For Referring Providers

Dr. Carrera's team treats spine, joint, and nerve pain with a full range of interventional procedures. The practice is designed to make referrals easy for your office and to get your patients seen quickly.

How to Refer a Patient

Fax: 720-455-3776

Phone: 720-455-3775

Fax the referral along with any available imaging reports (MRI, CT, X-ray). The team handles all prior authorizations and insurance verification in-house, so your office does not need to manage this step. Once the referral is received, the team contacts the patient directly to schedule.

Scheduling Turnaround

  • New patient evaluations: Most patients are seen within two weeks of referral.

  • Procedures: Typically scheduled within one week of the initial consultation.

  • Direct-to-injection referrals: If you are sending a patient specifically for an injection (e.g., epidural, joint injection) and include the order with the referral, the team can often schedule the procedure within one week without requiring a separate consultation first.

  • Urgent access: Patients with acute compression fractures or new disc herniations with severe symptoms are prioritized for expedited scheduling. Call 720-455-3775 and mention it is urgent.

What We Handle In-House

  • Prior authorizations: The team manages all insurance authorizations for procedures, imaging, and referrals. Your office does not need to obtain prior auth before referring.

  • Imaging review and ordering: If the patient does not have imaging, the team will evaluate them and order appropriate studies.

  • Insurance verification: The team verifies benefits and contacts the patient about any cost expectations before scheduling procedures.

  • Referral follow-up: Consultation notes and procedure reports are sent back to your office after each visit.

Conditions We Treat

The practice covers the full spectrum of non-surgical spine, joint, and nerve pain. Common referral diagnoses include:

Procedures Offered

The practice offers a broad procedural menu so patients can access the full treatment pathway in one location:

Spine injections: Transforaminal epidurals (TFESI), interlaminar epidurals, caudal epidurals, facet joint injections, medial branch blocks, sacroiliac joint injections‍ ‍

Nerve ablation: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of facet joints, SI joints, and genicular nerves; Intracept (basivertebral nerve ablation) for vertebrogenic pain

Joint and soft tissue: Steroid injections (knee, hip, shoulder, bursa); PRP (platelet-rich plasma)‍ ‍

Decompression: MILD (minimally invasive lumbar decompression) for stenosis with ligamentum flavum hypertrophy

Vertebral augmentation: Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty for compression fractures

Neuromodulation: Spinal cord stimulator (SCS) trials and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) trials‍ ‍

Many injections are performed in the in-office procedure suite using fluoroscopy, which keeps costs lower for patients compared to a surgery center. More complex procedures (kyphoplasty, SCS trials, Intracept) are performed at the outpatient surgery center in the same building.

What to Include with the Referral

To expedite scheduling, include the following with the fax when possible:

•       Referral or order specifying the reason for consultation or requested procedure

•       Recent imaging reports (MRI, CT, X-ray) if available

•       Current medication list, especially anticoagulants and blood thinners

•       Relevant surgical history if the patient has had prior spine or joint surgery

•       Insurance information (the team will verify benefits, but having the plan name speeds things up)

For Spine Surgeons

If you are sending a post-surgical patient with persistent pain, include operative reports and post-operative imaging if available. The team uses a systematic diagnostic approach for failed back surgery syndrome - selective nerve blocks, facet injections, SI joint injections, and imaging review - to identify treatable pain generators. For patients who are candidates for spinal cord stimulation, the practice offers a 6-day trial before permanent implant.

For pre-surgical patients, the team can provide targeted injections to optimize pain control before surgery or to help clarify the pain source when the clinical picture is unclear.

Location and Contact

2360 Meadows Boulevard, Suite 200

Castle Rock, CO 80109

Phone: 720-455-3775

Fax: 720-455-3776

Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Call for questions