WELCOME

At Spine & Orthopedic Specialists, our mission is to help restore and enhance your musculoskeletal health. Here you'll find convenient access to specialized musculoskeletal care. Our vision is to improve patient health through a multidisciplinary team devoted to musculotskeletal care, as well as treatment of bone, joint, soft tissue and related disorders.

We'll help you live in motion--whether that's through exercise therapy, injections, or surgery. Now, you have a single, trusted source to care for your aches and pains--a source that provides convenient access to specialized musculoskeletal care.

• Participating Insurances
• Patient Portal
• Our Providers
• Contact Us

our providers

Our providers are dedicated to up-to-date minimally invasive spine and orthopedic techniques and old fashioned patient care.

When it comes to providing quality comprehensive minimally invasive spine and orthopedic care, our Board Certified and Board Eligible Orthopedic Surgeons are setting the standards in Arizona. We are committed to excellence by pledging to provide the highest quality of spine and orthopedic care possible. Whether it is the treatment of immediate, chronic, pediatric, or work-related injuries, we strive to provide optimal health care until our patients complete their journeys back to good health.

meet the team

• Todd Doerr, M.D.
• Cory Nelson, M.D.
• Ross Uthe, PA-C

view more

Contact Us

• Locations

our services

Our physicians provide specialized orthopedic care, spanning a wide variety of symptoms, conditions, and treatments for the musculo-skeletal system.

Click on the pages on the side to learn more about some of the most common symptoms and conditions we treat.

• back & spine
• shoulder
• elbow
• knee
• ankle
• fractures
• hip

Back & Spine

Shoulder

Elbow

Our Physicians help patients find relief from:

• Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
• Golfer"s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)
• Ligament Injuries
• Little Leaguer's Elbow
• Fractures
• Loose Bodies
• Biceps Tendon Rupture
• Triceps Tendon Tear

Our physicians view surgery as a treatment option only when all other avenues have been explored. Our non-surgical treatments include:

• Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
• Golfer"s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)
• Ligament Injuries
• Little Leaguer's Elbow
• Fractures
• Loose Bodies
• Biceps Tendon Rupture
• Triceps Tendon Tear

When all other treatment options have been considered and surgery appears to be the best option, our physicians are skilled in the following surgical techniques:

• Biceps Tendon Repair
• Capsular Release
• Elbow Arthroscopy
• Epicondyle Debridement and/or Tendon Repair
• Extensor Debridement & Repair
• Fracture Fixation/Repair
• Ligament Reconstruction (e.g. UCL or "Tommy John" Surgery)
• Olecranon Bursectomy / Bursa Excision
• Osteophyte Removal
• Triceps Tendon Repair

Knee

Our Physicians help patients find relief from:

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries
• Fractures of the Tibial Spine
• Goosefoot (Pes Anserine) Bursitis of the Knee
• Knee Arthritis
• Kneecap (Prepatellar) Bursitis
• Meniscus Tears
• Multiligament Knee Injuries and Reconstructions
• Osgood-Schlatter Disease
• Osteochondritis Dissecans
• Patellar Fracture (Broken Knee Cap)
• Patellar Tendon Rupture
• Patellar Tendonitis (Jumpers Knee)
• Patellar Tracking Disorder (Anterior Knee Pain)
• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner's Knee)
• Quadriceps Tendon Rupture
• Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome)
• Supracondylar Femoral Fracture
• Tibial Fractures
• Tibial Plateau Fracture
• Torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
• Torn Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)

Ankle

Our Physicians help patients find relief from:

• Achilles Tendon Injuries
• Ankle Sprains
• Hallux Ridigus (Stiff Big Toe)
• High Ankle Sprain (Syndeosmosis Ligament Injurry)
• Jones Fracture
• LisFranc (Midfoot) Fracture-Dislocation
• Stress Fractures of the Foot and Ankle

Our physicians view surgery as a treatment option only when all other avenues have been explored. Our non-surgical treatments include:

• Physical Therapy
• Injections
• Medical management

When all other treatment options have been considered and surgery appears to be the best option, our physicians are skilled in the following surgical techniques:

• Ankle Fracture Surgery
• Cheilectomy
• Debridement of the Achilles Tendon
• Fixation for LisFranc Injury
• Surgery for Achilles Tendon Rupture
• Transfibular Ankle Fusion

Fractures

• Legs
• Arms
• Feet
• Hands
• Wrists
• Thighs
• Upper Arms
• Forearms
• Hips
• Knees
• Ankle

Hip

When all other treatment options have been considered and surgery still appears to be the best option, our physicians are skilled in the following surgical techniques:

• Femur Fracture Fixation with Dynamic Hip Screw
• Femur Fracture Fixation with Intramedullary Rod (i.e. Gamma Nail)
• Hemiarthroplasty
• Hip Fracture Treatment with Surgical Screws
• Large Bearing Metal-on-Metal Mini Total Hip
• Mini Total Hip Replacement
• Total Hip Replacement
• Total Hip Replacement (metal on metal)

Patient Resources

We're dedicated to making your experience as a patient smooth, comfortable, and and efficient. We've prepared this section to help you learn more about the administrative aspects of your care.

• I Have an Injury.
• I Need a Physical.
• Coming in for My First Visit.
• I Have a New Injury.
• I'm Scheduled for a Test.
• I'm Scheduled for Surgery.
• I've Had Surgery. What Now?

• Register as a New Patient
• Request an Appointment
• Renew a Prescription
• Request Medical Records
• Request Test Results
• Contact the Doctor
• Pay My Bill

• All Patient Forms
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Patient Portal

Education

Locations

Address:

20401 N. 73rd Street,
Suite 175,
Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Hours:

Monday - Thursday, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Fridays, 8:30am - 12:00pm
Closed for lunch between 12pm - 1pm.

Address

16838 E. Palisades Boulevard,
Building C, Suite 153,
Fountain Hills, AZ 85268

Hours:

Thursdays, 8:30am - 12:00pm

Patient Forms

Here you can find our commonly used patient forms.

• Patient Resources
• Patient Portal
• Contact Us
• Locations

Please, check back soon for more information.

• Request an Appointment

Pay My Bill

We offer two options for paying your bill:

• See Our Contact Information
• See Our Locations

Contact The Physician

• See Our Contact Information
• See Our Locations

Request Test Results

If you were referred to have additional tests performed outside of our office, please call our office to schedule a follow-up appointment with your physician to review those results in person.

It is a good idea to schedule your follow-up appointment once you have the test scheduled.

Many results must first be screened by the physician and have further recommendations made, and this may take an extra day or two.

To schedule an appointment to review your test results please call our office at (480)-353-0446

• See Our Contact Information
• See Our Locations

Request Medical Records

We're dedicated to making your experience as a patient smooth, comfortable, and efficient. We've prepared this section to help you learn more about the administrative aspects of your care. All requests for medical records take at least 5-7 business days to complete. There is a charge for the release of medical records.

Renew a Prescription

Spine & Orthopedic Specialists will prescribe pain medication for a limited time as part of your surgical care. If long term pain management is necessary, patients may be referred to their primary care physician or a pain management physician.

Refills will not be made if you "run out early" so be sure you take your medication as prescribed. Do NOT increase the prescribed amount of medication without a physician's permission. You are responsible for your medications. If your pain medication or muscle relaxant medication is lost, misplaced or stolen, it will not be refilled.

Monday - Thursday, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday, 8:30am - 12:00pm
Closed for lunch 12:00pm - 1:00pm

If your prescription is running low, please do not wait until the weekend or until your medication has completey run out. If you are planning to travel out of town, you should also make sure that a sufficient supply of medicaton is available for use on your trip.

To renew a prescription, simply contact your pharmacy and follow their directions regarding prescription renewals. We will refill your prescription, if approved, within 24 hours from the time the pharmacy notifies us.

Keep your incision dry for 7-10 days. This means you should completely avoid showering or bathing, and use only a sponge bath to clean yourself when necessary.

As along as your incision is draining, it should be covered.

Once your incision is dry, it can be left open to air.

Pain medications will usually be provided prior to discharge. Be sure to use these as directed.

Activity restrictions or bracing instructions will also be provided prior to discharge and should be followed carefully.

Congratulations, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us during our regular business hours. In the case of an emergency, you can contact the physician after hours by calling the office's main number and asking the answering service to page the physicians. Call 911 if you require immediate assistance.

Scheduled for a Surgery ?

After one of our physicians determines that surgery is needed, you'll have an opportunity to work with our Surgical Coordinator to decide on the surgery date and location, and arrange any paperwork with the hospital or surgery center.

Prior to undergoing surgery, you will require a lab evaluation (i.e. Complete Blood Count), authorization from your insurance company, and a medical clearance from your primary care physician. We will work with you to arrange for all of this.

Several days before your surgery, you will undergo a pre-operative visit with the physician who will perform surgery on you to discuss the nature of the surgery, risks and benefits, usual post-operative course, and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

We are privileged to play such an important role in your healing process and look forward to helping you find relief.

• Request an Appointment
• Contact Us

Scheduled for a Test ?

If our physicians determine that you should undergo a diagnostic test, we send the appropriate prescriptions and patient information to the testing facility. The testing facility will contact you to schedule an appointment.

We ask that you call our office once your appointment is made to schedule your follow-up appointment with our physicians.

• Request an Appointment
• Contact Us

Be sure to bring the following items:

• Insurance card
• Co-payment due for visit
• Insurance authorization
• If applicable, workers compensation information
• If applicable, any referral forms from your physician
• If applicable, any X-Rays, MRI Films, CT Scans, or EMGs
• If applicable, any pertinent medical history such as lab results
• A valid form of ID such as a driver's license

• Authorizations and Appointment Check-List
• Patient Registration Form
• Patient Information Form
  - For General Orthopedic Patients
• Patient Information Form
  - For Spine Patients

If you are in pain, try to avoid activities that may aggravate your symptoms.

We ask that our new patients arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment time so that you have enough time to fill out additional paperwork and get checked in.

It is a great privilege to assist you in your healing process and we look forward to meeting you!

- The Spine & Orthopedic Specialists Team

Many young athletes require a physical in order to participate in organized sports. A physical is one of the most simple and straightforward services we perform and usually takes less than 20 minutes.

During the physical, our physicians will take a brief medical history, check heart and lung function, test dexterity, and evaluate new or previous injuries. A physical is also a good opportunity to voice any concerns you may have about nagging injuries or pain that may not have in and of themselves required a dedicated visit.

• Request an Appointment

Injuries or pain can be disabling, especially when they affect your quality of life and productivity. Our patients tell us that after they suffer an injury, they simply want to get back on their feet and healthy as quickly as possible with the least invasive treatment available.

Most simple sprains and strains can be treated with Rest, Ice, Elevation, and Anti-Inflammatories (link to HW article), however if the pain persists past a reasonable period of time, you should undergo an evaluation by a musculo-skeletal specialist.

Many men in particular often feel they can "tough it out" after suffering an injury, however delaying treatment for your injury can potentially lead to long-term consequences that would otherwise be easily avoided. Seeing a specialist immediately after your injury can make a major difference in avoiding long-term complications. In fact, some severe injuries are more easily treated if discovered early.

• Request an Appointment

Request an Appointment

Participating Insurances

• Accountable Health/IHP
• Aetna US Healthcare
• Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS):  APIPA/SCAN ONLY
• APIPA
• Arizona Foundation for Medical Care
• Beech Street
• CAPP Care
• Caremore
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
• Cigna
• First Health/CCN (Coventry)
• Galaxy Health Network
• Great-West Health (HMO, POS, PPO)
• Health Management Associates (AMN/RAN)
• Health Net of Arizona
• Humana Health Care Plans
• Humana Choice Care PPO
• LifeWise Health Plans of Arizona
• Medical Mutual
• Medicare
• Pacificare (PPO/Metro HMO/MetroPlus HMO/Secure Horizons)
• PHCS
• SCAN
• Schaller Anderson Network of Arizona (HMO only)
• Secure Horizons (Complete Access, East Valley, Phoenix Secure Hospital, Sun Health & Thunderbird Networks - Does not include Evercare plan)
• State Compression Fund (PCN is PPO Network)
• Three Rivers Provider Network
• TriCare/TriWest
• United Healthcare
• USA Managed Care Organization
• Workers Compensation

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. THE PRIVACY OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO US.

Our Legal Duty

We are required by applicable federal and state laws to maintain the privacy of your protected health information. We are also required to give you this notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and your rights concerning your protected health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this notice while it is in effect. This notice takes effect April 14, 2003, and will remain in effect until we replace it.

We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this notice at any time, provided that such changes are permitted by applicable law. We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our notice effective for all protected health information that we maintain, including medical information we created or received before we made the changes.

You may request a copy of our notice (or any subsequent revised notice) at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this notice, please contact us using the information listed at the end of this notice.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

We will use and disclose your protected health information about you for treatment, payment, and health care operations. Following are examples of the types of uses and disclosures of your protected health care information that may occur. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but to describe the types of uses and disclosures that may be made by our office.

Treatment: We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. For example, we would disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to a home health agency that provides care to you. We will also disclose protected health information to other physicians who may be treating you. For example, your protected health information may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.

In addition, we may disclose your protected health information from time to time to another physician or health care provider (e.g., a specialist or laboratory) who, at the request of your physician, becomes involved in your care by providing assistance with your health care diagnosis or treatment to your physician.

Payment: Your protected health information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the health care services we recommend for you, such as: making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for protected health necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities. For example, obtaining approval for a hospital stay may require that your relevant protected health information be disclosed to the health plan to obtain approval for the hospital admission.

Health Care Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information in order to conduct certain business and operational activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee review activities, training of students, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities.

For example, we may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to sign your name. We may also call you by name in the waiting room when your doctor is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to contact you by telephone or mail to remind you of your appointment.

We will share your protected health information with third party "business associates" that perform various activities (e.g., billing, transcription services) for the practice. Whenever an arrangement between our office and a business associate involves the use or disclosure of your protected health information, we will have a written contract that contains terms that will protect the privacy of your protected health information.

We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. We may also use and disclose your protected health information for other marketing activities. For example, your name and address may be used to send you a newsletter about our practice and the services we offer. We may also send you information about products or services that we believe may be beneficial to you. You may contact us to request that these materials not be sent to you.

Uses and Disclosures Based On Your Written Authorization: Other uses and disclosures of your protected health information will be made only with your authorization, unless otherwise permitted or required by law as described below.

You may give us written authorization to use your protected health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Without your written authorization, we will not disclose your health care information except as described in this notice.

Others Involved in Your Health Care: Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend or any other person you identify, your protected health information that directly relates to that person's involvement in your health care. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment. We may use or disclose protected health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or any other person that is responsible for your care of your location, general condition or death.

Marketing: We may use your protected health information to contact you with information about treatment alternatives that may be of interest to you. We may disclose your protected health information to a business associate to assist us in these activities. Unless the information is provided to you by a general newsletter or in person or is for products or services of nominal value, you may opt out of receiving further such information by telling us using the contact information listed at the end of this notice.

Research; Death; Organ Donation: We may use or disclose your protected health information for research purposes in limited circumstances. We may disclose the protected health information of a deceased person to a coroner, protected health examiner, funeral director or organ procurement organization for certain purposes.

Public Health and Safety: We may disclose your protected health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or the health or safety of others. We may disclose your protected health information to a government agency authorized to oversee the health care system or government programs or its contractors, and to public health authorities for public health purposes.

Health Oversight: We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations and inspections. Oversight agencies seeking this information include government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs and civil rights laws.

Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your protected health information to a public health authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information. In this case, the disclosure will be made consistent with the requirements of applicable federal and state laws.

Food and Drug Administration: We may disclose your protected health information to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects or problems, biologic product deviations; to track products; to enable product recalls; to make repairs or replacements; or to conduct post marketing surveillance, as required.

Criminal Activity: Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may disclose your protected health information, if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We may also disclose protected health information if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.

Required by Law: We may use or disclose your protected health information when we are required to do so by law. For example, we must disclose your protected health information to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request for purposes of determining whether we are in compliance with federal privacy laws. We may disclose your protected health information when authorized by workers' compensation or similar laws.

Process and Proceedings: We may disclose your protected health information in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process, under certain circumstances. Under limited circumstances, such as a court order, warrant or grand jury subpoena, we may disclose your protected health information to law enforcement officials.

Law Enforcement: We may disclose limited information to a law enforcement official concerning the protected health information of a suspect, fugitive, material witness, crime victim or missing person. We may disclose the protected health information of an inmate or other person in lawful custody to a law enforcement official or correctional institution under certain circumstances. We may disclose protected health information where necessary to assist law enforcement officials to capture an individual who has admitted to participation in a crime or has escaped from lawful custody.

Patient Rights

Access: You have the right to look at or get copies of your protected health information, with limited exceptions. You must make a request in writing to the contact person listed herein to obtain access to your protected health information. You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this notice. If you request copies, we will charge you $25.00 for each page or $10.00 per hour to locate and copy your protected health information, and postage if you want the copies mailed to you. If you prefer, we will prepare a summary or an explanation of your protected health information for a fee. Contact us using the information listed at the end of this notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.

Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your protected health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, health care operations and certain other activities after April 14, 2003. After April 14, 2009, the accounting will be provided for the past six (6) years. We will provide you with the date on which we made the disclosure, the name of the person or entity to whom we disclosed your protected health information, a description of the protected health information we disclosed, the reason for the disclosure, and certain other information. If you request this list more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests. Contact us using the information listed at the end of this notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.

Restriction Requests: You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your protected health information. We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency). Any agreement we may make to a request for additional restrictions must be in writing signed by a person authorized to make such an agreement on our behalf. We will not be bound unless our agreement is so memorialized in writing.

Confidential Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you in confidence about your protected health information by alternative means or to an alternative location. You must make your request in writing. We must accommodate your request if it is reasonable, specifies the alternative means or location, and continues to permit us to bill and collect payment from you.

Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your protected health information. Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request if we did not create the information you want amended or for certain other reasons. If we deny your request, we will provide you a written explanation. You may respond with a statement of disagreement to be appended to the information you wanted amended. If we accept your request to amend the information, we will make reasonable efforts to inform others, including people or entities you name, of the amendment and to include the changes in any future disclosures of that information.

Electronic Notice: If you receive this notice on our website or by electronic mail (e-mail), you are entitled to receive this notice in written form. Please contact us using the information listed at the end of this notice to obtain this notice in written form.

Questions and Complaints

If you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us using the information below. If you believe that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your protected health information or in response to a request you made, you may complain to us using the contact information below. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.

We support your right to protect the privacy of your protected health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.