What can you expect
Your First Appointment
The Bone and Joint Center is a one stop shop for everything you need to know about the pain from hip and knee arthritis as well as non-operative and operative treatment options.
During your first appointment, we will collect information, perform an interview and exam, obtain X-rays, and provide a diagnosis and treatment plan for your joint pain.
During your first appointment, we will collect information, perform an interview and exam, obtain X-rays, and provide a diagnosis and treatment plan for your joint pain.
Your First Appointment
Injections
Before Your Appointment: To Do at Home
If you have an upcoming appointment with Dr. DiGioia or Dr. Guthrie, we will mail you a series of forms to fill out BEFORE your first appointment. You can also download those forms here:
If you are a patient of Dr. Hamlin, Dr. Plakseychuk, Dr. Urish, or Dr. Siska, there are no pre-requisite forms for you to fill out before check-in. Check-in will occur once you arrive at the Bone and Joint Center or in Dr. Siska’s office for you first appointment.
The Day of Your Appointment
Our Locations
Our primary location for patients is our office located within UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
The address of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital as well as our other satellite offices can be found here:
The address of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital as well as our other satellite offices can be found here:
Parking at Magee
If you have an appointment at our Magee office, self parking is available in the garage. You can also valet park at the main entrance. Once you have entered the hospital, the Bone and Joint Center entrance is off the main lobby and directly across from the piano.
Don’t Forget!
Remember to bring your insurance information and any forms that we have asked you to fill out. This will help speed up your check-in process.
Check in at Front Desk
When you arrive at the Bone and Joint Center, please check in at the front desk. You will be asked to confirm your insurance information and fill out a special questionnaire to gauge how your pain is affecting you. This survey is called a “Patient Reported Outcomes”survey.
If you are a patient of Dr. DiGioia or Dr. Guthrie, you can present any forms that you may have completed at home.
If you are a patient of Dr. Hamlin,Dr. Plakseychuk, Dr. Urish, Dr. Siska, you will be asked to fill out the surveys presented in the kiosks next to the front desk.
During Your Appointment
The first step in developing an individualized treatment plan is a thorough evaluation. The evaluation includes an interview to determine your chief complaints, such as pain and other symptoms, followed by a physical examination and simple X-rays. All of this can be done in one visit and without even leaving our office.
Your Interview
A Bone and Joint Center team member will escort you from the check in/waiting area to an exam room. During your interview, we will ask questions to identify your “chief complaint” as well as review your past medical and surgical history. By far, the most common chief complaint we hear is pain and how that pain is slowing you down. We want to know where you pain is located, how severe it is and how it impacts your function.
Physical Exam
Understanding your pain with range of motion and gait (how you walk), and any limp are the key observations of the exam. We also will check if the joint is stiff or has clicking with motion.
X-rays
X-rays are a very important part of your evaluation and show us how much cartilage you have remaining.While you are in the office, we take several X-ray views of your joints so that we can look at all areas that may have wear. Knowing exactly where and how bad your joint wear is allows us to make the correct diagnosis and develop an individualized treatment plan just for you.
Deciding on a Treatment Plan
Your treatment plan will depend on the degree of wear found on your X-rays as well as your level of pain and how your pain affects your activities and general quality of life. You and your physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant will review all this information with you and discuss your individualized treatment plan. Remember, when it comes to deciding on how to begin treatment and whether it is non-operative or operative, the most important factor is your pain and disability.
Education
If you are a candidate for surgery, you will participate in our special teaching program by our Surgical Schedulers during your visit. This comprehensive educational program will discuss surgical interventions, the steps to prepare for surgery as well as what life is like after surgery. We want to answer as many of your questions as we can before you leave our office.
Meet Your Surgical SchedulersTreatment Options
While joint wear cannot be undone, there are ways to slow down the wear in the cartilage, reduce pain and improve mobility.
Not all patients need to start with surgery, even those with advanced arthritis. There are in-between, non-operative steps that can be taken. Non-operative treatments such as exercises, injections, special anti-inflammatory diets, and weight management can be very effective. Many times these non-operative treatments are tried out first before moving to operative treatments. In addition, starting these steps is the best preparation you can do in case surgery is needed down the road. Remember, the patients that are best prepared have the fastest recovery and best outcomes
Remember, the patients that are best prepared have the fastest recovery and best outcomes.
For patients that are candidates for surgery, we will make sure you have all the information you need as you decide whether to have surgery. If you decide to have surgery, know that our specialized team focuses on both you and your family’s needs. We strive to obtain the best results while providing a comfortable environment for you and your family. Our goal is to create a stress-free experience and 100 percent satisfaction. The Bone and Joint Center has many unique characteristics that help to make it the best Orthopaedic TEAM possible.
Not all patients need to start with surgery, even those with advanced arthritis. There are in-between, non-operative steps that can be taken. Non-operative treatments such as exercises, injections, special anti-inflammatory diets, and weight management can be very effective. Many times these non-operative treatments are tried out first before moving to operative treatments. In addition, starting these steps is the best preparation you can do in case surgery is needed down the road. Remember, the patients that are best prepared have the fastest recovery and best outcomes
Remember, the patients that are best prepared have the fastest recovery and best outcomes.
For patients that are candidates for surgery, we will make sure you have all the information you need as you decide whether to have surgery. If you decide to have surgery, know that our specialized team focuses on both you and your family’s needs. We strive to obtain the best results while providing a comfortable environment for you and your family. Our goal is to create a stress-free experience and 100 percent satisfaction. The Bone and Joint Center has many unique characteristics that help to make it the best Orthopaedic TEAM possible.
" Exceptional care from an exceptional care team. "
No matter where you are starting from, we will work with you to develop an individualized treatment plan. We will make sure that your treatment aligns with your goals so that you can get back to the activities that matter most to you!
Click here to learn more about different treatment options for hip and knee pain:
Click here to learn more about different treatment options for hip and knee pain:
Schedule Now
If you do not already have an appointment, we encourage you to schedule a visit.
Why live another day with joint pain? Start your journey to wellness and pain free living today.
Schedule NowWhy live another day with joint pain? Start your journey to wellness and pain free living today.
