New Patient
What to expect on your first visit?
First visits are preferred to be in person, although they may be conducted on telemedicine. At every step of the way, you, the patient, are the driver of the care you receive as the appointment is a collaboration. Our goal is to help you to get to the root cause of any illness or imbalance, move you in the direction of wellness and prevent any future imbalances.
Complete detailed intake forms
Completing detailed medical intake forms can feel cumbersome, but we need to have a complete understanding of “you” and all that brought you to this moment.
There is nothing like hearing about you from you, in person. This will happen during your visit. Telling your story and providing a well-written history is essential to your thorough and comprehensive care.
Establishing clear agreements and preparing for your visit is an important part of starting a healthy relationship.
You can print the PDFs of the forms below and then complete them, or you can ask us to mail them to you. Please bring all these forms with you to your visit.
Our forms are in-depth. Filling out the form can take up to 2 hours so please plan accordingly. Do your best to fill it out as thoroughly and honestly as you can. Please know that they are private.
Preparing for your Appointment
Prepare yourself to make use of the time in the appointment.
Prior to your appointment, consider what your 2 to 3 top goals are for the appointment.
Write down in advance any questions or concerns you may have prior to the visit and also prioritize them.
If you have lab work that has been recently completely, please bring it to your appointment, but keep what you share during the appointment prioritized to meet your goals.
If you have particular symptoms that are concerning, keep a symptom diary with as much detail as you can: what makes the symptom worse or better; time of day; any events around onset; location; quality and severity of any pain experienced; does the pain radiate; are there any associated symptoms.
If you want an ally in the room with you, make sure that person is able to come with you to the appointment.
Assemble your meds (including vitamins and supplements). It’s best to bring the actual bottles, but if you can’t, bring a detailed list with brands and dosages. If you are on telemedicine, it is best to have them available with you in the room.
The more preparation you do, the more your time in the appointment can be well spent.
What to expect during the appointment
The first visit will include listening, as we will review in-depth the intake information, as well as any physical exams that are indicated, if not on telemedicine. You may leave with lab requisitions for either standard blood work, radiology, or more detailed functional medicine labs, such as hair mineral and toxicology analysis, Dutch hormone screening, or GI stool testing.
You will also leave with a personalized and individualized treatment plan, that may have more details added to it in subsequent appointments or even post-appointment.
How to Schedule An Appointment
Of course, I love to hear from you, so I am flexible as to how you book an appointment. To make it easier for you I have an on-line scheduler. You may want to start with a 15-minute call so that we can get to know each other and you can see if I am good match for you. If you are a new patient or an established patient ready to book your next appointment, click the link to our scheduling page below. But, if you prefer, you can book a session with Dr. Karen by calling, leaving a text message, or sending an email.