Frequently Asked Questions:

What is Interventional Pain Medicine? Interventional Pain Medicine is a subspecialty practice in which the diagnosis and treatment of pain disorders is achieved through minimally invasive procedures. Please refer the PROCEDURES link to review what is available at our practice.

How can I schedule an appointment? Please refer to the CONTACT link.

Do you accept Labor and Industries patients? Yes. It is our goal to rapidly diagnose and treat injured workers so that they might return to work as soon as possible. We will work closely with attending physicians. We provide specialty services only, not attending provider services or medications.

Do you accept patients with private insurance? We will gladly provide our services to patients accepting financial responsibility. We will bill your insurance and bill you for any remaining balance. Our physicians currently contract with Premera Blue Cross, Regence, Uniform Medical Plan, First Choice Health Network, Aetna, Medicare and NPN. If you would like to know if your insurance plan has a contract with us, please call your insurance to check. Contracts change, so pamphlets may be unreliable or out of date. Contract negotiations are ongoing with other private insurances.

What is West Tacoma Surgery Center (WTSC)? Dr Jasper performs most of his procedures at WTSC. WTSC is a Medicare certified ambulatory surgery center. The WTSC provides a center of excellence in Interventional Pain Procedures. In surveys, patients overwhelmingly evaluate their experience as excellent.

Does WTSC accept my insurance? WTSC will also provide services to any patients accepting financial responsibility. Currently, WTSC is contracted with Regence, Premera, First Choice Health Network, L&I, DSHS and Medicare. Contract negotiations are ongoing with other private insurances. Patients with non-contracted insurances should expect substantial co-insurance. Check with your insurance if WTSC is covered as some insurances have many different plans.

Do you treat Personal Injury Payment (PIP) patients (motor vehicle accidents)? Yes, however, we require payment on the date of service.

Do you take Medicare patients? APMP does still provide services to Medicare patients. You will be responsible for co-insurance and deductibles. You should volunteer to pay these on the day of service.

Will you manage or prescribe oral pain medications? No. Our practice is dedicated to Interventional Pain Medicine procedures and cannot take the time to manage cases with other methods..

What is multidisciplinary pain management? Are you a Pain Clinic? A Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic would involve a combination of psychology, physical rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation as well as medical evaluation and management. Such programs are typically entered when medical diagnosis and treatment are completed. Our practice is dedicated to Interventional Pain Medicine procedures. Our practice does not provide multidisciplinary pain management. We are not a pain clinic.

Do I need a referral to obtain a consultation? A referral is necessary only if your insurance plan requires a referral. L&I does permit the injured worker to have a consultation with us without pre-authorization, as provided by law. However, we do need to verify coverage prior to scheduling. Managed care health plans do require referral and pre-authorization. If you are denied consultation with us, you should appeal to your insurance company or make private pay arrangements with us.

May I eat before my procedure? For procedures at WTSC, we recommend that you eat lightly. For procedures performed at Tacoma General Hospital or other hospital facilities, patients are typically required to not eat for at least eight hours preceding surgery. Please abstain from any alcohol for 12 hours preceding the procedure. For safety considerations, intoxicated patients will be rescheduled.

May I continue to take my regular medications prior to my procedure? Please alert us if you are taking any kind of blood thinner or anticoagulant. Anti-inflammatory medications should also be stopped for the week preceding your injection. All other medications should be continued..

Can I drive myself to my appointment? For consultations and follow-up appointments in the office you may drive yourself. If you are having a procedure, you must have a driver. We must see your driver before we can take you into the OR.

What if I'm pregnant? X-rays and corticosteroids are in use for most procedures. Both may have adverse affects on the developing fetus during the first half of pregnancy. Please, let us know well in advance if you are pregnant, as it may be better to cancel your procedure or modify the procedure to minimize your baby's risk.

Do you provide pediatric pain services? No. We treat adults only.

Can I bring my children with me to my appointment? It is strongly recommended that you should not bring young children with you. This is an adult only practice. We do not provide any childcare or play area. Your appointment with us requires intense concentration by both the physician and you. Consultations and procedures may require up to two hours of your time. The staff and doctor retain the right to terminate an appointment when disruption or distraction by family occurs.

Why did I receive two bills to for my procedure? One bill was for the doctor's service. The other bill was from the surgery center, akin to a hospital bill. We can provide you with a detailed cost estimate and with codes so that you may check with your insurance what your financial commitment to us will be before having the procedure.

Are discounts available? We do not extend discount if any portion of the service is to be billed to your insurance or paid after the procedure. Pre-payment of a strictly cash transaction by cash or cashier's check may be rewarded with a 10% discount on services. Material goods and medications are not discounted. If you expect us to send a bill to your insurer, or later reconcile your acount in any way, the discount is not applicable.

What if I miss an appointment? We have late cancellation and no show policies. Time has been reserved for you that cannot be filled with another patient without sufficient notice. You may be required to pay a fee before we shall reschedule you. Repeat offenders will likely not be seen again. We must notify case managers of L&I patient no shows and cancellations. Office appointment cancellations require one full working day's notice (at least 24h) and procedure cancellations 2 full working days (at least 48h); with inadequate notice a no-show fee will be charged to you.