Referring a patient

When to consider referral

• Painful bunion, hammertoe or big-toe arthritis that has not responded to footwear changes, padding and other conservative care
• Heel pain unresponsive to a thorough course of conservative treatment
• Achilles tendon rupture, or tendinopathy that hasn’t improved with a structured exercise program
• Progressive flatfoot or posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
• Chronic ankle instability that persists despite rehabilitation
• Symptomatic ankle or hindfoot arthritis, for evaluation for arthroscopy, fusion or replacement
• Ankle, midfoot or forefoot fractures and ligament injuries, including suspected Lisfranc injury
• Diabetic foot ulcer or infection, or a warm, swollen foot suggestive of Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathyFor a wound that won’t heal, or when limb salvage is the question, see our sister practice, Limb Salvage Institute.
• Persistent symptoms after previous foot or ankle surgery
• Second opinion before or after foot or ankle surgery

What to send

Please fax the referral sheet along with:

• Patient demographics and contact information
• Insurance information (front and back of card) and any required referral or authorization
• Recent clinical notes and your question for us
• Weight-bearing X-ray reports and, where possible, the images themselves (X-ray and ultrasound are available on site, so a referral doesn’t need to wait for new films)
• MRI, CT or ultrasound reports, and images if available
• Prior operative reports
• Relevant lab results, such as hemoglobin A1c for patients with diabetes, and vascular studies for wounds

What happens next

Our office contacts your patient to schedule. After the evaluation, a consultation note with our findings and recommendations is sent to your office. For urgent problems — an unstable fracture, a deep infection, a suspected Achilles rupture, a wound with spreading infection — please call and ask to speak with the clinical team, so your patient can be seen quickly.