What is an ophthalmologist?
An ophthalmologist is a doctor of medicine who is licensed to practice medicine and surgery and who specializes in all aspects of eye and vision care. An ophthalmologist’s education and training include four years of medical school, one year of internship, and four years in a hospital-based eye residency program.

Areas of Specialization
-‘Quick Vision’ cataract surgery (no shot, no stitch, no patch)
- Glaucoma treatment
- Argon and Yag Laser Surgery
- Plastic and Strabismus Surgery (Corrective and cosmetic surgery of the eyelids and eye muscles).
- Routine eye care and exams
- Diabetic Eye Disease
- Routine eye care and exams
- Treatment of Retinal disorders and Diabetic Eye Disease provided by Retinal Surgeons: James H. Larders, M.D., Rickey D. Medlock, M.D. and Gerald Ware, M.D. and Kent Zocchi, M.D.

Office Hours
Our office hours during the week are from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. All patients are seen on an appointment basis.

Although routine examinations are scheduled in advance,we do treat acute care problems that are unanticipated. Should you have a sudden loss of vision, pain, or an eye injury, an examination limited to this complaint can be arranged quite promptly.

Occasionally these emergencies will delay our regular office schedule, and although we regret any inconvenience to our scheduled patients, we must give priority to emergency eye problems.

Canceling Appointments
If you must cancel an appointment, please notify our office as soon as possible. We’ll be happy to try to reschedule you at a convenient time.

Telephone Calls
Call the office if you have any questions. In order not to interrupt ongoing patient examinations, the office staff has been trained to obtain pertinent information. Feel free to inform them of any problems. Messages will be given to Dr. Braun between examinations. Either the doctor or a trained assistant who has conferred with Dr. Braun will return non-emergency calls at the earliest opportunity.

Emergencies
In an emergency during regular office hours, call 624-6330 in Hot Springs and 1-800-273-0609 in Malvern and Hot Springs Village. After hours or on the weekend, call our answering service at 624-6330. Repeat the call to the answering service if you haven’t had a return call within 30 minutes.

Fees and Payments
We make every effort to keep down the cost of your medical care. Please help us by paying upon the completion of each visit. Fees are the direct responsibility of the patient or the patient’s guardian. Our charges are comparable to those of other local specialists and are based both on the type of examination and the time required for the examination. Special tests and surgical procedures have fixed costs, and our office staff will be happy to discuss these charges with you.

Insurance and Medicare
Any financial benefit from an insurance company is a matter between you and your company. We will provide an itemized bill to assist you in the preparation of insurance forms so that you may be appropriately reimbursed. We are currently participants in Medicare. As a participating physician in the Medicare program, Dr. Braun allows his fee to be set by Medicare. This means that Medicare will pay 80% of the allowable charge. Medicare claims will be submitted by our office directly to Medicare, and Medicare will send its payment directly to our office. Each patient will be responsible for the deductible and the 20% coinsurance. We are also members of Health Advantage, Aetna, United Health Care, as well as many other health plans. Patients are encouraged to obtain a referral in advance from their primary care physician if their plan requires this.

Transportation
Free transportation is available for surgery patients upon request.

About Dr. Braun
Dr. James Braun received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Alabama Medical School at Birmingham. After a one-year internship in Pensacola, Florida, he completed an additional four years of specialty training on Ophthalmology at the University of Arkansas Medical Center. He entered private practice in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1984. Dr. Braun is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is also a member of the local and state medical societies. Dr. Braun lives in Hot Springs with his wife, Robin, and two sons, Eric and John.