Frequently Asked Questions

Many procedures require the use of a surgical assistant. This is medically necessary to ensure that you receive the best possible results.

If you feel the medication works for you, call our office and leave a message with the operator that you would like to have a prescription. She will need the name of the medication, the strength of the dose and your pharmacy phone number.

If you need a refill on an existing prescription, contact your pharmacy. If there is no refill remaining on your prescription, they will call our office for approval.

• You have an inflammatory type of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosis
• Your immune system has been weakened by disease, drugs, or radiation
• You have insulin-dependent (Type I) diabetes
• You had a joint replacement less than two years ago
• You’ve had previous infections in your artificial joint
• You are undernourished or malnourished
• You have hemophilia.

You should get preventive antibiotics for the following dental procedures:

• Dental extractions
• Periodontal (gum disease) procedures
• Dental implant placement and reimplantation of teeth that were knocked out
• Endodontic (root canal) instrumentation or surgery
• Initial placement of orthodontic bands (not brackets)
• Injection of a local anesthetic into the gums near the jaw
• Regular cleaning of teeth or implants where bleeding is anticipated

We will complete your disability or other insurance forms for a fee of $30. Please understand that we offer this service to all of our patients and that they are completed in the order in which they are received. In order to accommodate everyone’s needs, we ask that you turn in the forms as soon as possible so that we have sufficient time for completion. Due to the number of forms, we received, we require 5 to 7 business days for completion. Office hours for our Business Office are Monday through Friday 8am – 4:30pm.

This would be for a procedure called arthrocentesis. The physician inserts a needle through the skin and into a joint, bursa, tendon sheath or fascia. He may aspirate (take a fluid sample) and /or inject medication for lavage or drug therapy. The needle is then removed and pressure is applied to stop any bleeding.

Because the needle placed into the joint, bursa, tendon sheath or fascia requires exact placement, it is considered by insurance companies to be a surgical procedure. It is much more than a standard injection. Although they consider this a surgical procedure, insurance companies do not require additional pre-authorization for the procedure itself. Some medications, however, may require pre-authorization and our staff will take care of obtaining that prior to the arthrocentesis, as needed.

No Show Fees are as follows:

Office Visit $50 – Pain Procedure $100 – Surgery $300 – MRI $50 – Physical Therapy $50