First VisitHow Can I Prepare for My Appointment?

Your appointment

Dr. Chalmers wants you to get the most out of your visit. Preparation before your visit can help to ensure that you have the most successful visit possible. Following these instructions can help you to prepare.

Documentation and Imaging

Have you had prior evaluation, testing, imaging, or treatment? Bringing all of the related documentation of prior evaluation(s), testing, and treatment(s) can help Dr. Chalmers to best help you. Specifically, the reports from any prior operations and the radiology reports from prior EMG/CT/MRI studies are helpful. If you have had a prior xray, CT, and MRI study at an outside facility, do NOT assume that that facility will automatically send the images to Dr. Chalmers. Occasionally these images can be sent electronically at the time of your visit, but not always. The most reliable way to ensure that Dr. Chalmers will be able to view these images is to obtain a CD disc of the actual study and to bring that CD with you to your appointment to be uploaded. Dr. Chalmers always prefers to look at the actual images themselves instead of the radiology report alone.

Insurance

You may need to bring your insurance card, identification card, and any applicable co-pay with you the day of the visit. It is recommended that you contact your insurance company ahead of time to ensure that Dr. Chalmers is covered within your network and to determine the expected cost of the copay.

The Day of the Appointment

First, be sure you know the time and location of your appointment. Dr. Chalmers sees patients in several locations and visiting the wrong location may cause you to miss your appointment. Second, plan to arrive 20-30 minutes early to allow time for parking, navigating through to check-in desk, check-in, and paperwork. Third, Dr. Chalmers strives very hard to ensure that office visits occur as scheduled. However, not all office visits are of perfectly predictable length. Thus an occasional wait does occur. Please bring something to do with you in case there may be a short wait.

Education

An important step to prepare for your appointment is to make sure you understand the visit’s purpose.

Do you any specific questions? Writing these down can make sure all of your questions are answered.

Do you already know the underlying problem, or is the purpose of the visit to determine the problem? If you have an opinion regarding the problem, sharing that with Dr. Chalmers aids the process, whether that opinion coincides with Dr. Chalmers opinion or not.

Have you already determined the desired treatment, or is the purpose to determine treatment? If there is a specific treatment you are seeking, sharing that with Dr. Chalmers aids the process, whether that treatment coincides with Dr. Chalmers recommended treatment or not.

Support

Find a family member or friend who can come to the appointment with you. Often a visit to the doctor is stressful and bewildering. It can be hard to remember the specifics of the visit after leaving the office. Having another person that you trust with you can help to remind you of what was discussed or recommended. It can also help to ensure that no questions are forgotten.