Phone appointment?

emmaaa · February 2016

So I scheduled my first appointment today and they said my first appointment is a "new to nurse" appointment which is done over the phone. I'm not sure how this is going to work necessarily. Have any of y'all done one of these? Anything I should be prepared for?

It just sounds like they want some general information on how I'm feeling and assess what kind of care I'll need.

kateleap · February 2016

emmaaa My OB/GYN office doesn't call it that, or schedule it as a formal appointment, but when I first found out about my first pregnancy they did set up a long call with one of their nurses to go through how I was feeling and my lifestyle, but also run through a lot of early pregnancy advice and recommendations and answer my questions. It was really straightforward and really nice to open up communication before my first in-office exam!

alysie89 · February 2016

When I did one it was just basically to fill out all your information into a form. It can be a bit time consuming but really it was no big deal. I just had to have all my info ready and health insurance info ect.

ElizaAnne · February 2016

I don't know, to me that sounds like a way to charge you without actually giving you any real medical care. I didn't think that legally they're allowed to give out medical advice over the phone; so if you have any questions how can they give you answers specific to your situation? My first appointment with my new dr was mainly giving family medical history, answering lifestyle questions, a short physical exam including blood pressure, height, weight, listen to heart/lungs, palpating abdomen. I also got some minor blood work done at my first exam: a standard std/sti test, blood typing (to test for rH), and immunity titers to check what vaccines/diseases I have had in my life. No beta or progesterone values though since I am not considered high risk, I'm just a new patient and they need a history on me to know how to approach certain situations that may/may not arise. I dunno, this phone appointment thing sounds no bueno to me, but I place a fair amount of value on face to face interaction. If you're not into it, I say find another dr.

kateleap · February 2016

@ElizaAnne To clarify, there was no charge for mine and they didn't give specific medical advice beyond the basics of what they recommend when you first find out you're pregnant (e.g., typical reminders about no drinking, making sure I had a prenatal vitamin, etc.). I think it also served as a bit of a screening so that if any red flags did come up, they could schedule me to come in sooner than the typical first appointment.

Also, depending on your OB/GYN practice, some places are adopting more telemedicine (real appointments with advice over the phone) to save people time from going into the office when it's not needed, but it's a basic premise of those that there are certain circumstances where they'll definitely have you come in, or suggest you go to urgent care, etc. I say use your judgment with what you're comfortable getting into over the phone or not, but like I said, for myself it was a really nice way to get some of my general questions answered and open up the lines of communication with the nursing team. I definitely call them A LOT with random questions so I don't have to turn to the Google vortex!

ElizaAnne · February 2016

@kateleap ok I can see how that would be beneficial. Especially for people who might need to be seen before the standard 8-10 week appointment. And you're right Google can be an amazing tool but it can also quickly become a vortex of "you're going to die, everything is going to kill you".

kateleap · February 2016

@ElizaAnne Right?! My dr's office is always like "call us, don't Google!" and I love them for it, because I never feel stupid or annoying when I have random questions.

Google is great but for me (especially with PGAL) it's just too much for my already-spinning head to handle!

(ETA to tag Eliza correctly

)

SuperKristy85 · February 2016

I had something similar. It was in person in a group setting with other mommas but it sounds like the same general idea. They went over their collaborative method, gave a packet of information and covered dos and dont's. Mine was also at no charge.

emmaaa · February 2016

Thanks everyone! I called back this morning to just make sure I understood what was going on in the "appointment." They told me it is basically to fill out initial paperwork and make sure there aren't any red flags that point to me needing a specialist or high risk doctor or to be seen earlier. They also said the charge for it is basically included in my first in office appointment since the paperwork part would normally be done then.

I am actually glad they're doing this part over the phone. I work over an hour from where the Ob is and I basically will need a whole day off for appointments so this will help save me time. I'm planning on using vacation and sick leave during maternity leave and will need all the time I can get. And since DH wants to be there for my appointments, I'm glad he doesn't have to miss work just for paperwork.

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