Scheduling Appointments

Appointments with any of the orthopaedic staff can be made by calling the orthopaedic clinic appointment desk at (573) 882-8142.

Referring a Patient

If you wish to speak to any of our health-care professionals to refer patients, please call us toll free at (800) 877-7197 (in Columbia, 882-7197) and our Referral Services staff will connect your call.

To facilitate clinic appointments for worker's compensation patients, contact Brenda Alder, RN, Case Manager, at (573) 884-1593.

Patient Transfers

To arrange for transfer of patients with orthopaedic trauma or fractures, contact the orthopaedic trauma nurse. She may be contacted through the University Hospital paging operator at (573) 882-4141. After hours and on weekends, ask the paging operator to contact the orthopaedic resident on call to handle the transfer.

For transfer of non-trauma patients, please contact the appropriate orthopaedic attending surgeon by calling the departmental office at (573) 882-3104.

Emergencies

For emergencies, contact the Emergency Center by calling (800) 877-7197. In Columbia, call 882-8091.

After-hours Medical Problems

If you experience urgent medical problems after normal business hours, there is a physician on call after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on weekends and holidays. For urgent but not life-threatening problems, call the University Hospital operator at (573) 882-4141 and ask to page the physician on call for your physician. The on-call physician will direct you to the most appropriate place for you to receive care, which might include a visit to the clinic, urgent care center or emergency center. For life-threatening illnesses or injuries, go directly to the emergency room.

Canceling Appointments

Four working days before your scheduled clinic appointment, a computerized reminder service will telephone you. You may confirm or cancel your appointment during the confidential call. If you confirm your appointment but later are unable to keep it, please call the clinic to cancel.