Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Policy Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To read our full Nondiscrimination Statement, click here.

Neurosurgery

Patient Resources

Financial and insurance information

If you need help paying for your care or do not have insurance, BMC’s Patient Financial Services can help. You can find more information on their webpage.

You can also find more information about insurance plans accepted by BMC here.

Treatment options and surgery

Many neurological conditions are treated with surgery, while others can be managed with medications and other therapies, including physical therapy. If surgery is needed, your neurosurgeon will explain the procedure and its risks and benefits. If you consent to surgery, the neurosurgeon’s clinical coordinator will work with you to schedule the procedure.

Before you have surgery, you will have a pre-operative physical exam, and an appointment with our anesthesia staff. Your primary care doctor may need to provide medical clearance to be sure that you are healthy enough for surgery.

We will also work with you to make sure that your insurance or health plan will cover at least part of the surgery and any stay in the hospital.

Questions about your care

If you have questions between appointments, please call the office. We are available by phone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The office staff can answer many of your questions, but can’t give medical advice. If your question needs to be answered by a healthcare provider or you call after our office hours, your information will be given to the doctor or clinical staff, who will return your call as soon as possible.

Prescriptions

Please talk with your neurosurgeon about any prescriptions at your office visit, or call our office if you need a prescription refilled in between appointments. Please understand that prescriptions for narcotics cannot be called in by phone. We can mail these prescriptions to you, or you can pick them up.

Many pain medications are very strong and in some cases your neurosurgeon may want to see you in the office before prescribing medication. In such cases, we can usually see you within one to two days.

Letters regarding your care

If you need a letter about your condition and/or treatment for work, school, or another reason, please let us know at the time of your visit. To protect your privacy, letters will contain the minimum necessary information. You can also call our office to request a letter, but we need several days' notice.

If you need a very detailed report to return to work, your neurosurgeon may refer you to another provider for what is called a functional capacity evaluation. We do not have the equipment and facilities in our office to fully test your strength and capabilities to return to work, so to protect you, we will refer you for a full evaluation.

Workers’ compensation

If you are involved in an "on-the-job" work injury, please tell the clinic coordinator your date of injury, your Workers' Compensation case or claim number, your Workers' Compensation insurance carrier, adjuster's name, and telephone number.