New Patient Information
Does my child need specialized gastrointestinal evaluation?
Any child with an ASD and a history of troublesome gastrointestinal symptoms should undergo an evaluation by a pediatric gastroenterologist experienced in diagnosing and treating GI disease in children with ASD.
New Patient Intake Process
Please read through all of the information below and fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page. Our Intake Coordinator will contact you quickly with more detailed information.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU!
We have an intake process that each of our patients needs to complete in order to set up a consultation with Dr. Krigsman. Below is information to help you better understand this process. Our Intake Coordinator will work with you to help make this process as easy as possible. It generally takes 1-2 weeks to complete.
STEP 1: INTERVIEW CALL
STEP 2: INTAKE TESTING & PAPERWORK
STEP 3: NEW PATIENT CONSULTATION (Can be done via telephone or Skype)
STEP 4: DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES
Procedures are currently done ONLY in Round Rock, Texas and Fremont, California. Our Intake Coordinator will give you recommendations on places to stay in the area when the procedures are scheduled.
Dr. Krigsman also travels to Serbia once a year to provide care to those international patients unable to travel to the Unites States for treatment. When filling out the new patient contact form below, please let us know if you are interested in seeing Dr. Krigsman in Serbia and we can give you more detailed information.
Please note that our schedule fills up quickly.
Understanding that this process can seem overwhelming, our intake coordinator and staff strive to make this process as easy as possible.
For more information about the details of this process, please fill out the contact information below and our Intake Coordinator will send you all the information you need to help you through the process.
To see office location details, see our Contact & Locations page.
Why all this testing before we see the doctor?
We understand that gathering all the information and completing the laboratory testing for our intake process may seem a little overwhelming.
Our intake is done in this manner to decrease waiting time and minimize your expense. We have streamlined the intake process so that the most information possible is available to Dr. Krigsman BEFORE the New Patient Consultation.
Traditionally, you would visit the doctor (with the associated expense), have the labs and tests prescribed (usually one or two at a time), with weeks or months in between waiting for results to become available. Patients who have gone to other gastrointestinal specialists have spent 12-18 months putting together data that we put together in a matter of 2 weeks.
Reviewing clinical information before your first appointment allows you and Dr. Krigsman to maximize the time you spend with him as the clinical information is available and has been reviewed.
Does my child need to fast or discontinue medications for the intake lab testing?
None of the preliminary lab testing requires fasting.
Some of the stool tests may be altered if your child is taking anti-fungal or antibacterial medications that require a prescription (e.g. diflucan, nystatin, nizoral, ampicillin, zithromax, amoxicillin, among others). Therefore all prescription anti-fungals and antibacterials should be stopped for two weeks prior to collecting the stool specimens.
Collecting Stool Specimens
INFANT
Collect stool from the diaper, immediately after your child has a bowel movement.
TODDLER
If your child is toilet trained, collect the bowel movement in a potty chair. Do not allow urine to contact the stool specimen. If your child is not toilet trained, collect stool from the diaper or training pants.
OLDER CHILD
When your child is ready to have a bowel movement, put a "toilet hat" in place to collect the stool. Lift the toilet seat, placing the toilet hat in place and lower the seat. Do not allow urine to contact the specimen. Do not collect the specimen from the toilet bowl.
IMPORTANT
Write your child's name, date of birth, date of collection and collection time on the collection containers.
Your lab should provide you with stool collection containers.
The container type, specimen requirements and stability vary for each test. Please verify this with the lab when you acquire the containers from them. Collect the specimens even if your child has diarrhea. Collect any blood or mucus, if present. Our Intake Coordinator will be happy to answer any questions pertaining to stool specimen collections.
Does Dr. Krigsman only treat children with and Autism Spectrum Disorder?
No. While the majority of children we treat for gastrointestinal problems have ASD, we also treat their siblings, many of whom suffer from similar GI problems.
Families unaffected by ASD are welcome as well!
financial & payment questions
With which insurance plans does Dr. Krigsman participate?
Dr. Krigsman is not an in-network provider with any insurance carrier.
Families with out-of-network benefits usually recover the majority of the physician fee. Related expenditures (anesthesia, pathology, facility fees) are typically covered in full when the provider is in-network, and you should check with your insurer for details on insurance-related issues.
For further questions, please contact our Billing Administrator, Misty Winkler - misty@autismgi.com.
What are the costs involved?
PRELIMINARY TESTING
The preliminary laboratory testing is performed by nationally recognized laboratories (e.g. CPL, LabCorp) should be covered by virtually all insurance carriers.
CONSULTATIONS
Dr. Krigsman's telephone consultation fees are usually not covered by insurance, unless your policy covers telemedicine.
ENDOSCOPIC OR OTHER DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION
For those children requiring endoscopic or other diagnostic evaluation, the following fees may be applicable: operating room facility fee, anesthesiologist and pathologist. These costs are usually covered by insurance, but it is your responsibility to confirm with your insurer whether the services required are covered.
For further questions, please contact our Billing Administrator, Misty Winkler - misty@autismgi.com.
Who will pre-certify a diagnostic endoscopy?
Our Billing Administrator, Misty Winkler arranges for pre-certification with your insurance company. However, it is important to understand, that "pre-certification" only means that your insurer has received clinical information about your child and has determined that a diagnostic endoscopy is medically necessary. It is NOT a guarantee by them of payment, nor is it an acknowledgement that the insured child is covered for the particular service by your insurance plan.
What if it is difficult for me to pay for treatment?
Payment options are handled on a case by case basis. You can discuss payment options with our Billing Administrator, Misty Winkler.
Cancellation Policy
48-hour notice is required for cancellation; we must charge cancellations received less than 48 hours prior to the appointment date as wait lists can be long and the needs of our other patients must be considered.
Serbia - international patients
If you are interested in seeing Dr. Krigsman in Serbia, please fill out the New Patient Form via this link: https://autismgi.com/new-patients and we will reach out to you with more information.
We look forward to working with you!