Who should I contact if I have a question?
What should I bring to my first appointment?
Do I need a referral to work with RMA Ortho?
Do you accept Medicare/Medicaid?
What about copays and deductibles?
Who completes forms for Worker's Comp, etc.?

Who should I contact if I have a question?

Please call 800-795-5487 or 970-669-8881 for any of the following:

APPOINTMENTS
Lynn at extension 225 is our dedicated appointment scheduler. If she is on the line with another patient, please leave a voicemail message and she will return your call within one hour.

SCHEDULED SURGERIES
Judith at extension 202 schedules and coordinates all surgeries. She pre-authorizes all surgeries with your insurance company before the surgery is scheduled. There are no exceptions to this, so please allow sufficient time for Judith to contact your insurance company and receive authorization.

BILLING/INSURANCE/PATIENT ACCOUNT INQUIRIES
A Patient Financial Coordinator (PFC) is assigned to each account from day one. It’s your PFC’s job to know your account, your insurance requirements, and any special circumstances of your account. You’ll need to provide sufficient information on your first visit to ensure that your PFC can manage your account efficiently. Please contact your PFC with any problem, question or concern you may have regarding your insurance, referrals, the cost of procedures, payment arrangements or any other issue that is related to your bill.

Dr. Donner's patients: contact Pam at extension 223
Dr. Pettine's patients: contact Dawn at extension 216
Dr. Young's patients: contact Cory at extension 222

MEDICAL RECORDS
Julie and Stacey are our medical records specialists. Any information regarding medical records should be directed to Julie at extension 214. 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 is always required by law, even when releasing records to a patient. This is for your protection as well as ours. All copies of medical records are made at our Loveland office by a professional medical records copy service, on Thursdays only. Requests for medical records must be received by the preceding Monday so that the chart may be prepared for copying. Patient files are archived for safekeeping in one of our other facilities if a patient has not been seen for six months. Archived files may take a day or two to be retrieved. The charge for copying medical records 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 from the records copying company. There is no charge for sending records 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 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. Patient X-rays are archived for safekeeping after two years. Archived X-rays 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 a dedicated nurse and/or clinical assistant. Here’s who you should contact:

Dr. Pettine's patients should contact Gina at extension 224 for medications/medical related problems, and contact Nicole at extension 220 for all other reasons.

Dr. Donner's patients should contact Bob at extension 221.

Dr. Young's patients should contact Cindy at extension 228.

If the nurses or assistants are not available at the time you call, please leave a voicemail 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 that are not performed by our surgeons, including MRIs, EMGs, CT-scans, bone scans, myelograms, arthrograms and physical therapy, are scheduled by each doctor's clinical assistant. Procedures cannot be scheduled until the assistant receives pre-authorization from the insurance company.

PRACTICE MANAGER
Heather Westlund at extension 218 is the practice manager for RMA Ortho and brings 25 years of experience to our practice. Please feel free to contact her at any time with questions, problems, concerns or feedback—both negative and positive. Patient satisfaction is her top priority and she believes open communication is essential.
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What should I bring to my first appointment?
Complete and correct insurance information makes life easier 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:

• Name of the insurance company
• Claim Number
• Name of the case manager or claims adjuster
• Date of injury or accident
• Address where the claim is to be sent

We require all of this information to file your claim. If anything is missing, you will be responsible for paying your bill. In addition, please bring X-rays and the results of MRIs, CT-scans or other studies that pertain to your orthopedic problem. New X-rays or other studies may be ordered to confirm a diagnosis or bring your health profile up to date.
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Do I need a referral to work with RMA Ortho?
RMA Ortho is a specialty practice. Most insurance companies, including all HMOs, require a referral from your primary care physician. We cannot see you without the required referral. Before scheduling your first appointment, please verify that your primary care physician has obtained a 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, you may need a new referral if your original referral has expired.

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.
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Do you accept Medicare/Medicaid?
RMA Ortho is a participating provider 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.
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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.
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Who completes forms for Worker's Comp, etc.?
The patient portion of a Worker's Compensation or other Disability form(s) must be filled in by you before you bring the form(s) to the physician to complete. Please note that turnaround time for forms may be as much as three weeks. Once completed, the forms 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. You may contact your physician's clinical assistant regarding the status of your form.
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