Tucker Medical Consulting, LLC​

1. How can I reach the office?

Our office has dedicated patient phone hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, 1pm-5pm, and Thursdays from 1pm - 3pm. You can always email us any questions at michele@tuckermedicalconsulting.com. We are in the office 5 days a week.

2. Why don't the surgical assistants have their own website?

The surgical assistants literally only see patients in the operating room. They are scheduled to assist through your surgeon's scheduler. They do not see patients outside of the operating room.

3. What does a surgical assistant do?

​They are your surgeons 3rd and 4th hands! Over 85% of all surgeries require a surgical assistant to be present and participate during surgery.

​Surgical assistants job description includes but is not limited to the following:

"Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with State laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site. Excludes "Registered Nurses" (29-1141} and "Surgical Technologists" {29- 2055)." In addition, perioperative duties that may be performed by the surgical assistant who has received the appropriate training as outlined by the Core Curriculum for Surgical Assisting, 3rd Edition (2014}, may include duties such as assisting with intraoperative positioning, injection of local anesthesia (i.e. ASA Local Anesthesia Guidelines), insertion of trocars (i.e. ASA Trocar Guidelines}, preparation of grafts, use of appropriate suturing or stapling devices, securing drains, application of casts, facilitating patient rounds, changing dressings, and other duties as approved and assigned by the supervising surgeon and loco/ facility.

If the Da Vinci Robot it sued, they are the ones at your bedside ensuring patient safety and exchanging instruments with the robot, making sure it is responding to the commands of the surgeon who is at a computer console

4. Who schedules the surgical assistant?

Your surgeon's office is the one that schedules the assistant, usually at the same time they are booking the facility. Surgical Assistants are independent and do not work for your surgeon or the facility.

5. How can I be sure the assistant was there? 

You can request a copy of your operative report, or speak to the surgery scheduler to confirm

6. How can I appeal this with my insurance plan?

There are 2 ways to start an appeal with your health plan.

A. Call member services, after identifying yourself to the representative and locating the claim, explain that you want to appeal the processing of the claim as you did not have a choice in the surgical assistant used and there are none contracted in network. If the representative tries to tell you the claim can be processed in network, advise the representative that this will NOT cover the balance on the claim and demand the appeal as it is your patient right. They will give you the reference number for the call - please contact our office with that reference number so we can update your account that it is in appeal.

B. If they make you do the appeal in writing please email us for the forms - if you need assistance please ask us. The reasons for the appeal are the same as above, and please call the office to let us know what day you submitted the appeal

7. My account was sent to collections - what now?

You will need to direct all calls and questions to the collection agency. If there is anything that they cannot answer for you, they will reach out to us.