Preparing for Your Appointment

Before you arrive

Understand your insurance benefits. Please take a moment to verify your health insurance benefits to confirm your co-payment responsibility and that your physician and Rockford Orthopedic are considered [ITALIC] In-Network Providers. [END ITALIC] We are happy to treat patients for whom we are Out-of-Network as well. However because this usually means the patient is financially responsible for a larger portion of billed charges it is important for you to understand and accept this responsibility before being seen. For more information see [link] Insurance & Billing.

What to bring

Your Medical History. To allow the physician or physician assistant to focus primarily on your current condition in the exam room, much of your medical history is collected prior to your appointment. Usually this is done during a phone interview 5-7 days before your visit.

When should you arrive? If you have not provided your medical history prior to your visit date, please arrive 20 - 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to provide this information to a member of our staff.

What to bring

If you have already provided your medical history in advance, it is not necessary to arrive more than 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment, which will allow time for the check in process.

Arriving for your appointment

Checking in. All patients need to check in at the entrance Registration Counters upon arrival.

At our Roxbury Office, patients may check in at the counters to either the left or right just inside the front entrance. Whenever possible, a staff member will be stationed at the entrance to help direct you to the next available window For patients scheduled with a physician on the clinic lower level, please check in on the first floor before proceeding to the lower level waiting area. You will not need to check in a second time on the lower level.

At our Rock Cut Office, go straight to our office on the 3rd floor and check in at the counter to the right upon entering.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a new patient, the check in process typically takes between 7-10 minutes to complete. Usually there is only brief or no check in wait. However from 7:30 – 11:00 am and from 12:30 – 3:00 pm a higher volume of arriving patients often results in a slightly longer wait. We deeply appreciate your patience if you experience a line when you arrive.

During the check in process, you may be asked questions regarding your race, ethnicity, and primary language. The government is requesting we collect this information to track quality of care, health outcomes and mortality rates to monitor and address variations that may be more prevalent in particular races or ethnic backgrounds.

Wait times

Rockford Orthopedic understands your time is valuable and we utilize as much efficiency as possible to help us meet your scheduled appointment time. For example, after you have checked in and are directed to the seating area you may be taken to our cast room to have a cast removed prior to your exam. Or, your physician may have pre-ordered x-rays to better prepare him or her to discuss your condition during the exam and you may be escorted to x-ray while waiting for your appointment. Rockford Orthopedic utilizes a digital x-ray system that allows your physician to then view these x-rays from a work area before entering the exam room.

If you have not been called to x-ray, the cast room, or an exam room by 15 minutes past your scheduled appointment time, please notify our front desk staff.

We recommend you plan to spend about an hour at the clinic, however you may find your visit lasts longer. Many factors will affect the total length of your visit including the need for x-rays, cast room services, and brace, splint, or orthotic fittings. Your physician's schedule can also be greatly impacted by patient appointments requiring more extensive care than originally expected, medical emergencies, and delays in the operating room prior to the clinical schedule. We appreciate your patience and understanding if you experience an extended wait due to unexpected circumstances. We assure you our goal is to provide your care in a timely manner and we deeply apologize if we are unable to do so.

Physician or Physician Assistant?

Our orthopedic surgeons utilize a team approach that allows for the highest quality service and treatment. An integral part of that team is the physician assistant. Physician assistants serve as an extension of the physician's care and are highly trained to provide many office services as well as assist with surgical procedures.

You may be seen by a physician assistant at your appointment and you can feel confident you are in skilled hands. Your physician oversees all care provided by the physician assistant and is involved in your diagnosis and treatment plan. If you feel more comfortable seeing the physician, we encourage you to notify the physician assistant during your visit and you will be accommodated.

Additional Forms

Rockford Orthopedic is deeply committed to providing our patients high-quality care and is an industry leader in monitoring how our patients respond to the care we provide. We are able to do that by gathering information from you about how you are feeling and how well you are able to perform common activities. That information provides your physician with a clear set of data that can be analyzed to understand what treatments and procedures are most effective.

As a patient, you may be asked to complete additional questionnaires at various points in your care. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this extra step at your visit. You can be assured your responses make a valuable contribution to the quality of both your own and future patients' care!