the work for you by sending the specialist your information so they will be waiting for your call to book an appointment. If the specialist hasn’t received our referral, give us a call and we will fix the issue right away.

CONTACT US

We care about your health and we want to make sure you and your entire family receive the right health care treatments. If you have any questions about referrals or if for any reason you have problems with your referral, please call us so we can help you.

EKG, Pap Smear, Spirometry, TB Test (Administered on Wednesday or Friday and results reviewed within 72 hours.)

EKG

An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of your heart. EKG is an important part of the initial evaluation of a patient who is suspected to have a heart related problem.

PAP SMEAR

A Pap smear (or Pap test) is a screening procedure for cervical cancer. It tests for the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells on the cervix, the opening of the uterus. A Pap smear is a simple, quick, and painless screening procedure to detect precancerous cells and to ensure your healthy.

SPIROMETRY

Spirometry is a common office test used to assess how well your lungs work by measuring how much air you inhale, how much you exhale and how quickly you exhale. Spirometry is used to diagnose asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions that affect breathing.

TB TEST

A Tuberculosis skin test is done to see if you have ever been exposed to tuberculosis. A positive TB skin test or TB blood test only tells that a person has been infected with TB bacteria. Other tests, such as chest x-ray and a sample of sputum are needed to see whether you have TB disease. We administer TB tests in-office only on Tuesdays and the results are reviewed on Thursdays.

ROUTINE CHECK-UPS

Regular health exams and tests can help find problems before they start. They can also help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are much better. We make sure you get the right health services, screenings, and treatments to ensure a long, healthy life for you and your family.

Having a doctor or practitioner fill and sign forms is often required for work, obtaining disability support, or fulfilling other needs. Often times these services are not covered by your insurance, please ask our office for the related fee for each form.

FORM COMPLETION

If you need us to fill and sign forms for work, school, obtaining disability support, or fulfilling other needs, we would be more than happy to help assist you. During a consultation, routine checkup, or any time you have with the doctor, be sure to discuss what is going on so that we can help you get better.

MEDICAL LEAVE

Depending on the issue and your current medical state, we may be able to write off time for you to take off work. This will depend on many factors prior to just signing and completing forms needed to give you time off.

SICK LEAVE

We want you to get better as fast as possible and if that means taking off a few days from work or school, we would be happy to write you a note of sick leave. Be sure to check in with your employer and/or teacher so they know what is going on with your health.

FEES

Often times, these services are not covered by your insurance, please give us a call to discuss related fees for each form that is needed to be completed.

CONTACT US

We care about your health and we want to make sure you and your entire family receive the highest quality of health care. If you have any questions about MD Signatures and form completions, please give us a call so we can help you.

At LUCITA MD, our research department conducts clinical trials to help develop better alternatives for treating various diseases and illnesses such as diabetes, constipation, the flu and others.
All research is led by Dr. Lucita M. Cruz who serves as the Principal Investigator.
What are Clinical Trials?

Clinical trials are research studies that test how well new medical approaches work in people. Each study answers scientific questions and tries to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose, or treat a disease. Clinical trials may also compare a new treatment to a treatment that is already available.

Every clinical trial has a protocol, or action plan, for conducting the trial. The plan describes what will be done in the study, how it will be conducted, and why each part of the study is necessary. Each study has its own rules about who can take part. Some studies need volunteers with a certain disease. Some need healthy people. Others want just men or just women.

An Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews, monitors, and approves many clinical trials. It is an independent committee of physicians, statisticians, and members of the community. Its role is to
• Make sure that the study is ethical
• Protect the rights and welfare of the participants
• Make sure that the risks are reasonable when compared to the potential benefits

In the United States, a clinical trial must have an IRB if it is studying a drug, biological product, or medical device that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates, or it is funded or carried out by the federal government.

From NIH: National Institute of Health
For more information or to participate in one of our trials:
Links to study outreach materials