When to refer
How to refer a patient to Dr. Tine.
Referring a patient
Dr. Stephanie Tine, DPM, practices foot and ankle medicine and surgery at Flamingo Foot & Ankle in Fort Lauderdale, with a clinical focus on foot and ankle reconstruction and sports-related injury. She completed her Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt University California School of Podiatric Medicine and a three-year, hospital-based foot and ankle surgical residency at Adventist Health White Memorial in Los Angeles, where she served as chief resident. For the full scope of her training, see her physician profile.
Her surgical practice includes reconstructive surgery for post-traumatic and degenerative foot and ankle pathology, minimally invasive bunion surgery, and minimally invasive hammertoe surgery. Alongside surgical care, she offers shockwave therapy and injections for foot, ankle, and joint pain as part of a structured conservative-care pathway, used both ahead of a surgical decision and on their own where surgery is not indicated.
Because reconstructive and sports-medicine referrals often turn on findings rather than diagnosis labels, the tiers below are organized around exam and history findings: instability after an index ankle sprain, deformity that has progressed past shoe modification, and activity-limiting pain that has not responded to a defined period of first-line care. A patient who fits one of those patterns, and does not fit a clearer surgical or systemic emergency, is appropriately routed through the routine or urgent tier rather than directly to the emergency department. Referral mechanics and current availability are on the practice's referral page; Dr. Tine's practice is accepting new patients.
At a glance
Which patients should I refer to Dr. Tine?
Refer a patient once a bunion or hammertoe deformity is causing functional limitation and has not improved after six to eight weeks of shoe modification, orthotics, and anti-inflammatory use (APMA, 2023), once a foot or ankle sports injury has not improved after four to six weeks of rest, activity modification, and bracing (ACFAS, 2022), or once a patient presents with a reconstructive need: prior failed surgery, post-traumatic deformity, or a progressive structural change you are not set up to manage in primary care.
Dr. Tine completed a three-year foot and ankle surgical residency at Adventist Health White Memorial in Los Angeles, where she served as Chief Resident, and her practice concentrates on reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, sports injury, and minimally invasive bunion and hammertoe correction. A patient whose conservative course has plateaued is a better referral than one early in a self-limited injury; her training and clinical focus cover both the surgical and nonsurgical range of these cases.
What should I send with the referral?
Send whatever imaging you already have, a short note on what conservative treatment was tried and for how long, and any relevant comorbidities such as diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or prior foot or ankle surgery.
For a sports injury, include the mechanism and date of onset. For a suspected reconstructive case, include operative reports from any prior surgery and a description of the current deformity, since this shapes whether the first visit is diagnostic or already planning oriented. Chart notes alone, without the conservative-care trial documented, slow the first visit rather than speeding it up.
How do I refer a patient, and what happens next?
Contact Flamingo Foot & Ankle directly to refer: call the office, and send any records and imaging you have by fax or secure upload per the office's instructions.
Dr. Tine is currently accepting new patients, including referrals for reconstructive, sports injury, and bunion or hammertoe cases. If you do not have a direct line to the office yet, the practice's referral page lists how to reach them and what to expect once a patient is scheduled.
What happens at a patient's first visit after I refer them to Dr. Tine?
A full structural and functional evaluation of the foot and ankle, not a review limited to the referring complaint.
Because Dr. Tine's training centers on reconstructive surgery and sports injury, the exam also weighs gait mechanics, tissue integrity, and the activity demands the patient is trying to return to. Any imaging already obtained is reviewed before anything additional is ordered, and the patient leaves the visit with a working diagnosis and a documented plan.
Will I receive documentation of the visit?
Yes. A consultation note summarizing exam findings, the working diagnosis, and the treatment plan is sent to the referring physician following the visit, so care can continue without the workup being repeated.
Where reconstructive surgery or an extended rehabilitation course is being considered, that note also states the anticipated timeline for the next decision point. Referral routing and logistics are covered separately.
Does Dr. Tine manage the patient long-term, or return care to me?
Most patients return to the referring physician's care once the foot or ankle issue is resolved or stable.
Ongoing co-management continues only where reconstructive surgery, shockwave therapy, or a staged course of injections requires monitoring through a defined recovery, and even then the referring physician receives interval updates rather than losing contact with the patient. Her training background, including a three-year foot and ankle surgical residency served as chief resident, is reflected in how closely surgical cases are tracked after treatment.
Ready to get back on your feet?
Call the office or request an appointment. Accepting new patients.