What to expect on your first visit at Village Health Partners
Village Health Partners is excited to be with you on your health journey! We understand that seeing a new doctor can be stressful – you are sharing a lot about yourself and your lifestyle with a new person. We want you to know what the process looks like ahead of time, so you can be fully prepared and have a stress-free visit.
Most patients begin their partnership with Village Health Partners for one of two reasons – a new patient physical or a new patient sick visit. Here’s what you need to know before coming in for the first time!
Check In
Check in with our friendly team! Our team is excited to help you with the beginning of your appointment by checking you in and making sure you have everything you need. As a new patient, the check-in team may provide you with forms to fill out before you meet with your provider as well as verify your insurance so there are no surprise costs when you check out!
New Patient Physical
When you are first called back to your exam room, you will meet with your medical assistant who will take all your vitals – your height, weight, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen level. Your medical assistant will ask you questions about your medical history, surgical history and the reason for your visit. To get an overall picture of your health, they will also ask you about your social history, including your smoking habits, drug and alcohol use, sexual activity, and, if applicable, your menstrual cycle.
Your medical assistant and physician work very closely together, but when you meet with your physician, they may still ask you a lot of the same questions! Your physician will complete a head-to-toe physical exam for you, and if you already completed your bloodwork, your physician can go over your results with you. If you haven’t, don’t worry! You can still complete your bloodwork at a lab conveniently located in the same facility as your preferred Village Health Partners location. Whether you choose to do it early or same day, your results can be found on the patient portal!
Here are some helpful things to bring so you can answer all of your physician’s questions:
- Family medical history
- Surgical history
- Medications – if you can’t bring all your medications, bring a list with the medication name, dosage and frequency that you take it
- List of specialists you have seen within the last two years
Sick Visit
Village Health Partners is sorry to hear that you are not feeling well! Coming in for a sick visit is probably not your preferred circumstance to meet your new physician, but Village Health Partners is happy to provide you with access to quality medical care to help you feel better.
Sick visits usually take less time than an annual physical. Your medical assistant will take your vitals, bring you to your exam room and go over your medical history and the reason for your visit. Your doctor or nurse practitioner will meet with you and can order more tests or prescribe you medication to get you feeling back to normal!
After Your Visit
After you check out, your physician may reach out to you through Village Health Partner’s patient portal. You can request an appointment, find test results and communicate with your physician all on the patient portal, so make sure you have access to the patient portal when you leave for the day!
If you would like to work with a compassionate and patient-oriented physician, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Shah by calling (972)426-2800 or clicking here.