Patient Information

Appointments and Scheduling

Please bring the following items with you to appointments:

  • Your insurance card or other health coverage information. Some insurance carriers require you to have a referral or primary care physician authorization before treatment is given. Please check with your carrier if you are in doubt.
  • X-rays or MRIs, written MRI reports, and other imaging studies if available.
  • Clinic notes or operative reports from your referring physician that relate to your condition.
  • A current medication list.

A typical new patient appointment may take up to three hours in our office. This reflects the amount of careful and individualized work involved in your initial evaluation.

Your visit includes several important steps. We review and confirm your demographic information, pharmacy information, and insurance details. We check and record your vital signs. We carefully review your current medications and allergies, including a formal medication reconciliation. We take a detailed medical and surgical history, perform a physical examination, and review any prior records, laboratory studies, and notes from other physicians involved in your care.

Imaging is also a routine part of most visits. We often obtain new X-rays during your appointment, frequently with multiple views, to fully assess alignment, joint space, bone quality, and implant position if applicable. We also review and interpret any outside imaging and operative reports you may have brought with you.

We are very mindful of your time, and our workflows are designed to be as efficient as possible. That said, we believe it is far more important to be thorough, careful, and accurate than to be rushed. For this reason, it is not unusual for a new patient visit to extend to three hours or more. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we believe this investment of time upfront leads to better decisions, better outcomes, and better care.

Please also note that we receive many calls daily. Your call may go to voicemail if all our lines are busy. Calls are returned based on their level of medical urgency.

Patient Forms

The following forms must be downloaded, printed and filled out for every visit.

Download New Patient Packet
Download Follow Up / Post Op Forms

Emergencies

If you or your referring physician believes you should be seen immediately, we will try to make the necessary arrangements. If you have a problem after our normal business hours, then please call our Beverly Hills office office at 310-281-5010 and the operator will notify the physician on call with our group to contact you.   Waiting times: We strive to minimize any wait on the part of our patients. Occasionally emergencies do arise, and you will be informed promptly of any delay in your appointment. Please realize that delays are not intentional and that we do try to minimize your inconvenience. Cancellations: If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment, we request that you call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel so that we may schedule another patient for that time.

Surgery Classes and Education

The decision to proceed with surgery is serious and often comes with a mix of hope, concern, and uncertainty. Surgery has the potential for significant benefit, but it also carries risk. For this reason, we believe that informed patients do better. Understanding your condition, your options, the expected recovery, and the role you play in that recovery is a critical part of good care.

Patient education is therefore a central part of our surgical process, not an add-on. We recognize that patients learn in different ways and at different paces. Some prefer written material, others learn best through discussion, and others through visual or interactive formats. Our goal is to support all of these learning styles so that every patient feels prepared, confident, and supported.

All patients who are candidates for joint replacement are provided with a preoperative education binder. This binder outlines our full care pathway, including the nature of joint replacement, the risks and benefits, the hospital experience, pain management, rehabilitation, home recovery, and what we expect from patients before and after surgery. It is designed to give you a clear and practical understanding of the entire process and to serve as a reference for you and your caregiver.

In addition, we strongly encourage patients and their caregivers to attend the preoperative education classes offered through USC. These classes are a key part of preparation for surgery. They provide an opportunity to learn about the procedure, the hospital stay, anesthesia, pain control, physical therapy, discharge planning, and recovery at home. They also allow you to meet the nurses, therapists, social workers, and other members of the care team who will be involved in your treatment.

Information about how to attend these classes is included in your preoperative binder and will also be provided to you by our surgery scheduling team. For convenience, the classes are available both in person and online. If you are unable to attend a live session, we provide access to a recorded version with the expectation that you and your caregiver will review it carefully.

We ask this because experience and evidence show that educated, informed patients recover better, experience less anxiety, and are better prepared for the physical and practical demands of surgery and recovery.
By addressing questions, setting expectations, and explaining the process in advance, much of the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding surgery can be reduced. This allows patients to approach surgery with greater confidence and a clearer sense of what lies ahead.

To schedule attendance at a preoperative education class, please call the office at 310-281-5010.

Billing Information

We accept Medicare, Medi-Cal, and most major commercial insurance plans through USC Care and Keck Medicine of USC. USC Care participates with a broad network of local and national managed care plans. Participation depends on the specific plan you have chosen.

Patients who are enrolled in an HMO plan should first review their plan guidelines before scheduling an appointment. Many HMO plans require a referral from a primary care physician before a patient may be seen by a subspecialist. If a referral is required, our office can assist you with the process and help you understand what documentation is needed.

Because insurance coverage and benefits vary significantly from plan to plan, the most accurate information about your specific coverage, copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and out of pocket responsibilities will come directly from your insurance company or agent. Each insurance plan defines its own terms and financial obligations, even within the same carrier. Our office staff is highly experienced in answering general billing questions and assisting with verification, but we cannot guarantee coverage or payment amounts for any specific service. We strongly encourage you to contact your insurance carrier before your appointment if you have questions about your benefits or network status.

If you are a candidate for surgery, our team will assist you by providing the appropriate diagnosis and procedure codes so that you can obtain prior authorization and verify benefits with your insurer. You may also contact your insurance company directly to confirm that USC Care and Keck Medicine of USC are participating providers under your plan.

We participate exclusively as in-network providers. We discourage patients from seeking out of network services because doing so often results in very high and unpredictable out of pocket costs. Our physicians, surgical facilities, and hospital based colleagues are all credentialed to practice within insurance networks so that care is coordinated, transparent, and financially responsible. Our fees reflect not only our physicians’ expertise and clinical judgment, but also the medical staff time, equipment, supplies, and infrastructure required to provide high quality orthopedic care. We also have staff available to help answer frequently asked questions and to assist where possible with the administrative aspects of billing and insurance.

Please remember to bring your current insurance card to every appointment and notify us promptly if your insurance information changes.

Commercial Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna
  • Watchtower
  • Medicare
  • Health Net
  • Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital
  • Health Net Covered California
  • Anthem Blue Cross Covered California
  • TriWest Healthcare Alliance (UHC)
  • Beech Street Corporation /WC
  • Interplan
  • ChoiceCare Network
  • Anthem Blue Cross Prudent Buyer
  • Blue Shield Covered California
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Health Plans of Nevada
  • CIGNA
  • Kern Health Systems
  • Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers Health & Welfare
  • Coventry Health Care
  • Marian Health Services
  • MultiPlan
  • First Health
  • NEXT
  • Pacificare
  • GEHA
  • Private Health Care Systems
  • Great-West Healthcare of California, Inc.
  • Take Care (GUAM)
  • Brand New Day
  • Union Roofers Health & Welfare Fund
  • United Healthcare
  • USC Network

Prescription Refill Policy

If you need a refill on a prescription, please contact our office at 310-281-5010 Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Refill requests are handled during normal business hours only.

When calling, please be prepared to provide the name of the medication, the dosage, the pharmacy name and phone number, and a phone number where you can be reached if we have questions. We do not provide refills for narcotic or opioid pain medications. Refill requests will not be accepted after hours, on weekends, or on holidays. Please plan accordingly and request refills in advance so that you do not run out of necessary medications.Once your refill has been processed, please check with your pharmacy regarding availability and pick up timing.

We make every effort to process refill requests promptly, but please allow up to 5 days for completion. Our clinical team is simultaneously caring for patients in the office and in the hospital, and we appreciate your patience.