WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR 1ST APPOINTMENT

First, If you have not yet made an appointment, call us at: (806) 353-6100 to set an appointment.

So that we can eliminate your wait time, We try our best to schedule our appointment times so that each person can be seen as near to the appointment time as possible. In order to aid us in this matter, please try to be at your appointment 15 minutes prior to actual appointment time.

We also ask that you please allow 24 hours notice if you need to cancel your appointment. Canceling without appropriate notice would cause other patients to be denied an appointment when they might have otherwise been seen. We ask your cooperation and consideration in this matter. If you have an emergent problem, we will try to see you that day. If you do have an emergent problem, please phone for an appointment do not use our online form.

PRE-PROCEDURE:

To get ready for the procedure do the following: at least a week before the procedure tell the physician what medications you take (including aspirin, Coumadin or Plavix). Ask whether you should stop taking any of them before the procedure. Below is a list prior to scheduled procedure:

1. Please remain NPO (nothing taken by mouth) from solids and liquids for at least 6 hours prior to procedure time. You may drink clear liquids (which are fluids you can see through) up to 2 hours. Coffee is not a clear liquid.
2. Please advise the office of any changes in your health prior to your procedure as soon as possible. This includes any additional medications that other physicians may have prescribed after your last office evaluation at Texas pain & Spine Institute or the Acute & Chronic Pain and Spine Center.
3. All of your regular medications may be taken at their normal times with a small sip of water prior to the procedure.
4. You must bring someone with you to drive you home after the procedure is finished when discharged from recovery area.
5. Please leave all your valuables and jewelry at home. The staff cannot take responsibility for you valuables or lost items.
6. Please do not wear jewelry, your contact lenses, or hearing aids may be removed at the time of the procedure and given back to you at end of the procedure. 
7. Please do not wear perfume or aftershave prior to coming for procedure. This includes the family members or those individuals who accompany the patient. This is very important as there are other patients, staff, and individuals visiting that may be allergic or very sensitive to these products.
8. Please inform the staff if there is any chance that you may be pregnant. Many times X-rays are used during the procedures done at Texas Pain & Spine Center or Acute & Chronic Pain and Spine Center, which are deleterious to individuals who are pregnant. This may include individuals who accompany the patient for their procedure.
9. Family members and visitors with the patient will be asked to remain in the waiting area until the procedure is finished.
10. Please understand that medications may be given to you during the procedure that may affect your ability to make decisions. You should not drive or operate motorized vehicles, or make complex decisions nor sign legal documents, drink alcohol or take any drugs without your doctors’ knowledge.

DURING PROCEDURE:

During the procedure you will need to lie very still to achieve the best results. Medication may be given to you to ensure comfort and relaxation. At any time during the procedure you feel uncomfortable, inform your physician. Your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation are monitored during the procedure. In a very small percentage of patients the injection sites may be tender. This is due to the medicine injected, nearly all patients are fine and do not have any increased pain after the procedure.

POST PROCEDURE:

You can go home soon after the procedure. Keep in mind you must have someone to drive you home. Take it easy for the rest of the day. Gradually increase to normal activities, as tolerated. The injection sites may be tender for a day or two. You may resume taking your medications as prescribed by your physician. The pain may be worse before it gets better. This is due to the medicine injected. This should resolve in two-three days. Notify the office if you have any of the following:

1. Persistent Headache
2. Fever
3. Difficulty Urinating
4. Severe pain at the injection site
5. Increased weakness in legs or arms.
6. If puncture site becomes red or hot.
7. If swelling or drainage occurs at the site

Welcome to Amarillo, The Texas Pain & Spine Institute and The Acute & Chronic Pain and Spine Center. Whether you live out of town, within the state limits, out of the state, anywhere in the U.S.A., or from abroad, you will get the finest medical care with the least invasive, state-of-the-art treatments and procedures possible.

As a new patient, you will need to be in Amarillo for one or several days. Medical evaluation will take several hours and testing if possible the same day, may take more time in that day. If procedures are to be scheduled and done several days of stay in town will be necessary (generally 2- days).

You will be able to return home the next morning after the procedure, or you may stay and tour our wild-west sites (the Palo Duro Canyon). 
Popular airlines that fly regularly into Amarillo are: Southwest, American Airlines and United

There are a number of popular hotels that are only about 15 minutes drive to our office, which is located at 24 Care Circle, Amarillo, Texas 79124. Off Soncy, turn on Amarillo Blvd and go 2 miles.

Links to these Hotels are listed below:

• Comfort Inn at 2300 Soncy Road, Amarillo, TX 79121 – 806-457-9100.
• Country Inn & Suites 2000 Soncy Rd., Amarillo, TX 79121 – 806-356-9977
• Quality Inn & Suites 6800 I-40 West, Amarillo, TX – 806-358-7943
• Drury Inns & Suites 8540 I-40 West, Amarillo, TX – 806-351-1111

If you have not yet set an appointment and would like to set-up an initial consultation, Our Hours are Mon-Fri 8am – 5pm.
Contact us at: (806) 353-6100

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.  Please review it carefully.

This practice uses and discloses health information about you for treatment, to obtain payment for treatment, for administrative purposes and to evaluate the quality of care that you receive.  This notice describes our privacy practices.  You can request a copy of this notice at any time.  For more information about this notice or our privacy practices and policies, please contact the person listed below.

Treatment

We are permitted to use and disclose your medical information to those involved in your treatment.  For example, the physician in this practice is a specialist. When we provide treatment, we may request that your primary care physician share your medical information with us.  Also, we may provide your primary care physician information about your particular condition so that he or she can appropriately treat you for other medical conditions, if any.

Payment

We are permitted to use and disclose your medical information to bill and collect payment for the services provided to you.  For example, we may complete a claim form to obtain payment from your insurer or HMO.  The form will contain medical information, such as a description of the medical service provided to you, that your insurer or HMO needs to approve payment to us.

Health Care Operations

We are permitted to use or disclose your medical information for the purposes of health care operations, which are activities that support this practice and ensure that quality care is delivered.  (For example, we may engage the services of a professional to aid this practice in its compliance programs. This person will review billing and medical files to ensure we maintain our compliance with regulations and the law.)

Disclosures That Can Be Made Without Your Authorization

There are situations in which we are permitted by law to disclose or use your medical information without your written authorization or an opportunity to object.  In other situations, we will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing any identifiable health information about you.  If you choose to sign an authorization to disclose information, you can later revoke that authorization, in writing, to stop future uses and disclosures.  However, any revocation will not apply to disclosures or uses already made or taken in reliance on that authorization.

Public Health, Abuse or Neglect, and Health Oversight

We may disclose your medical information for public health activities.  Public health activities are mandated by federal, state, or local government for the collection of information about disease, vital statistics (like births and death), or injury by a public health authority.  We may disclose medical information, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition.  We may disclose your medical information to report reactions to mediations, problems with products, or to notify people of recalls of products they may be using.

We may also disclose medical information to a public agency authorized to receive reports of child abuse or neglect.  Texas law requires physicians to report child abuse or neglect.  Regulations also permit the disclosure of information to report abuse or neglect of elders or the disabled. 

We may disclose your medical information to a health oversight agency for those activities authorized by law.  Examples of these activities are audits, investigations, licensure applications, and inspections which are all government activities undertaken to monitor the health care delivery system and compliance with other laws, such as civil rights laws. 

Legal Proceedings and Law Enforcement

We may disclose your medical information in the course of judicial or administrative proceedings in response to an order of the court (or the administrative decision-maker) or other appropriate legal process.  Certain requirements must be met before the information is disclosed.

If asked by a law enforcement official, we may disclose your medical information under limited circumstances provided that the information:

·         Is release pursuant to legal process, such as a warrant or subpoena.

·         Pertains to a victim of crime and you are incapacitated

·         Pertains to a person who has died under circumstances that may be related to criminal conduct.

·         About a victim of crime and we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement.

·         Is released because of a crime that has occurred on the premises; or

·         Is released to locate a fugitive, missing person, or suspect.

We may also release information if we believe the disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen an imminent threat to the health or safety of a person.

Workers’ Compensation

We may disclose your medical information as required by the Texas workers’ compensation law.

Inmates

If you are an inmate or under the custody of law enforcement, we may release your medical information to the correctional institution or law enforcement official.  This release is permitted to allow the institution to provide you with medical care, to protect your health or the health and safety of others, or for the safety and security of the institution.

Military, National security and Intelligence Activities, Protection of the President

We may disclose your medical information for specialized governmental functions such as separation or discharge from military service, requests as necessary by appropriate military command officers (if you are in the military), authorized national security and intelligence activities, as well as authorized activities for the provision of protective services for the President of the United States, other authorized government officials, or foreign heads of state.

Research, Organ Donation, Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

When a research project and its privacy protections have been approved by an institutional review board or privacy board, we may release medical information to researchers for research purposes.  We may release medical information to organ procurement organizations for the purpose of facilitating organ, eye or tissue donation if you are a donor.  Also, we may release your medical information to a coroner or medical examiner to identify a deceased or a cause of death.  Further, we may release medical information to a funeral director where such a disclosure is necessary for the director to carry out his duties. 

Required by Law

We may release medical information where the disclosure is required by law. 

Your Rights Under Federal Privacy Regulations

The United Stated Department of Health and Human Services created regulations intended to protect patient privacy as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).  Those regulations create several privileges that patients may exercise.  We will not retaliate against a patient that exercises their HIPAA rights. 

Requested Restrictions

You may request that we restrict or limit how your protected health information is used or disclosed for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.  We do NOT have to agree to this restriction but if we do agree we will comply with your request except under emergency circumstances. 

To request a restriction, submit the following in writing:

a.       The information to be restricted

b.      What kind of restriction you are requesting (i.e. on the use of information, disclosure of information or both)

c.        To whom the limits apply.

Please send the request to the address and person listed below.

You may also request that we limit disclosure to family members, other relatives, or close personal friends that may or may not be involved in your care.

Receiving Confidential Communications By Alternative Means

You may request that we send communications of protected health information by alternative means or to an alternative location.  This request must be made in writing to the person listed below.  We are required to accommodate only reasonable requests.  Please specify in your correspondence exactly how you want us to communicate with you and, if you are directing us to send it to a particular place, the contact/address information.

Inspection and Copies of Protected Health Information

You may inspect and/or copy health information that is within the designated record set, which is information that is used to make decisions about your care.  Texas law requires that request for copies be made in writing and we ask that requests for inspection of your health information also be made in writing.  Please send your request to the person listed below.

We can refuse to provide some of the information you ask to inspect or ask to be copied if the information:

·         Includes psychotherapy notes

·         Includes the identity of a person who provided information if it was obtained under a promise of confidentiality.

·         Is subject to the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments of 1988

·         Has been compiled in anticipation of litigation

We can refuse to provide access to or copies of some information for other reasons, provided that we provide a review of our decision on your request.  Another licensed health care provider who was not involved in the prior decision to deny access will make any such review.

Texas law requires that we are ready to provide copies or a narrative within 15 days of your request.  We will inform you when the records are ready to pick up or if we believe access should be limited.  If we deny access, we will inform you in writing.

HIPAA permits us to charge a reasonable cost base fee.  The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners (TSBME) has set limits on fees for copies of medical records that under some circumstances may be lower than the charges permitted by HIPAA.  In any event, the lower of the fee permitted by HIPAA or the fee permitted by the TSBME will be charged.

Amendment of medical Information

You may request an amendment of your medical information in the designated record set.  Any such request must be made in writing to the person listed below.  We will respond within 60 days of your request.  We may refuse to allow an amendment if the information:

·         Wasn’t created by this practice or the physicians here in this practice.

·         Is not part of the Designated Record Set.

·         Is not available for inspection because of an appropriate denial.

·         If the information is accurate and complete.

Even if we refuse to allow an amendment you are permitted to include a patient statement about the information at issue in your medical record.  If we refuse to allow an amendment, we will inform you in writing.  If we approve the amendment, we will inform you in writing, allow the amendment to be made and tell others that we now have the correct information.

Accounting of Certain Disclosures

The HIPAA privacy regulations permit you to request, and us to provide, an accounting of disclosures that are other than for treatment, payment, health care operations, or made via an authorization signed by you or your representative.  Please submit any request for an accounting to the person listed below.  Your first accounting of disclosures (within a 12 month period) will be free.  For additional requests within that period we are permitted to charge for the cost of providing the list.  If there is a charge we will notify you and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request before any costs are incurred.

Appointment Reminders, Treatment Alternatives, and Other Health-related Benefits

We may contact you by telephone to provide appointment reminders, information reminders, information about treatment alternatives, or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

Complaints

If you are concerned that your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact the person listed below.  You may also send a written complaint to the United States Department of health and Human Services.  We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint with the government or us.  The contact information for the United States Department of Health and Human Services is:

US Department of Health and Human Services

HIPAA Compliant

7500 Security Blvd., C5-24-04

Baltimore, MD 21244

Our Promise to You

We are required by law and regulation to protect the privacy of your medical information, to provide you with this notice of our privacy with respect to protected health information, and to abide by the terms of the notice of privacy practices in effect.

Questions and Contact Person for Requests

If you have any questions or want to make a request pursuant to the rights described above, please contact:

Becky Mora

24 Care Circle

Amarillo, TX 79124

Phone (806) 353-6100

Fax (806) 353-8130

Email    becky@acpsc.com

This notice is effective on the following date:  April 14, 2003

We may change our policies and this notice at any time and have those revised policies apply to all the protected health information we maintain.  If or when we change our notice, we will post the new notice in the office where it can be seen.