Faqs

If this is your first Spine Surgeon office visit, all new patients should complete a New Patient Spine Questionnaire prior to your visit.

Also bring all prior diagnostic studies to your appointment. This can be hard films or electronic medium such as CD with the original DICOM data (Not JPEG or TIFF).

Depending upon what is most appropriate for your particular situation, the surgeon will decide what type of anesthesia to use. He or she will answer any questions you have.

It is important that the physician have all diagnostic studies (X-rays, CT, Myelograms, MRI), to review. A report from the radiologist only is not sufficient, and the diagnostic radiology departments will provide you a copy of the actual films or the originals for you to bring to your office visit. They should not refuse you a copy of your records.

Other Items to Include:

• Your insurance card
• List of all medications
• Information regarding all significant past medical history
• An updated authorization from your primary care physician (PCP) is required at each visit. Some authorizations will span a number of office visits. Without this, your office visit may be prolonged awaiting authorization.

It may take 1-3 weeks due to multiple check points. We work very hard to schedule your test and treatments in a timely manner. Most insurance companies will require a doctors report from our office prior to authorization which could take 2-3 days to become available. All other delays are related to the insurance company authorization process and the testing or treatment facility schedule. There will not be a delay if you are not using your insurance to pay for the testing.

I will be available to return calls Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays for those patients who wish to speak with me directly by calling 295-3923. Expect delays if I am seeing patients while in clinic. Please refrain from calling after hours unless it is an emergency. Otherwise my medical assistant will be available to answer any of your questions during regular office hours between the hours of 11am and 6pm Monday through Thursday. Feel free to leave a message or send an email and your message will be returned within 3 business days. IMPORTANT: We often return calls from the hospital and other locations where caller ID is blocked. You must accept calls from blocked numbers if you want any member of the office staff to reach you!

If you believe you are having an emergency, call 911 emergency services or go directly to King Edwards Memorial Hospital and have the hospital staff notify me of your arrival.

It depends upon the patient’s disease and current medications. Talk to your surgeon about your specific situation.

Each patient tolerates pain after surgery in different ways. Your surgeon will prescribe the appropriate pain medications to help minimize any discomfort. In general,

On an average, most surgeries take 2-3 hours in the operating room, with the most extensive of multiple procedures lasting several hours. Additional time is often required for preparation before, and rest & recovery time after the surgery itself, particularly when sedation or a general anesthetic is administered.

All surgeries entail risks, such as bleeding, possible infection, etc. Please see the information on the specific surgery, or consult with a qualified surgeon for more detailed information.