I have been referred to your officE. What do I need to know BEFORE?
We look forward to seeing you.
Please click here for the information you will need to be prepared for your appointment.
I have been referred to your officE, However, I have not heard anything FOR A FEW WEEKS. Should I be concerned?
No need to be concerned. Once your referral is received, your physician triages it according to how urgent it is based on the information provided in the letter. This triaging generally occurs within 7-10 days of receiving the referral, although ones marked urgent are usually reviewed within a day or so. You will then be contacted for an appointment. Generally, this will be one month in advance of your appointment, although we may contact you with only a few days notice if there are cancellations or we open up extra clinic time. You are welcome to contact our office to ensure that your referral has been received, but unfortunately we may not be able to tell you when your appointment will be.
We understand that you may have a sore joint or limb, and that it is interfering with your quality of life. We truly want to help. We try our best to triage patients accordingly and see individuals in a reasonable timeframe, but due to on-call demands, operative time, professional obligations such as meetings and teaching sessions, and courses or conferences, I often cannot see as many people in a week as I would like. Please know that when I do see you I will do my best to arrive at the correct diagnosis, recommend & implement a treatment plan, explain everything to you, and answer your questions. I appreciate your patience. Please contact our office if you have significant concerns.
WHY DOES it take so long to get in TO SEE THE DOCTOR?
No. You have been referred for a specific body part and we have allotted your appointment time appropriately for that. You are definitely able to ask your family doctor for a second referral and we will see you again for your additional concerns, however we are unable to see you for more than what you have been referred for.
I have been referred for my shoulder, but I also have a sore knee. Can you look at that as well?
No. You have been referred to see if you need surgery. This does not necessarily mean that you absolutely need surgery. During your consultation, you will be assessed and determine if you need surgery. If you are a candidate and agree to surgery, then you will have to sign the consent form and you will place on the waitlist for surgery. This will only occur after all necessary investigations are complete.
Can I be put on the surgical waiting list before I see the doctor?
I have been given a surgical date, but noW I have a cold. What should I do?
Please contact our office immediately to advise us of this. See our pre-operative instructions. If it is a viral type head cold, it is often safe to proceed with surgery, but your surgeon and/or the anesthesiologist will be the ones responsible for that decision and thus need to know about it. However, if it is a bacterial infection and/or you have been on antibiotics, we may have to postpone your surgery. Generally we will not operate on you if you have been on antibiotics for pneumonia within the past 4 weeks or have been on antibiotics for a sinus infection/urinary tract infection in the past 2 weeks. It may be longer if implants are being used (ex. total shoulder replacement). It is best to postpone your surgery in these scenarios to ensure we minimize the risk of surgical site infection or post-operative complications, as well as to ensure the OR does not go unfilled if we had to cancel you on the day of surgery (OR time is a very expensive and valuable resource).