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FAQ

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Office Appointments/Doctor Referral:

Please be aware that in order to schedule an appointment at our office, you must have a referral from another doctor or the hospital emergency department.  Although we recognize that this may be of some inconvenience to you as a patient, our goal is to avoid wasting your time and money.  Some patients who have a neurological problem are not surgical candidates, so a visit to a neurologist or other specialist first may save you time and money in the long run.  Referring physicians are also able to order radiological tests such as MRIs that are often necessary to see a neurosurgeon. Having these done first will expedite your care and appointment time should you need to see a neurosurgeon.

Once the referral is received by our office, we will call you to schedule an appointment with either the doctor or his PA as quickly as possible. 

Our office does not store films.  Depending on the facility at which your films were taken, we may be able to access them online; however, these computer systems are not 100% reliable.  To prevent being rescheduled, you MUST bring your films with you EVERY TIME you come to your appointment (images on a CD are fine as well).

If you must cancel or reschedule your appointment, please call us at least 24 hours in advance so that we offer that appointment to another patient.

 

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Hours of Operation:

Port City Neurosurgery & Spine is open 9 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.  Dr. Alsina typically sees patients on Mondays and Wednesdays only, with surgery dates on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Depending on the hospital call schedule, we
occasionally will open a Friday morning clinic.

Phone: 910-338-2773             
Fax: 910-341-7911

After-hours calls will be answered by our answering service.  If Dr. Alsina is on call, he will be paged; if he is not on call, the covering physician will be paged and will try to address any urgent medical or surgical needs. In an emergency, contact 911 or go to nearest emergency room to be evaluated. Dr. Alsina or the on-call neurosurgeon will handle the issue as appropriate. After hours calls are for emergencies only; the on-call physician doesn't have access to the clinic schedule and cannot make or change appointments. Afters hours calls are not appropriate to leave messages. Pain medications cannot be refilled after hours or by a cross-covering physician.

Because neurosurgery often involves critical, immediate care of patients, there may be times when we must reschedule or delay your appointment.  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that may cause you, but promise to see you as quickly as possible thereafter.  

 

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Billing & Insurance Companies:

Port City Neurosurgery & Spine participates with Medicare, NC Medicaid, NC Workman’s Comp, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), and Vocational Rehab.

This does NOT mean that if you have insurance other that those listed above that you cannot be seen. Depending on your insurance policy and plan, you may be able to get a special authorization to see Dr. Alsina as though he were an in-network provider. This authorization is commonly known as a geographical “GAP” authorization, and is typically available from United Healthcare, Cigna, and other insurers.

A GAP, or out-of-network authorization, is available by either patient or referring doctor request. You must call your insurance company and let them know that you have been referred to see a neurosurgeon and that you would like to see Dr. Alsina. The insurance company will check their records and, depending on where you live, most likely determine that there is not a neurosurgeon in your network within 60 miles of your address. If you call your insurance company before your visit with Dr. Alsina and ask for an authorization to see him as though he were an in-network doctor, your insurance company should provide you with a letter approving the authorization. 

The benefit to you is that you should still only have to pay your in-network co-pays and/or deductibles, which should lower the cost of the visit for you.  Please contact our office at 910-338-2773 or your insurance company to find out if you are eligible for this benefit.  It is your responsibility to contact your insurance company about authorizations before your visit.  Since we are out-of-network with many insurance companies, we often cannot get this authorization for you.

A valid insurance card and photo ID are required at the time of your visit.  Although we file most insurance for you as a courtesy, the bill is ultimately your responsibility.  If you have a question about a bill or a denial, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.  Our insurance/billing staff is exceptionally knowledgeable and willing to fight erroneous denials on your behalf.

You may be eligible to file Workman’s Comp or Vocational Rehab depending on your circumstances.  Although Port City Neurosurgery & Spine does not accept Charity Care through New Hanover Regional Medical Center, you may be able to reduce your bill with them by contacting the financial aid division at 910-343-7050.

We do not file liability claims.  Patients with liability cases must either come as self-pay patients or have notified their personal health insurance carrier of the liability claim and received, in writing, notification that the health insurance will cover the claim.

We require patients with insurance to pay their co-pay upfront when they check in.  For patients with a co-insurance (a percentage of the amount due), payment will be required for the full amount of the co-insurance at the end of the visit.  Please be prepared to pay this amount at each visit.  Patients without their co-pay may be rescheduled to another date.  Payment is due before or upon receipt of services, as we may lawfully require.  Port City Neurosurgery & Spine does not extend credit.

Patients who are self-pay are required to pay in full the estimated amount of the visit when they check in.  We are willing to work with patients who cannot pay in full at every visit by setting you up on a payment plan, but payment will be required at the agreed upon amount every month.

Our office accepts Visa, MasterCard, cash, and checks.  Returned checks will incur a $25 service charge.  Failure to pay the full amount of the bounced check plus the service charge will result in your check being turned over to the North Carolina Worthless Check Program.

Failure to pay your bill with our office may result in collection action.  If you feel you have extenuating circumstances, please notify the practice administrator in advance to see if other arrangements can be made. 

 

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Worker’s Compensation:

If you have been injured on the job, you may qualify for Worker’s Comp insurance.  It is your responsibility to file a claim with your employer.  You may also need to file a claim with the NC Industrial Commission.

Reimbursement rates and regulations vary from state to state; therefore, it is our policy to accept only Worker’s Comp claims that follow NC guidelines and payment.  Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.  Please contact our office for more information.

 

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Hospital and Medical Records:

If, prior to your visit with our office, you have been seen in a hospital or a doctor’s office (other than the doctor who referred you) for the same problem, you must bring the notes from those encounters with you to the appointment. 

We must have all relevant information related to your problem in order to treat you most effectively.  We cannot call the hospital or doctor’s office for you without a signed authorization from you.  Most facilities require at least 48 hours to fax or mail patient records, which may cause your appointment to be rescheduled.

Please contact your other providers, in advance, to obtain copies of your records.

Should we refer you to another doctor, we will send that office and/or facility a complimentary copy of your records from our office only for continuity of care. 

Other requests for medical records from our office will be charged a medical record copying fee, not to exceed North Carolina General Statutes limits.

 

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Film Policy:

Our office does not store films.  Depending on the facility at which your films were taken, we may be able to access them online; however, these computer systems are not 100% reliable.  To prevent being rescheduled, you MUST bring your films with you EVERY TIME you come to your appointment (images on a CD are fine as well).

 

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HIPAA:

Port City Neurosurgery & Spine strives to maintain the highest standards in healthcare and healthcare compliance.  Please click here to read a copy of our HIPAA Privacy Policy.

For more information on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), please click on the following link for the Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/ .  You may also call our office and ask to speak to the HIPAA privacy officer: 910-338-2773.

 

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Important Telephone Numbers:

  • Port City Neurosurgery & Spine: 910-338-2773
  • New Hanover Regional Medical Center: 910-343-7000