POSC Contracted / In-Network Insurance

• Aetna (HMO, PPO, Select, OAP, EPO, Whole Health, Prime)
• Anthem BC/BS (HMO, HMO Priority, HMO Select, PPO, Lumenos, Medicare Advantage, MediBlue Dual, MediBlue Plus, Blue Advantage HMO Colorado, Federal)
• Ameriben- through Cofinity network Auto Insurance
• Banker’s Life
• Carrum Health Bundle SDSC- Dr. Chrastil ONLY total hips and total knees
• Champ VA
• CCN- Community Care Network (Triwest)
• CHN-Colorado Health Neighborhood
• Cigna / Great West –(NO Connect, Sure Fit, Vantage)
• Cigna Freedom Life
• Cigna Samba
• Cigna Care Link
• Cigna Health & Life – HCA on card must go to HealthOne for surgery
• Cigna Health Springs –Medicare plans- effective date of 9-1-20-
• Cigna Local Plus- Effective 3-1-23
• CNIC – ok if through participating network
• Cofinity
• Colorado Health Neighborhoods (RMHP and UHC plans)
• Colorado Doctor’s Plan/Centura/ UHC/RMHP –ok through Colorado Doctor’s Plan
• Corvel- Work comp
• Coventry / First Health- Ok as of 7-15-19
• Devoted Health- effective 3/1/23
• Encompass GEHA- ok through Aetna contract
• Golden Rule- ok through UHC contract
• Humana- (HMO, PPO, Medicare, HMOX)
• Kaiser- (Only Dr. Hugate, Justin Burtz and Sara Brown)
• Liens-(Colorado Health Srvc, Bridgewell, Marrick, Injury Finance, Personicare
• Medicare (Rail Road Medicare included)
• Medicaid- Trauma only
• Med-Risk Work comp
• Meritain Health- through Aetna, Cofinity or First Health
• MLB insurance (local BCBS contract)
• MotivHealth- DPS effective 7/1/22
• Multiplan / PHCS
• Mutual of Omaha- Ok as secondary, no Medicare Advantage plans
• NALC- ok through network
• Physician’s Mutual
• PHP Pinnacol Work comp
• Rocky Mountain Health Plans – no Medicaid products
• Samba – though Cigna contract Tricare-Healthnet
• TriWest Health Care Alliance (VA Patient Centered Community Care- CCN authorizes)
• United Healthcare- (Golden Rule, Core, UHC Medicare Solutions, PPP, PHP, Rose, South Metro, AARP, … Navigate, Charter, UHC-West, Boulder County Direct, PERA, CHP Centura and Colorado Doctor’s plan, Colorado Health Neighborhood Plans, Optum Care Network Denver, Denver Metro Proprietary, New West, Avista Direct, Erickson Advantage HMO, UCHealth ACO Denver )
• UMR Work Comp
• World Insurance

POSC Non-contracted / Out of Network Insurance

• Aetna Work Comp
• Anthem CU Exclusive plan
• Anthem Pathways / Mountain Enhanced
• Anthem Medi-blue HMO only some plans. *We are ok with Dual and Plus plans, not ok with Mediblue Diabetes HMO-C-SNP plans or Mediblue Access
• Anthem HMO UCHealth Network Plan- must go to UCHealth
• Anthem HPN- High Performance Network
• Apostrophe (Best Health)
• BAS- if not through participating network
• Beech Street Network
• Cigna Connect
• Cigna Sure fit
• Cigna Vantage
• CICP- Colorado Indigent Care Program
• Denver Health- Medicare and Medicaid (Cofinity or First Health plans ok)
• Emblem Health NY
• Evolutions Network
• Friday Health Plans
• Galaxy Health Network
• Innovage- Total Long Term Care
• Kaiser –all docs OON EXCEPT Dr. Hugate (ok if PHCS network)
• Liberty Health Share- self-pay
• Medi-share plans (only if under PHCS or Multiplan network)
• Midlands Choice
• Molina Healthcare (State of WA Medicaid)
• Mutual of Omaha Medicare Advantage
• Oscar
• Out of state Medicaid- (WY Medicaid ok for Ellman and Hugate) Out of state Work comp
• Oxford (United Healthcare plan not part of contract)
• Rocky Mountain Health Plan- Sky plan
• United Healthcare – Oxford, North Direct plan, Empire plan of NY, out of state UHC Community plans

An arthroplasty or artificial disc is a procedure to address neck or back pain that preserves motion. Arthroplasty is an alternative to a fusion.

There are many factors that go into determining which surgery is the best option for each patient. Arthroplasty is becoming more often a good option for neck and back pain when used in the appropriate patients.

Minimally invasive spine surgery, often referred to as MIS surgery, involves techniques to make smaller incisions, disrupt less muscle and enable faster recovery.

With few exceptions all patients are candidates for MIS surgery, and almost all procedures can be performed minimally invasively as well.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (or ACDF) is a common procedure to alleviate neck and arm symptoms due to arthritis. Surgery is often very successful, and patients go home the next day.

No! I attempt to understand exactly where the pain is coming at our initial visit. After a thorough discussion, we likely would begin with NSAIDs, and physical therapy. Also, pain injections may be utilized as a treatment option. I will only discuss surgical intervention if I truly feel surgery is indicated and feel it has a high likelihood of improving the patient’s symptoms.

Decompression is the surgical process of carefully removing bone and ligamentous tissue that may be irritating (compressing) nerves and causing pain in the back or limbs.