How To Call Your Doctor’s Office

When you’re sick or in pain or need to see the doc, time is of the essence! Now you may not be able to control the pace of the workers at the doctor’s office, but there is plenty of ways to prepare yourself to ensure that you’ll get what you need as soon as possible (continue reading for info specifically regarding Pain Consultants of Washington).

Prepare Yourself!

You shouldn’t think of touching that phone without being properly equipped!

1. Pen and paper.
   Why? Perhaps over the phone you’ll be told about a drug, procedure or another doctor’s office worth researching. You just never know when it will become essential and its a great relief to have it before your call rather than rummaging around in panic looking for a pen that actually works and then trying to find something to write on–save yourself the stress.
2. Calendar/Schedule/Planner/etc.
   Especially when calling to make an appointment, you should get whatever mechanism you use to plan dates and appointments–whether it be your iPhone, Hello Kitty calendar, or your jumbo OfficeMax desk calendar. If you’re using an electronic calendar, make sure to set an alarm/reminder for at least a day before your appointment.
3. Know Your Stuff.
   If you’re calling a new doctor’s office, there will be a few things that you will probably be asked. Make sure you know the name of the provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, etc.) that referred you to the doctor’s office your calling, your reason for being seen, and your insurance type. It couldn’t hurt to have these three things already written down on that piece of paper in front of you before calling 

Every doctor’s office varies to some degree in what they require for things like scheduling, first appointments, payment methods, and the like. There are a few important things to know about Pain Consultants of Washington in particular:

• When you call to schedule an appointment, you should call (425) 899-6030 option 2 to reach a scheduler. You will then be asked if you are a new patient or a returning patient. If you are a new patient, we will ask you for the name of the provider that referred you, your reason for being seen, and for your insurance type. We’re dedicated to getting your pain taken care of as soon as physically possible! Our patients are our priority. We believe that people matter and that the elimination of pain makes a difference–we don’t take our job lightly!
• We are an interventional pain management clinic–what that means is we don’t believe in a ‘one-size-fits-all’ kind of treatment. Every person’s pain is unique and may require a different kind of treatment. That is why, with the help of our experienced team of providers, we offer an array of different treatments to help eliminate your pain. We will work together with you to discover the root of your pain and formulate a pain to eliminate it the best we can.
• That being said, your initial consult will last 1-2 hours. The majority of that time will be with one of the nurse practitioners who will thoroughly analyze and investigate the root cause of your pain.
• Paperwork will need to be completed prior to the appointment.  This paperwork can be downloaded here or can be mailed to you. Please bring in completed.
• Along with your paperwork, make sure to bring any imaging you have (MRI’s, etc.), insurance card(s), and your photo ID.

For more information, visit our FAQ page: click here.