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Billing Questions:
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| Q: |
How much is a routine office visit? |
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| A: |
The charge for an individual office visit depends upon the nature and complexity of your problem.
The average price of a routine visit can vary between approximately $75 and $200. Occasionally, the charge
for a complex consultation may be more expensive. There is a separate charge for radiographs (X-rays) that may
vary between $75 and $200. Please note that these are the full charges for a visit. For PPO plans for
which we are in-network providers and for standard medicare insurance, we have agreed to a reduced fee schedule.
If you have questions in this regard, please contact our Billing Department.
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| Q: |
Does the doctor take Medicare assignment? |
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Yes, all physicians at the Northwestern Center for Orthopedics are "participating" providers in Medicare
and take medicare assignment. Please note that as participating providers we have agreed to directly bill
Medicare for all covered services provided and accept medicare's limiting charge as our total charge.
After your yearly deductible is met, Medicare will pay us 80 percent of that total allowable charge.
The patient is responsible for payment of the remaining 20 percent. If you have a supplemental Medicare policy
("Medigap" policy), this, in most cases, will cover the remaining 20 percent.
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| Q: |
What will I be expected to pay at the time of my visit? |
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The amount that you will be expected to pay at the time of your visit depends on your individual insurance
and circumstances. Patients with valid HMO or PPO referrals are expected to pay their office visit co-pay.
In many cases, that amount is listed on your insurance card. Please note that we are contractually obligated to
expect payment of this co-pay at the time of service. Patients with current valid worker compensation
authorizations may not be required to pay anything at the time of their visit. In general, patients whose
primary insurance coverage is Medicare will not be expected to pay for their visit until Medicare has
reimbursed us the initial 80 percent of their allowable charges. Patients without valid current insurance (self-pay),
patients who are seeing us as out of network providers or patients without referrals (including worker's
compensation and in-network PPO patients without valid current referrals) are expected to fully pay for
their visit at the time of service.
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Reception Questions:
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| Q: |
Where do the doctors see patients? |
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The Northwestern Center for Orthopedics is located at 676 North St. Clair, Suite 450.
Click here for a map.
This is on the West side of St. Clair between Huron and Erie in downtown Chicago.
We are conveniently located directly across the street from the new Northwestern Memorial Hospital and diagonally
from the Northwestern parking facility one block east of Michigan Avenue.
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| Q: |
Is discounted parking available? |
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Yes. Discounted parking is available for $10.00 at the main Northwestern Parking Facility. Cars can enter the lot
through the entrances on either Huron or Superior.
Please bring your parking receipt
to our office for validation.
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| Q: |
Is your office easily accessible by wheelchair? |
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Yes. There is wheelchair access to the front of the building on both Huron and Erie streets
allowing wheelchairs to elevate onto the curb. Once at the curb elevation, you can be wheeled directly into
our office via elevator.
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| Q: |
How long will my visit take? |
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The length of any individual visit depends upon the exact nature and complexity of your problem. Therefore,
it is difficult to accurately predict how long an individual visit will last.
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| Q: |
How many doctors are in this office? |
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There are five orthopedic physicians in our office.
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| Q: |
How long has this office been open? |
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Northwestern Center for Orthopedics has been in its current location since 1995. Click
here for a detailed history of our practice.
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| Q: |
Do you treat work related injuries? |
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Yes. If you believe your injury is work related and should be covered by your employer's workers
compensation carrier, you will need a written authorization for treatment from your workers compensation
carrier or your employer. You employer should be able to assist you in obtaining the required authorization.
In most circumstances, with a valid authorization, your medical care will be directly paid for by
the workers compensation plan. However, if you are unable to obtain a valid authorization or if the
compensation carrier decides not to provide reimbursement, then you will be responsible for the cost of
care provided by our physicians.
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| Q: |
Do you treat out of network patients? |
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Yes. We are happy to see patients who are out of our network. However, the payment for the cost of the visit
will be expected at the time of service.
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| Q: |
I am in a PPO/POS/HMO -- do I need a referral? |
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In general, whether or not you need a referral depends on your individual insurance plan. Most POS and HMO plans
require referrals, while some PPO plans do not. However, because of the number of insurance plans and the
variability of their rules, it is difficult to generalize the answer to this question. If you have questions about
about your current plan, you should check either with your insurance carrier or your primary care physician.
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| Q: |
What are your office hours? |
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The office hours for NCO are Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM,and 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Friday.
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Clinical Questions:
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| Q: |
With which hospitals are the doctors affiliated? |
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All of our doctors practice at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where the majority of patient's requiring
hospitalizations are admitted. Various physicians also have appointments at Columbus Hospital, Children's
Memorial Hospital and Evanston Hospital.
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| Q: |
Who comprises your office ancillary staff? |
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NCO's ancillary staff includes registered nurses, occupational therapists, secretaries and radiology technicians.
Each physician works with an individual ancillary support staff as listed below:
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| Q: |
I need to be seen immediately. What should I do? |
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We employ a triage system at our office for office emergencies. If you feel that you need to be seen immediately,
please call our main number, 312/943-7850, and ask to speak to the triage staff. They will attempt to arrange
for an appropriate visit as expeditiously as possible.
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| Q: |
Do I need to bring recent X-rays to my visit? |
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Yes. In general, the more information you provide to your doctor, the better the consultation. If prior studies (i.e. X-rays,
MRI's, EMG's, bone scans, etc...) are available, please bring them for your visit. However, in many cases it will still
be necessary to repeat X-rays at the time of your visit to assess for any interval change.
Please note that if you wish the doctor to evaluate X-rays taken at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, you need
to sign these out from the hospital's file room on the third floor of the Olson Pavilion and bring them for your
visit.
Similarly, if X-rays were performed at St. Clair radiology and you wish them to be available
for your visit, you must obtain them directly from St. Clair Radiology on the 21st floor of our building.
There is no automatic mechanism for us to obtain outside X-rays (including those performed at Northwestern Memorial
Hospital or St. Clair Radiology) since we do not have routine access to your records.
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| Q: |
Why do I need to have X-rays? |
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Many musculoskeletal injuries require radiographic evaluation. X-rays allow the physician to assess the underlying
bony structures as well as to check for any interval change or disease progression.
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| Q: |
Will X-rays harm me? |
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In general, the amount of radiation in a routine X-ray is small, and will not result in any harm. However, if you
are pregnant, or there is a possibility you might be pregnant, you should inform the physician and technologist
prior to any X-ray studies.
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| Q: |
If I need routine X-rays during my visit, where will they be taken? |
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Routine X-rays are taken in our office.
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Q: |
Does your office have an MRI? |
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Yes. Our office has a Lunar extremity MRI scanner.
This machine allows us to obtain
appropriate MRI scans of knees, ankles, elbows and wrists. Since this is an extremity scanner, only the extremity is
enclosed within the magnetic tube, while the patient remains comfortably seated in a non-enclosed, reclining chair.
In many instances, your insurance coverage will allow use of our office MRI. Our support staff will review this with you.
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Q: |
Do I have to come to your office for therapy? |
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No. If it is felt that a course of physical therapy is appropriate for you, the physician will write you a prescription.
Your insurance coverage, your physician and your geographical desires will dictate the therapy facility you will need to attend.
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676 N. St. Clair, Suite 450 Chicago IL 60611 P: 312-943-7850
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