Preparing for Visit
To help you make the most of your appointment, whether you are starting with a new physician or continuing with the physician you’ve seen for years, please read the following information to keep up to date with the latest requirements regarding Covid-19 and helpful tips if this is your first visit to Puget Sound Orthopaedics.
Important Information About Appointments - Updated 4/5/2022
- Masks or face coverings are required to be worn by all patients and visitors. As of March 12, 2022, masks are still required in medical facilities by the WA State Department of Health.
- Please do not bring anyone other than yourself into our buildings unless you need assistance, such as physical assistance or an interpreter.
- Do not come in to the clinic if you are sick, including cough, fever, and respiratory issues.
- Anyone who has tested positive with SARS-COV-2 should not come into the clinic. If a patient has tested positive for COVID but did not have a follow up test, then no testing is required as long as the patient is symptom-free for 10+ days and is screened prior to appointment. Patients shall refrain from obtaining services from our practices until the following 3 conditions are met:
- Resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, and
- Improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath), and
- Negative results of SARS-CoV-2 from at least two consecutive respiratory specimens collected within 48 hours apart (total of two negative specimens).
- Telemedicine services are available, if your insurance allows. These services are treated as in person office visits and you may have patient responsibility such as a copay, coinsurance, and deductible. Learn more about telemedicine here.
For Your First Appointment
Your first appointment will begin with going over your medical history registration form and conducting a physical examination. The history gives your physician an idea about the type of symptoms or pain you may be experiencing, your past medical and surgical history and medications that you are currently taking. We may take in-house x-rays if none are available.
What to Bring
- Insurance card.
- Photo ID.
- Co-payment, if required by your insurance. Co-payments are due at the time of service. We accept checks, Visa, MasterCard and American Express. We do not accept Cash.
- Imaging or special testing on disk, including MRI, bone scan, doppler studies, joint and spine injections, CT/CAT scans, DEXA scans, ultrasound, and EMG.
- Prior treatment records relating to your ailment if being seen for a second opinion.
- Referral from your primary care doctor, if required by insurance.
Appointment Arrival Time
Arrive at least 15 minutes early so that we may check you in and verify your information. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please call 24 hours in advance.
What to Wear
Dress comfortably for your appointment in loose fitting clothing that doesn’t have metal or decorations such as buttons and sequins. Depending on what body part you are being seen for it is beneficial to wear a certain type of clothing:
- Upper extremity: loose fitting tank top or sleeveless shirt.
- Lower extremity: loose fitting pants or shorts. Please avoid wearing jeans.
Prescriptions
We require 48 business hours’ notice for all prescription refills. All medication refills that come in after 12:00 pm on Friday will not be addressed until the following Monday.
You can request prescriptions refills online through the MyChart patient portal, by calling our office or by calling your pharmacy and asking them to fax us a refill request.
Follow Up Appointments
Your doctor may order special testing. The appropriate testing facility will contact you to set up the appointment once they have received the referral and insurance authorization. If you are sent to a facility outside of Puget Sound Orthopaedics for special testing, you are responsible for scheduling a follow up appointment with your PSO doctor or PA to go over the test results. Review our Special Testing Notification document for more information.
