What to bring to your first office visit:
Here is a checklist to help make the most of your office consultation:
- Referral from your HMO or insurance company, if needed
- All actual chest X-rays, CT scans, PET scans, and other pertinent studies. The written reports must also be brought. Often, these studies can be put on CD in which case bringing the disc will suffice
- List of all your medications and allergies
- List of your health problems and previous surgeries
- Finally, always check with your personal physician to be very clear on why you are being referred to a thoracic surgeon
What to expect at your first visit:
After we receive your films and reports you will complete a medical history questionnaire. You will have a physical examination. Then the doctor will meet with you to go over your case, review your films, and discuss diagnosis and treatment options.
Often times, additional tests are needed, and our office will assist you in making arrangements for those tests. These tests will not be done the day of your first visit, but we will make arrangements for them to be completed as quickly as possible, usually within a week or so.
We believe in a team approach to thoracic oncology. We often discuss cases at our tumor board conference, during which our thoracic surgeons meet with specialists in Radiology, Pathology, Pulmonary Medicine, Nuclear Medicine, Oncology, and Radiation Oncology to make recommendations on diagnosis and treatment.