Your First Visit

During this visit you will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire about your past medical history, current medications, and any medication allergies that you may have. If you are carrying any medical records from your referring doctor, including any X-rays or scans, you should present this material to the receptionist as soon as you arrive at the clinic. This will be placed into your chart for the doctor to review.

It is important that you bring all of your medications with you on this first visit. These should be in the original prescription bottle so that the nurse can get accurate information about how each medication has been prescribed. Even if you have prescription or non-prescription medications that you are not currently taking, these should be included. This helps the doctor know if you have medication that may be needed in the future, and prevents wasting your money by prescribing a similar medication unnecessarily. It also helps prevent accidentally prescribing a medication that may conflict with an existing medication.

After filling out the questionnaire, the receptionist will complete your clinic registration on the computer. You will meet with the Patient Account Representative who will review your insurance information to make sure that filing of your insurance claims is handled properly. Your picture will be taken by the computer, so that we can know you by you as a person, and not just by a medical record number.

Following this the nurse will review your past medical history, medications, and ask questions relative to your current situation. The nurse will then assist in preparing you for the doctor to perform a thorough physical examination. The physical exam is an essential part of your consultation visit.

After the examination the doctor will meet with you to explain his evaluation, and make recommendations for any additional tests, if necessary, and make treatment recommendations. You may have any friends or family members that you wish to be with you at this time.

Your first visit to any medical specialist can cause a great deal of anxiety. This is the longest visit that you will likely make to the clinic. You should expect to be at the clinic for approximately two hours. Time must be taken to carefully review all medical data, and perform an examination. If radiation treatment is recommended, the staff will work with you to try to accommodate any special need that you may have. Some individuals have special transportation issues. Some patients continue to work through some or all of their radiation treatments, and priority for treatment times is given to those individuals.

Please review the following list of tips, which will help make your first visit to the clinic be as productive as possible. (You might want to print the following section to use it as a check list to prepare for your first visit.)

Bring all of your medications along with you. Please keep them in their original bottles, and give them to the receptionist as soon as you arrive at the clinic.
Make a list of any medication or other allergies that you may have. You should also make a note of the specific type of allergic reaction that you experienced with a particular medication i.e. hives, rash, nausea, shortness of breath etc.
If you have any printed medical records, or X-rays with you, give them to the receptionist as soon as you check into the clinic.
Write down any questions that you have before your first visit, so that you can be sure to have them answered.
Make and keep a journal of all medical procedures, tests, and treatments that includes the date, location, and physicians involved.
Bring along the name, address, telephone and fax number of any doctor who you wish to receive a copy of the Radiation Oncologist's consultation report.
If you have any friend or relative whom you wish to be involved in your care, be sure to have that individual come with you to the clinic for this first visit.
If you have any insurance, Medicare or Medicaid cards be sure to bring them with you. If your insurance company requires prior authorization for you to be seen by a specialist, be sure to check with your primary care physician to make certain the appropriate authorization has been obtained prior to coming to the clinic.
Early on the day before your first consultation visit, contact the receptionist at Carolina Radiation Medicine's Cancer Treatment Center, and check to see if all appropriate medical records have been received. This will help to avoid last minute delays, which may occur as a result of missing important medical information. At this time you can also confirm the time of your appointment.

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YOUR FIRST VISIT