Scheduling Your Appointment

Thank you for choosing UBNS for your neurosurgical consultation. To schedule an appointment at any of our offices, please call us at (716) 887-5200.

Your Initial Visit

UBNS is committed to providing the best patient care. To help us ensure the efficiency of your visit, please note the following instructions:

• New patients are sent a packet that contains: a pre-appointment checklist, financial policy and insurance information, maps, and directions. We ask that you complete the provided forms and bring them with you on the day of your appointment.
• Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.
• Remember to bring your insurance cards and to obtain an insurance referral if required by your insurance carrier. If yours is a Worker's Compensation Case, you will be asked to fill out a Worker's Compensation/No Fault patient information form.
• You will be asked to bring copies of your medical records and imaging studies (X-rays, MRI, and CT scans) with you on the day of your appointment. Because we are a teaching facility, your first visit could last 2-3 hours because several doctors may review your medical records and discuss your condition with you. It is often helpful to write down a list of your questions and to bring along a family member or friend to this session.
• If your insurance policy requires a co-pay, it is due on the day of your appointment. Our office gladly accepts both credit and debit cards.
• If you are under the age of 18, you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Prior to your visit, please make arrangements for an interpreter if needed.
• It is very important that you bring a list of all current medications and specific dosage requirements.

UBNS provides the treatment that is best suited to your diagnosis and individual situation. We are committed to developing and evaluating innovative treatments; whenever appropriate, you will be offered the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and research studies of promising new therapies.

back to top

Pre-Surgical Consultation

Before your surgery, you will meet with one of our nurses who will review your procedure in detail and answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to invite family members to this meeting. Our goal is to inform our patients and put them at ease in preparation for their procedure. Our interviews are structured to accomplish the following goals:

• Inform you and your family of the procedure
• Answer your questions
• Review required preoperative preparation (i.e., which diagnostic tests are necessary in advance of your procedure, which medications to take before and on the day of surgery)
• Provide you with procedure-specific pamphlets and brochures for additional information
• Review postoperative and discharge instructions (and limitations) relative to your procedure

back to top

Financial Policy

This section contains information regarding our billing practices and policies, and is designed to help you with your insurance and payment of your bill. Please read it carefully. You should be aware that some insurance plans do not pay all services in full. It is your responsibility to provide our office with your current insurance information; otherwise, you may be responsible for payment of your bill.

Most insurance policies do not cover your entire bill. The amount paid by your insurance is determined by the terms of your contract. It is important that you are familiar with your own insurance plan so you know what to expect before medical expenses begin to accrue. If you have any questions regarding whether or not your bill will be paid by your insurance company, please contact them directly.

For billing inquiries, please call our billing office at (716) 887-5200, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For pediatric billing inquiries, please call (716) 878- 7386, Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Payment is due at the time of your visit unless prior arrangements have been made with our office (this includes co-pays).

Surgery Billing for Non-participating Insurance Companies
All accounts are due in full 60 days after our first billing date. If additional information is requested from your insurance carrier, please notify our billing office.

We welcome the opportunity to discuss any questions you may have regarding your bill. We urge you to contact our billing office prior to surgery if you would like to discuss the surgical fee.

No Fault Insurance/Workers' Compensation
You are responsible for providing all No-Fault and Workers' Compensation information to our office before the time of your first office visit.

We must know prior to your surgery if your claim is being considered for Workers' Compensation. Workers' Compensation cases require pre-authorization before we can perform any non-emergency surgery.

Should Workers' Compensation and No-Fault not authorize your services, we will then file a claim with your primary insurance carrier, if indicated. If no insurance carrier is involved, then the bill would be your responsibility.

back to top

Prescription Policy

Any patient requiring refills of medication(s) we have prescribed are asked to call our office at (716) 887-5200 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 12:00 Noon, Monday through Friday. Please identify the call as a medication refill. You may be asked to leave a message.

We must screen for refills, and this may require up to 24 hours to respond. Please call us at least one week in advance to avoid running out of medication.

We cannot refill any medication we have not prescribed, and we cannot refill medications on weekends or after office hours.

For your safety, we must check your chart to verify correct medication and dosage, allergies, and interactions with other medications.

When you call our office, please have your medication bottle available because if you need to leave us a message, your message must include the following information:

• Patient name
• Phone number
• Medication name and dosage
• Pharmacy name and phone number

Please note: If you are requesting a pain medication, it may be necessary for us to mail the prescription to you

back to top