Lone Star Orthopedics
SURGICAL PRACTICE
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512 353 8658
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Office Hours
Our office is open for appointments between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Patients are seen by appointment only, but we often can schedule same day appointments. We try to see patients as soon as possible, usually within 1-3 working days, unless referral or prior authorization has not yet been attained.
Preparing for Your Appointment
If you are seeing us for a knee, hip, or back problem, please wear or bring a pair of shorts from home. You'll feel more comfortable in your own shorts than ours. We ask women being evaluated for a shoulder problem to wear a tank top shirt.
Registration Process
For your initial appointment, please arrive 15 minutes early if you have completed all new patient forms (obtained online). Otherwise, please arrive 30 minutes before your appointment. Please be sure to bring a photo ID and your insurance card. If your insurance company requires a referral from your primary care physician to see a specialist, it is your responsibility to obtain all of the required referral documentation and provide it to our clinic. You must have your referral document with you to be seen for your first visit.
Insurance and Personal Information Changes
Insurance and Personal Information Changes We must have accurate records to contact you for your medical concerns and to process your insurance claims. As a courtesy we will process your insurance claims for you, but we cannot do so if the information is inaccurate. Please remember to update any changes in insurance or personal information by alerting our reception staff.
Insurance Co-Pays and Deductibles
Your insurance companyrequires us to collect any insurance co-pays before your office visit. Co-pays cannot be waived because we have a contractual obligation with your insurance company (including, but not limited to Medicare and commerical insurance plans). Deductibles must also be paid at the time of the visit for the same reason and cannot be waived.
Rescheduling Appointments
Please reschedule or cancel your appointment no later than 24 hours before your appointment time. We would appreciate 48 hours notice, if possible. This allows us to fill your time with another patient, reducting the waiting time for others, and maybe some day you, to see the doctor.
Prescription Refills
If you are being prescribed a pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication, or other medication, please check your supply to anticipate shortages before the weekend or after hours in the evening. We do not fill medication requests on the weekend or after regular working hours when we cannot access your medical record. If you require medications during this time, you will need to be assessed by a physician to confirm the medical condition requiring the medication. Usually this will mean that you will need to go to an urgent care center or emergency department to get your prescription refilled. Prevention is the best strategy to avoid this scenario.
Out-of-Work Forms and Temporary Disability Forms
If you are under our care and have a medical condition that requires you to be out of work, we can give you a simple statement that we recommend that you stay off work free of charge. If you have a form to be completed, you will need to pay a $15 fee to have this form completed. Unfortunately, insurance companies and disability plans do not pay fo rthis and require you to pay these fees.
Workers Compensation
Dr. Baker treats patients with workers compensation injuries. We will need to check your insurance information to make sure that we can see you because some employers restrict who their employees can see by requiring their employees to be seen in network. We participate in several workers compensation networks, but not every one.
MMI and Impairment Rating Exams
Dr. Baker is certified by the Texas Division of Workers Compensation to perform examinations for maximum medical improvement and perform impairment ratings. He will be happy to perform this service for other doctors who wish to refer their patients to him. Dr. Baker will make a thorough and complete review of the records and issue a report very shortly, usually within one day, of the examination. Of course, he will not offer any treatment or advice and the patient will follow up for all care with his or her treating doctor.
Designated Doctor Examinations
Dr. Baker is a Texas Division of Workers Compensation-certified designated doctor and has been so since 2006. If you have an appointment to see Dr. Baker for a designated doctor examination, the exam will be for a one-time visit, and he will not offer any treatment or advice. You will continue to get all treatment and medical advice from your treating physician. Dr. Baker has been trained in the correct method for determining maximum medical improvement and assigning impairment ratings by the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 4th edition, which is required in Texas. Certification and rigorous re-testing every two years insures that designated doctors come to similiar ratings given the same data so that the assigning of impairment rating is standardized and based on objective data as much as possible and not based on individual opinion.
Referrals
If you have a health insurance plan that requires a referral from your primary care physician (for example, most HMO plans), you will need to obtain the referral before we can see you, or your plan will not pay for your medical care.