Frequently Asked Questions
- Who do I contact for ...?
- What do I bring with
me to my appointment ... ?
- Do I need a referral ... ?
- Do you accept
Medicare/Medicaid ... ?
- What about copays and
deductibles ... ?
- How do I get medication refills ... ?
- Who completes forms
for Worker's Comp, etc ... ?
By calling 800-795-5487 or 970-669-8881 you may reach the following:
APPOINTMENTS
Barbara at extension 225 is our dedicated
appointment scheduler. She works very hard to accommodate everyone and spends all
day on the telephone. If she is on the line with another patient and not available
to speak with you at the time you call, please leave a message on her voice mail and she
will return your call as soon as possible.
SCHEDULED SURGERIES
Judith at extension 202 schedules and
coordinates all surgeries. She pre-authorizes all surgeries with your insurance
company before the surgery is put on the schedule. There are no exceptions to
this. Please allow sufficient time for her to receive authorization back from your
insurance company.
BILLING/INSURANCE/PATIENT ACCOUNT INQUIRES
Each physician has a Patient Financial Coordinator (PFC) to manage your
account. It is your PFC's job to know your account, your insurance and any special
circumstances of your account from the day you first become our patient. It is
important that you provide sufficient information at the time of your first visit so your
PFC will be able to manage your account efficiently. Please communicate directly
with your PFC with any problem, question or concern you may have regarding your insurance,
referrals, the cost of procedures, payment arrangements or anything else that has to do
with your bill.
MEDICAL RECORDS
Dawn and Verna are our medical records specialists. Any information
regarding medical records should be directed to Verna at
extension 217. Medical records are the property of Rocky Mountain
Associates in Orthopedic Medicine, P.C., and it is our responsibility to keep them
safe. Copies of medical records are never released by phone or verbal
authorization. A signed authorization, even to release records to the patient, is
always required by law. This is for your protection as well as ours. All
medical records copies are made at our Loveland office by the Smart Corporation, a
professional medical records copy service, on Tuesdays only. Requests for medical
records must be made by the previous Friday so that the chart may be made ready for
copying. Please understand that charts of patients who have not been seen for 6
months are stored at one of our other facilities, and may take a day or two to be
retrieved. The charge for medical record copies is determined by Colorado law, $12
for the initial 1-10 pages, then 25 cents for each additional page. The person
requesting the records will receive a bill for the copies directly from the Smart
Corporation. There is no charge for records being sent directly to another
physician's office.
X-RAY REPORTS
Claudia at extension 209 is the radiological
technologist in charge of our x-ray department. All requests to have your x-rays
sent to another medical provider should be directed to her. We do not send our
originals, so please allow her time to make the copies. Please understand that the
x-rays of patients who have not been seen for 2 years or more are stored at one of our
other facilities, and may take a day or two to be retrieved. There may be a small
charge for the x-ray copies.
MEDICATION, PRE-OP/POST-OP QUESTIONS, PROCEDURE QUESTIONS AND MEDICAL
PROBLEMS
Each of our physicians has their own nurse and/or clinical assistant.
Please refer to the list below for your contact. If the nurses or assistants
are not available at the time you call, please leave a voice mail message and they will
return your call as soon as possible. Calls for prescription refills may take 24-48
hours - please refer to our Medication Management Policy.
Procedures such as MRI's, EMG's, C-T scans, bone scans, myelograms, arthrograms
and physical therapy, which are not performed by our physicians, are scheduled by each
doctor's clinical assistant. Procedures cannot be scheduled until the assistant
receives pre-authorization from the insurance company.
Dr. Pettine's patients should contact Carol at
extension 224 for medications/medical related problems, and contact Cindy at extension 220 for all other reasons.
Dr. Donner's patients should contact Bob at extension
221.
Dr. Young's patients should contact Amy at extension
228.
PRACTICE MANAGER
Heather Westlund at extension 218 is the
practice manager for Rocky Mountain Associates in Orthopedic Medicine and brings 25 years
of experience to our practice. Please feel free to contact her at any time with
questions or problems you may have during the course of your care here. Patient
satisfaction is her number one priority and she believes open communication is
essential. (By the way, she also loves to hear the great things you may have to say
about the staff and physicians!)
What do I bring with
me to my appointment ... ?
Complete and correct insurance information makes all the difference in the world
between a quick, easy claim and trouble for everyone! Your insurance card is the
best source of information for us, so please bring it to every appointment. If you
have a Worker's Comp or Auto Accident claim, please bring the following information with
you to your first visit:
Without all of this information we cannot file your claim and you will be
responsible for the payment of your bill. Finally, if you have had previous x-rays,
M.R.I.'s, CT-Scans or other studies done regarding your orthopedic problem, please obtain
these x-rays prior to your first visit with our physician so he may review them with you.
New x-rays or other studies may be ordered at the time of your visit.
Do I need a referral ... ?
We are a specialty practice. Most insurance companies, including all
HMO's, require a referral from your Primary Care Physician to be seen here. We
cannot see you without a required referral. Please double check to see that your
primary care physician has obtained your referral from your insurance company so we do not
have to cancel your appointment after you have arrived.
Referrals are limited to a specific period of time and number of visits, so even
if we have seen you in the past, if your referral has expired you must obtain another one
before you return to us.
Regular Part B Medicare coverage does not require a referral, however, if you
have Secure Horizons coverage from Pacificare you will need to obtain a referral from your
primary care physician.
Do you accept
Medicare/Medicaid ... ?
We are participating providers for Medicare and will bill both Medicare and your
supplementary insurance for you. Please provide us with a copy of your Medicare card
and any supplemental insurance card you may have.
We cannot accept Medicaid patients without a written request from your family
doctor. You must provide us with your card and you must pay your $2.00 copayment at
the time of your visit.
What about copays and
deductibles ... ?
We are required under contract to collect your insurance copayment at the time
of your visit. Your copayment here is usually the same amount as your Primary Care
Physician copayment. Some copayments for specialists are slightly higher, though, so
please check on your insurance card for the correct amount.
By law we must collect deductible amounts and co-insurance if you do not have a
supplemental insurance.
Who completes forms
for Worker's Comp, etc ... ?
Patient portions of Worker's Compensation or other Disability forms must be
completed prior to sending or bringing them in for the physician to complete. Turn
around time for forms may be as much as three weeks. They are then sent directly to
the requesting company. Copies of completed forms are not sent back to the patient
unless you make a special request for us to do so. You may contact the physician's
clinical assistant regarding the status of your form.
