Advanced Surgical Orthopedics is a small office, offering personalized service, where every person is recognized and treated individually. Every new patient is seen by Dr. Verhoogen. Records and x-rays are not lost. Phone calls are returned. Waiting times in the office are kept to a minimum. And patients need not wait months for an appointment or for surgery.
OFFICE STAFF
 Terri Roark, is a Certified Physician Assistant (PAC) who brings extensive orthopedic experience to this office. She did her undergraduate at Whitworth College, and her PA training at Duke University. She remained on staff at Duke in the Orthopedic Department for four years in a clinical, surgical and teaching capacity. She then worked in orthopedic offices in the Seattle area for five years. After taking a few years off to be with her children, Terri is now seeing office patients and assisting in surgery.
Cheryl, the Office Manager, has been with Dr. Verhoogen since 1978. Over this period of time, she has seen just about everything, and is extremely proficient in her work. Even in this time of increasing bureaucracy and paper work, she continues to run the office efficiently, with the assistance of just one part time person. As good as she is, please remember that she cannot do the surgical scheduling and talk to people at the window and answer four phones simultaneously.
Suzanne, the Office Assistant and Radiology Tech, has worked for Dr. Verhoogen in the present office since 2001, and previous to that as one of the x-ray technicians in our multiple physician office for a dozen years. Suzanne is only in the office on patient visit days – Tuesdays and Thursdays. Suzanne not only brings her expertise to the office, but also her wonderful disposition. Put it this way, if you manage to upset Suzanne, you are obviously way out of line!
SURGICAL ASSISTANT
Dr. Lauri Costello assists Dr. Verhoogen on joint replacement surgeries. Dr. Costello is a Family Practitioner who gave up the active practice of Family Medicine. She now spends her time with volunteer organizations, doing some third world medicine, and assisting a number of surgeons, in various specialties, in surgery. Dr. Costello has acquired sufficient orthopedic experience to be an enormous asset in the operating room.
OFFICE POLICY
Appointments
Patients are seen in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Because we try very hard to stay on schedule, it is important that you arrive on time, or notify us if you will be late. For first time appointments it is helpful if you arrive 15 minutes early. It is also very helpful if you have completed your Patient Information Sheet ahead of time. Although you might think some of the questions are irrelevant, the more information we have, the better care we can give you. For example, “do you live alone” would help us foretell whether you will need to go to rehab or an extended care facility after joint replacement surgery.
If you have recent x-rays, MRI’s, etc, please bring them with you, or make sure they are sent to our office. Reports of previous surgeries involving the same part of the body you are being seen for are also helpful.
Please dress appropriately for whatever body part we will be examining. If it involves the lower extremities, bring shorts.
Telephone
Our office is small and efficient. We strive to provide personalized care for each patient. We cannot, however, answer four phone lines at once. Please leave a message, knowing that it will be answered, your concerns taken seriously, and your needs met to the best of our ability.
In respect for our patients who have appointments and are being seen by Dr. Verhoogen on Tuesdays and Thursdays, phone messages for Dr. Verhoogen during patient visit hours will be returned either during the noon break or after office hours.
Phone messages for Dr. Verhoogen on surgery days, Wednesdays and Fridays, will be returned when he arrives back at the office.
Prescriptions
Medication prescriptions and refills will be provided during office hours only. Please plan ahead if you are running short of your prescription. It is very difficult, and actually unsafe, for us to prescribe any medications without your chart for reference.
It is most helpful for you to bring a legible list of your current medications, with exact dosages, for your initial visit. Usually that can be obtained from your personal physician. It is equally important that you keep the list current. There are a number of medications with similar sounding names that serve very different functions. Incomplete lists, illegible writing, and incorrect dosages can have disastrous effects.
Insurance
We accept most insurances, but please check that we accept yours, or that we are on your provider list, prior to your first appointment. And be sure to bring your insurance cards with you.
Although we are willing to assist you, it is ultimately the patient’s responsibility to obtain necessary referrals and authorizations. If you are not sure whether you need a referral, please check with your Primary Care Provider (PCP) or insurance carrier. If you do not have the correct referral, we may have to reschedule your appointment or surgery.
Co-pays are to be paid at the time you are seen. The patient is also responsible for any deductibles. We will try to work with you in the case of financial hardship, but we are no longer able, by law, to excuse any portion of your bill. If we do it for you, the government can insist that we do it for everyone.
We will fill out necessary insurance forms, but will charge a fee for more than three forms.
Workers Compensation
We do accept Washington and Idaho Workers Compensation, at least for the time being. Their regulations and requirements may force us out of that. We do not accept Federal Workers Compensation (OWCP – i.e., Post Office employees) or California Workers Comp, other than the self insured retired police insurance programs. We share in your frustrations in waiting for authorizations, the endless paperwork, and all of the various regulations that have to be abided. Please understand that we do not make up the rules.
We do reserve the right to not accept certain L&I cases. If we don’t think we can help you, we don’t want to waste your time and ours, as well as taxpayer money. If we do accept your case, we expect you to follow instructions, keep appointments, and comply with insurance demands, whether it is state insurance or a self insured program. Failure to do so might result in your case being dropped either by us or by your carrier.
Notice of Privacy Practice
We understand that health information about you, your medical conditions, and related subjects, is personal. We are committed to protecting that information. We create a record of the information you provide us, and the care and services you receive from us. This recorded information is necessary to provide you with quality care, and to comply with certain legal requirements.
You will be asked to sign a Notice of Privacy Practices which applies to all records of your care generated by this office, whether made by your personal doctor or staff working in this office. This notice will list the ways in which we may use and disclose your health information, as well as describe your rights to access the information, and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information. |
