Patient Services

Preparing for Your Visit

Welcome to the Spine Medicine Institute, where we strive to treat the whole patient and not just the condition. We look forward to your visit with us.

Commonly asked questions

Click on any link below to learn more about a topic.

New Patients: Preparing for Your First Visit

What do I need to bring?

  • New patient paperwork—This paperwork can be sent to you before your appointment via mail or fax by downloading the forms by clicking on the links below.
    • Please allow 3-4 days to receive our forms through the mail, and 24 hours to receive faxes from our office. Even if you have filled out all the SMI paperwork prior to arrival, you still need to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before your appointment. This will ensure adequate time to complete your chart and make copies of your driver’s license and insurance card, and obtain your vital signs prior to your scheduled appointment time.
    • If you prefer to fill out the forms in the office, or if your appointment date will not allow enough time to receive the forms via mail, we ask you to arrive 45 minutes to one hour early to allow adequate time to fill out paperwork. If you believe that you will take longer to fill out paperwork due to medical conditions (arthritis, memory or complete medical history for example), please arrive at least one hour before your appointment. Please bring lists of your previous surgeries, medical conditions, and medications (with name, strength, dose and who prescribed it) to help you fill out the forms.
    • Please note: All of your paperwork needs to be completed (whether mailed, faxed, downloaded or filled out in the office) before your appointment time. If your paperwork is not complete, we may require that you reschedule your appointment. We thank you for your cooperation in helping us to remain on schedule for you and for our other patients.
  • A picture ID
  • Applicable insurance information
    • Health insurance card
    • Worker’s compensation claim, adjuster's name and number or automobile policy. Complete contact information is required in order to bill them.
  • Payment—Office visit co-payment is expected at time of service. Please plan ahead and bring your preferred method of payment with you at the time of service (check, debit or credit card).
  • If you have been treated by non-Idaho physicians (surgeons, pain management, primary care providers) for your current spine or pain problem, please bring the provider's name, address and phone number to your appointment. This will help us fill out the medical release so we can request medical records.

What forms do I fill out?

Ideally, we try to mail out the forms to you in advance. But sometimes we are not able to ensure adequate time for mail delivery. In these cases we encourage you to download the following forms, fill them out and bring them with you to your appointment:

Preparing for Follow-Up Visits

What do I need to bring for follow-up visits?

If you are coming for follow-up visits, please make sure you bring:

  1. A picture ID.

  2. Any new insurance information, such as a new insurance card.

  3. Any SMI paperwork provided at your last appointment (i.e.—injection diagnostic sheets).

  4. Please notify the office staff of any changes in your name, address, insurance or phone numbers.

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How early should I arrive for my follow-up appointment?

Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before to your scheduled follow-up appointment time. This will allow time for checking you in, escorting you to the exam room, obtaining your vital signs, and reviewing your list of medications so that your appointment will begin on time. Please remember to bring any paperwork, diagnostic sheets or other information that you were told to bring for your appointment.

What can I expect during my visit?

  • You will check in at the front desk. They will make sure that all your paperwork and questionnaires are complete. If you did not download the paperwork from the Internet or receive it in the mail before your appointment, the front office staff will have you complete the paperwork when you arrive for your appointment (allow at least 45 minutes to one hour to fill out the paperwork in the office).
  • You will then be brought back to the exam room by the medical assistant (MA), who will obtain your vital signs, review your medications and make sure all forms are complete.
  • Our physicians or middle level providers (physician assistants, nurse practitioners) review your medical history and any past diagnostic or radiological testing, and perform a comprehensive medical examination.
  • Following the examination, the provider will discuss what he or she believes is causing your pain. We refer to this as the “pain generator.” For some spine patients there can be multiple causes of pain, and we may have to develop a treatment plan for each cause. Your provider will discuss the best possible treatment approach for your specific condition. This may include medication, physical therapy, chiropractic therapy, spine injections, spinal cord stimulators, interthecal pumps or surgery.
  • The Spine Medicine Institute is a multidisciplinary practice and we encourage conservative, nonsurgical options whenever possible.

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Do accept my insurance?

While our physicians and mid-level providers (physician assistants, nurse practitioners) accept most insurance plans, you should always check with the office staff when making an appointment to ensure your insurance is accepted by the provider that you are scheduled to see.

 

If one of our providers believes that you need to see a chiropractor or physical or occupational therapist as part of your treatment plan, you will need to check to see if that person is also part of your network. If the therapist or chiropractor is not in your insurance network, please request a list of network therapists from your insurance plan. This will help us refer you to a therapist we know and whose quality of work we are familiar with. If you must select a therapist outside of our office, we will make sure he or she receives the appropriate information to treat you. If you have any questions, ask our scheduling staff at any time.

 

Your primary care physician or referring physician will be informed and receive copies of the Spine Medicine Institute’s treatment plans. In the case of worker’s compensation patients, we will coordinate your coverage with your case manager or representative.

 

What if I have to cancel my appointment?

If for any reason you must cancel or reschedule your appointment, we ask that you contact us at least 24 hours in advance. This allows us to fill your appointment space with another patient on our waiting list. Due to the number of patients referred to our clinic, we may not be able to reschedule no-shows and last-minute cancellations, and this may require you to have to wait until the next available appointment.

Please note that if you cancel or no-show, for three appointments, further services may be discontinued.

Telephone calls to our office

When calling to make an appointment, please let our receptionist know if you are scheduling for a routine follow-up visit, medication-related problem, a new acute problem or if you are a new patient needing to be seen. The receptionist will ask you questions regarding your condition in order to be sure we schedule enough time to meet your needs.

If you are calling with a medical question, give the receptionist as much information as possible; he or she will have the assistant or nurse return your call. Always notify the receptionist when your concern is urgent.

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How do I request a medication refill?

Please note that medication refills can take up to 48 hours, and plan accordingly. We cannot guarantee same-day refills. If you call and leave a message with a refill request, a staff member will get back to you as soon as possible.
>> Click here for specific instructions and guidelines regarding medication refills.

 

Where do I park for my appointment?

We ask that you park at the S2 entrance of the hospital, located off Curtis Road. There is free valet parking available at this location during normal business hours.

>> Download a campus map here

 

What if I need assistance when I arrive at Saint Alphonsus?

Saint Alphonsus volunteer services are available to escort you to our clinic on the sixth floor. Visit the Welcome Center at the S2 entrance and ask for an escort to the sixth floor.

 

You can also call 208-367-2111 before you arrive and an escort will be waiting for you at the S2 entrance. When you call, let the volunteer office know that you have an appointment at the Spine Medicine Institute and what time you will arrive at the hospital.

 

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