Our Patient Review Process

At Spine Team Texas, our first goal is to ensure our patients are as comfortable as possible. That’s why our friendly physicians and nurses are trained to provide expert back and neck care utilizing a simple, yet comprehensive, process for on-boarding our patients.

Our Patient Review Process

How We Handle Referrals from Your Physician

Because ninety percent of all patients do not require surgical intervention when it comes to spine care treatment, Spine Team Texas offers a TRUE multidisciplinary approach with all four specialties, including physical medicine and rehabilitation, anesthesiologists specializing in spine pain management, spine surgeons including neuro & ortho spine specializing in minimally invasive surgery. When we receive a referral from your physician, we want to match the best care and service possible with the most efficient and cost effective method for you. Our goal is to eliminate the need for additional visits, added co-pays, lost time from work due to additional appointments, and the potential delay of spine care being delivered.

Our Inbound Patient Process

When we receive a referral, we will contact you to schedule your appointment. Our scheduler will collect relevant clinical information such as clinic notes and diagnostic testing results. The scheduler will then complete a brief questionnaire over the phone and set an appointment for you with a non-surgical physician (physiatrist specializing in spine or anesthesiologist specializing in spine pain management). If you have imaging that you are providing us prior to your appointment, one of our intake nurses will review your information, including imaging, to confirm that you have been placed with the best provider for your current situation. If the nurse determines that your imaging indicates you need an advanced provider, such as a surgeon, they will adjust your appointment to place you with the appropriate provider based on that determination. This triage process helps us to ensure that you are immediately placed with the best physician for your current back and spine situation.

Your Health History & Consultation

One of the most important skills the Spine Team Texas staff maintains is the ability to listen to our patients. That’s why when you first visit our facility, you’ll have the opportunity to share your unique symptoms, personal medical history, and more, through our in-depth consultation process. During the conversation, we may ask you a few questions, such as:

When did your neck or back pain begin?

What increases or decreases your back and neck discomfort?

Is your back or neck pain better or worse in the morning or evening?

Through this process, we’re able to better understand your individual symptoms and assess which of our physicians would be best to conduct your physical examination.

Diagnostic Testing & Physical Exam

During the physical examination portion of your visit, one of our spine-specialized physicians will perform an extensive evaluation to assess your overall physical health, including your state of flexibility, muscular fitness and current bone and nerve condition. We do this by performing a series of diagnostic procedures such as:

Skeletal X-rays

MRI or CT scans
Electromyography
Bone scans
Discography

Customized Treatment Plan

After our physicians have thoroughly assessed your symptoms and examination results, we will work together with you to create a customized back and neck treatment plan based on our findings. These personalized back and neck treatment options may include one or more of the following components:

Spine-focused physical therapy: a customized treatment program.

Manual therapy: a physical therapist will provide hands-on movements to vertebrae and soft tissue areas to help relieve back and neck
Injections: Pain-relieving injections provide a bridge to physical therapy and can offer the physician important information about the problem.
Minimally invasive spine surgery: a neurosurgeon will make a small incision to treat the problem, often on an outpatient basis.

Neck and back pain take the joy out of life. We’re here to help you find it again.

Our founder, Dr. David Rothbart, understood that people struggling with back or neck pain often fear surgery as the first option. He shared this concern, which is why he founded Spine Team Texas—to treat patients conservatively and avoid surgery as the initial solution. Dr. Rothbart’s team of carefully selected pain management experts has helped many patients find relief from their back and neck pain. Schedule your appointment today to find out how they can help you achieve your goals.

Meet Walt Rutkowski

Physical trainer, businessman, & back pain conqueror

After enjoying physical training for many years, Walt developed a specific pain. He tried conservative treatments, but when it was time to find a surgeon, he knew who to call!

Our Patient Review Process