Step 3: First Doctor’s Appointment

Prepare for Your First Visit

At your first visit, your doctor may ask you about your “medical history.” This will help the doctor learn about you and your health. Be prepared before you arrive. Take everything on the following checklist. You may want to fill out the My Health Journal on page 20 of the toolkit and take it with you to your first appointment.

Make sure you have these things with you for your first appointment:

• Photo ID
• Health Insurance Card
• Your family medical history (see My Health Journal on page 20 of toolkit)
• A list of medications you are taking
• Any questions you have for the doctor

What Should I Do After my Appointment?

After your first appointment with the doctor, you should follow all of your doctor’s advice:

• Fill any prescriptions the doctor prescribed, and take them as directed.
• Make an appointment with any specialists the doctor asked you to see.
• Visit the doctor again if you are sick or injured.

Did you like the doctor you visited? If you are unsure if the doctor you visited is right for you, ask yourself these questions:

• Did you trust your provider and feel like they cared about your health?
• Did the provider speak in a way you could understand and that made you feel comfortable?
• Did the doctor and other staff treat you fairly and with respect?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, you have found the right doctor for you. If you answered no to most of these questions, you may want to change doctors. Your primary care provider is the person you will visit for most of your health needs. It is important you feel comfortable with him or her. If you decide that you did not like the doctor you saw, that’s okay. Call your insurance company and ask them for a list of other doctors who take your insurance.