The FORMA Difference

Walking in off the street to grab a brochure, the first-time visitor to our state-of-the-art facilities in Costa Mesa is struck by the calm and organized chaos in our expansive interior. There’s a waiting room with a middle-aged man in jogging shorts reading a magazine. The woman sitting beside him gets up and follows one of our smiling staff members into a nearby examination room.

There’s a well-organized reception desk with two people — one happily answering phones and the other greeting a patient. And beyond our welcoming open-air reception area is an enormous room, filled with natural light provided by floor-to-ceiling windows. It looks like a refined personal gym — a very clean and personalized gym — with a couple of patients working alongside our skilled staff members to solve a variety of issues. One is working with weights while another walks briskly on a treadmill as an exercise physiologist peers at the console over her shoulder. State-of-the-art equipment is strategically placed throughout this large open area, providing privacy for patients and their individual FORMA staffer.

Welcome to FORMA. It’s different. It’s inviting. And as you would expect, there’s a lot of healing going on around here. Patients constantly tell us they are comfortable in these surroundings. They cite the friendliness of our staff, the professionalism of our doctors, trainers and technicians, and they appreciate the no-pressure team approach to recovery.

At FORMA, you must be a willing participant in your own recovery. Nobody’s going to push you into any treatment you don’t want. No sales pitch here. That’s because our doctors and staff are as selective as you are. If we don’t think you have a serious problem, or if you don’t think they can help you alleviate that problem, we’ll tell one another up front. And then we’ll make a qualified recommendation, even if it means encouraging you to seek treatment somewhere else.

Here are some of the other factors that mark the FORMA difference:

Whether it’s the physician, the chiropractor, the physical therapist, the athletic trainer, the exercise physiologist or the patient concierge, the staff at FORMA works closely together with one goal in mind: resolving your pain issues and getting you back on track. Each member of our staff has sub-specialties, their own personal experiences and a focus on quality health that adds depth to the team approach.

No matter what you do for a living or what you do for fun, we see everyone as an athlete at some level. You could be a high school coach or an accountant. You could prefer Monopoly over marathons. No matter. We all perform throughout life, whether it’s walking upstairs at the age of 75 or trying out for the track team at the age of 14. The important thing here is that you be able to accomplish these tasks pain-free.

Many practices claiming to be like ours simply give their patients something for their pain and tell them, “Do this and you’ll get better.” We don’t do that! That’s just not going to happen. We want to know that what we’re doing is going to make a change for the better, and we adjust as we go along. Most people are programmed to accept the standard level of care. We’re different — we want to find the root cause of your pain. Your trust level has to be incredibly high, and you have to allow us to explore — along with you — the means to get you back to your fighting form. We partner with you for your success.

When it comes to insurance, our concierge is an expert at working out the complex and frustrating red tape that often accompanies health services today. And if your insurance provider isn’t on our list, we’ll check to see if your care can be covered — even if you’re out of network. Our staff is there to expedite your care, to make it work. If you don’t have insurance, talk to our administrators. We’re sure they can work out a payment plan that fits your budget. We don’t turn people away just because they’re dealing with a bad economy. We’ll work with nearly everyone.

We seek to establish an authentic and personal relationship with each patient/client. We’re not afraid to meet on a one-to-one basis to discuss insurance issues and treatment options. In fact, we sort of demand it right from the get-go, setting the tone for the personalized approach to your health and recovery.

We answer your questions about your family members or friends who are in pain. After a few visits, you’ll realize that we have created an environment that’s open to such inquiries — and more.

Aside from this website and a few brochures, we don’t do marketing. We rely solely on word-of-mouth from patients, friends, family and other medical professionals. That allows us to focus all our attention and energy on your needs — not on public relations.

Meet The Team

Dr. Claudio - Medical Director

Claudio Carvalho, DO, MS

Medical Director

Board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and fellowship-trained in Interventional Pain Management, Dr. Claudio Carvalho aims for the mutual understanding of each patient’s condition using case-specific knowledge supported by World-wide evidence-base. Caring for each patient’s individual goals, Dr. Carvalho uses a synergistic approach of wellness, pain control and regenerative care to optimize each patient’s ability to excel in their physical rehabilitation process.

The result is faster recovery, better health, a higher level of performance and improved quality of life. Formerly a competitive athlete and sports conditioning coach, Dr. Carvalho (known as “Dr. C.” to his patients) has been involved in sports medicine for more than 30 years. Dr. Carvalho is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and a staff physician at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, CA.

To get started on your journey to optimized health, call us at (949) 999-0777 to schedule an appointment or consultation.

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