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Prepare for your appointment with an orthopedic specialist by understanding what we will ask of you and by learning about the roles of the technicians, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, and physicians you will interact with during your evaluation.
What to Expect Your first appointment with an orthopedic surgeon or physician at Salina Ortho will likely include a comprehensive medical history evaluation, physical tests, and may involve either the process of or scheduling of diagnostic imaging using X-Ray and/or MRI to get a better view of the injury. We try to keep things running smoothly and stick to a schedule, however, we don’t have total control of how long each individual appointment will take. A little patience, especially if your appointment is a little later in the day, is always appreciated. As a new patient we will often suggest that X-Rays are taken so that we can get a better idea of what is going on with your injury. We will take X-Rays at the time of your appointment or if you have had X-Rays taken at a previous location please see if they can provide you with a copy of the X-Rays so that you won’t have to have more taken. If you have had imaging taken at a previous location please let staff know ahead of time, we prefer to get electronic copies of your imaging if available. You may fill your required paperwork out electronically or in person. If filling out paperwork in person, please arrive 10-15 minutes early to your scheduled appointment. A Medical Assistant or RN will likely be the first person you meet after your initial paperwork. This experienced staff helps focus the physicians on diagnostics and treatment by helping collect important vital information, medical history and broad assessment details. Once that initial examination is done the physician will review the information before meeting with you. They may ask similar questions, clarifying information and will likely do some physical examination and perhaps testing of the injury. If they feel it is warranted they may also schedule some additional diagnostic imaging. Salina Ortho can perform an MRI in-house and is scheduled once we get your insurance approval. Once a diagnosis is formed, the physician will lay out the treatment options which may include things like physical therapy, injections, or perhaps surgery as the situation warrants. Before your appointment, you can prepare by gathering together and bringing:
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