Patient Resources - AZ Spine Disc And Sport

What to do prior to your visit:

The first step to becoming a new patient in our office will be to provide us with some valuable information about yourself. There is a new patient information form for you to fill out prior to your first visit. On this form, you will provide information about your symptoms, past treatments and overall medical health. This information is vital for your treating doctor to diagnose your condition and develop an appropriate treatment plan.

These required forms are available on this website for you to download and print out (you can find them under the patient forms tab), so that you can have it filled out prior to arrival at your first appointment. If you are unable to download these files prior to your visit, we ask that you arrive about 20-30 minutes early to your first visit to allow enough time to fill out this paperwork. Our front office will also gather any other necessary information and make copies of your insurance cards and driver license.

MEDICAL DOCTOR/PAIN MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENT:

Once you have completed all of your new patient paperwork, a member of the staff will guide you back to an examination room. During your first visit, you will have ample time to discuss your condition and concerns with the physician. The doctor will then perform a thorough examination to help diagnose your condition. You may require x-rays, which can be performed on the same day in the office. The doctor will also review all available imaging that you have had previously. It is very important that if you have had X-rays, MRIs or CTs at other locations in the past, that you bring that information with you to the appointment (CDs, reports, etc).

At the end of the visit, a comprehensive treatment plan will be outlined and discussed. This may include appropriate medications, therapy, more imaging (such as an MRI or ultrasound), and injections. If you are an athlete, a return to sport protocol will also be developed when appropriate. There will be plenty of time for you to ask any questions about your condition and the treatment plan.

CHIROPRACTIC/PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT:

Once you have completed all of your new patient paperwork, a member of the staff will guide you back to an examination room. Your chiropractor or physical therapist will gather necessary information and conduct a thorough examination based off your symptoms. At the conclusion of this examination, a treatment plan will be developed to help improve pain and restore function. Therapy can usually be broken down into three different phases.

PHASE 1: PAIN RELIEF

The first objective will be to reduce pain. The kinds of treatments and the duration of treatment to reduce your pain will be determined entirely based on your symptoms and condition. Not all patients get the exact same treatments in this office (this is not cookie cutter chiropractic/physical therapy). All patients are treated individually without set protocols. The treatment provided to patient A is not always appropriate for patient B. The amount of time any given patient remains in phase 1 will be based on how quickly he/she responds to therapy. Treatment plans can be modified multiple times during the course of your care, depending on your response.

PHASE 2: CORRECTIVE/STRENGTHENING

Once pain has improved, then the underlying strength deficits and alignment issues that produced the original condition are addressed. The goal of correcting these issues will help to prevent pain/symptoms from returning and to get you back to your normal function and activities. You will be shown exercises and stretches to incorporate into your own personal exercise routine. If you currently do not have an exercise routine, one will be developed for you. Pain does not have to be 100% gone prior to starting this phase of treatment. Phase 1 and 2 often overlap.

PHASE 3: WELLNESS CARE

During stage 2, you will often be shown strengthening exercises and stretches to do on your own at home (the most important therapy occurs with your home exercise program). These are often exercises to add to your own program. Performing these exercises on a consistent basis (4-5x per week), will help to prevent symptoms from returning.

Therapy does not always make pain resolve 100%. There are some painful conditions that are “chronic”. Chiropractic care and PT does not make arthritis go away or degenerative discs heal completely. However, as long as most function is restored and pain is manageable, you are free to engage in whatever activities you like. In the event that you have a flare of your pain during this phase of treatment, we will be more than happy to assist you at any time to recover and return your back to normal activity.

Medicare Patients

We have a unique group multi-specialty situation that allows Medicare patients to receive more services in our office than most.

In most chiropractic offices Medicare covers only a chiropractic spinal adjustment. It will not cover exams, x-rays or adjunct therapies under chiropractic benefits.
In most cases a Medicare patient has to pay for these services out of pocket.
In our office the initial exam can be completed, x-rays can be taken if needed and we can combine chiropractic and PT services with the patient first seeing our PT and then our DC in the same day.
This way we can offer Medicare patients all of the services we otherwise provide to private insurance patients.
Ultimately this results in much less out of pocket for these patients and much more thorough care.

Office Policies

A detailed description of our office policy can be found on the new patient paperwork. Please refer to that document for more information. If you have any questions about these policies, please feel free to call our office at 480-759-1668.

Billing and Insurance

AZ Spine Disc & Sport believes in the value of specialist care for you and your family. We have created a pricing structure flexible enough to allow you to get the care you need, no matter what your budget. Our office participates in many insurance programs, but please call us at 480-759-1668 if you have any questions about whether you can use your insurance to pay for your care. We also accept auto accident and workers compensation cases (leins accepted) that result in symptoms which can be addressed with specialist care. For patients who have little or no insurance coverage, flexible payment programs can be arranged. To learn more about our payment options, you can call our office directly at 480-759-1668 and one of our friendly staff will be happy to answer all your questions. There is additional information provided below that may also help to answer your questions.

Insurance

We accept many health insurance plans, including Medicare. Because there are so many insurance plans out there, and because coverage for specialist care varies widely, please call us to find out if your plan covers care in our office. Before you start a specialist care plan, our staff would be happy to verify your benefits and explain them to you at no charge.

We accept auto accident, workers compensation, personal injury cases (leins accepted) that have resulted in back pain, neck pain, headaches, or other related pain conditions.

No Insurance

Our goal at AZ Spine Disc & Sport is to allow everyone to experience the benefits of specialist care and therapy. For patients who have little or no insurance coverage, we can work with you to arrange a flexible payment program that fits your budget. Many patients choose to pay directly for their visits with the specialist, especially as they discover that specialist care is actually extremely cost-effective and affordable. For these patients, specialist care is often cheaper and more effective than alternative pain treatments. Please call our office at 480-759-1668 to discuss any financial concerns that you may have.