What to expect during your visit at Lake Washington Sports and Spine

What to expect at your visit at Lake Washington Sports and Spine

We have all made a new appointment with a doctor’s office. After making that appointment do you ever find yourself setting expectations or having a vision of how the office looks, how the staff and physicians will act or how the examinations goes? I know I have! Hopefully this article will give you a better understanding of what to expect when being seen at Lake Washington Sports and Spine.

Here at LWSS our goal is to KEEP PEOPLE ACTIVE “KPA” and provide the best possible care for our patients. From the moment you walk in the door, to the minute you leave we want you to have a warm, positive experience, leaving you wanting to come back (until you’re better, of course!)

When you walk in, you will be greeted by our friendly front office staff and they will guide you through the check-in process. Per our office policy, if you are a new patient they will expect you to have all your new patient paperwork completed and to arrive at your check-in time.  If you are here for a follow up appointment, they will help you check in and will have you fill out a follow up form. These need to be completed prior to being seen by the physicians.  Arriving 15 minutes early to all appointments is important. If you are a new patient with NO paperwork filled out PRIOR to the normal 15 minute check in time you are required to come in 30 minutes prior to your appointment time.  Besides simply filling out paperwork arriving early helps patients get themselves into the right state of mind for the visit. Just as you wouldn’t want to show up at a soccer game five minutes into the start of the game and immediately start running full speed, similarly arriving early allows time to stop thinking about traffic and work and mentally prepare for the visit. This really does make a huge difference. 

While filling out your updated information and forms you can take a seat and relax in the waiting room. You may be greeted by Nala, Dr. Hyman’s twelve year old Cockapoo who joins us in the office a couple of times a week, or hear a friendly bark from Wynnie.   You will have approximately fifteen minutes prior to being called back by the medical assistants to enjoy the positive atmosphere, upbeat music, and also have a moment to help yourself to some coffee or tea. By the time the medical assistants call you back, our hope is that you had a chance to relax, center yourself  and prepare your thoughts for your appointment.  This time is helpful to reflect on your chief complaint, your goal for the visit and/or how you’ve improved thus far.

The medical assistant will call you back at your scheduled appointment time. They will introduce themselves and lead you to the patient room. Their main goal is to determine what your chief complaint is for this visit and what your specific goals are. They will also advise you that the physician will focus on your main complaint. This is due to a couple of reasons. 1) We want to provide the best possible care and be thorough during exams to rule out any possibilities that could be causing the issue. 2)Appointment times for new patients are  45 minutes long and follow up appointments are 15 minutes. This is why it is important to be on time for your check-in time, stay focused and resolve the, most important issue. If more time is needed to address other concerns we will ask you to make a follow up appointment so the physician can have a thorough appointment for that particular concern.

After speaking with the medical assistant and vitals are obtained you will be advised that the physician will be in to see you (usually within a few minutes.)

By the time the physician comes in the room he will have a better understanding of your chief complaint and goals to focus on. This will allow more time for a thorough exam and explanation for what the plan of care should be. To get the most out of your visit it is important to allow your physician to use their tools in a way or order that works best for them. They have a certain technique and questions they need answered in order to make a clear diagnosis. At the end of your visit they will take the time to listen to your feedback, concerns and ask if there is any additional information that may be pertinent to your symptoms that was not previously asked or heard.

For example: Say you were on a flight to New York, you would not benefit from trying to give a pilot directions on how to fly a plane since you are not the one with the training, likewise, if you knew what your diagnosis was you would not need to come and be seen by a physician and you would be able to diagnosis yourself. So relax and trust that our physicians are guiding the conversation to obtain the most important information that will be needed to get you back to your normal function.

At the end of the appointment the physicians, medical assistants and front office staff will be sure you have all documents needed for your plan of care (Referrals, chart notes, procedure documentation, imaging reports…etc) and will schedule any further appointments needed. If you are graduating at the end of your appointment we will have a graduation ceremony for you and a surprise bag to celebrate your fitness success and all the hard work you have put in to reach your goal.

We look forward to assisting you in your journey to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle!