Frequently patients require insurance or disability forms to be completed. If the majority of the information involves the patient’s condition prior to surgery, these are best filled out by the patient’s own physician. If they primarily involve surgical and postoperative status or return to work, they can be brought to Dr. Klippenstein’s office for completion. These will be completed in as timely a fashion as possible. There may be a fee for the completed form, which is set by the Brandon Clinic and will need to be paid when the completed form is picked up.
If a patient requires a note for time off work after surgery, the preoperative staff should be notified, and this can be sent home with the patient after surgery. Usually insurance and disability forms themselves need to be completed at some point during the postoperative follow up course, when symptoms, limitations, and expected return to work dates are better determined. These forms should therefore be brought to a follow up appointment or left at the Brandon Clinic.
If the Worker’s Compensation Board is involved, it is important that the case number be provided at the initial visit to ensure all reports are forwarded to WCB. It is important to indicate if the case is under review or appeal, even if WCB is not currently taking responsibility for it.
If other insurers are involved, including Manitoba Public Insurance, it is important to indicate this. If there is an open MPI file, even if the orthopaedic problem is not new, this should be identified.
If reports are needed for lawyers, a letter from the lawyer’s office addressed to Dr. Klippenstein and a signed release of information is needed indicating precisely what information is required.
A patient may request their own chart information at any time, or request that their file be forwarded to another physician’s office. A small fee may be assessed for this.