Your First Visit - What to Expect and What to Bring

• You will fill out information for your insurance company and, if required by your insurance company, you will provide us with your “referral” from your primary care physician.   This form gives us permission to see you.  Please note that certain types of insurance require the "referral" and without it we might not be able to see you.  So remember to check with your insurance company and if required bring your "referral" with you or we may have to reschedule your appointment. We apologize that this business aspect has to be addressed first, but your insurance company requires this and in fact may refuse to pay for certain tests or procedures if we do not obtain their "permission" first.
  
  Summit Breast Care participates in almost all insurance plans. In keeping with our mission statement "to provide state-of-the-art care for all patients" we welcome patients who do not have insurance.   If you have a serious breast problem do not delay seeking treatment because of any financial concerns.


• You will be asked to fill out a health history form and a demographic form. Although you are here to address a breast health issue, it is important that we know about your general health and medications that might effect our treatment decisions.  For your convenience, a downloadable, printable file of the health history form and demographic form is available on this site so you can fill the forms out at home in advance.


• We adhere to strict codes of confidentially with respect to your diagnosis and treatment. At your visit you will be asked to complete and submit the Patient Consent and Contact Information Form. For your convenience, you can download and print the form which you can complete prior to your office visit. You can also download and print the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) forms which you will also be asked to sign and submit when you visit.


• You will be brought into a private exam room by either a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Assistant.   (Please feel free to use the restroom if needed!)  At this point you will change into a robe and our Physician Assistant or Nursing Assistant will do a brief health assessment and will ask you specific questions about your health concerns.
  
  Next, you will be seen by one of our Board Certified breast surgeons who will carefully examine your breasts even if the Assistant already has, and will ask further questions regarding your concerns.  If your problem is related to your mammogram, ultrasound or MRI, it is most important that you bring your actual films for the benefit of our review. Although relying on the report alone can be an option, it is not ideal as you will not  benefit from our first hand review of your films. If a biopsy is recommended we may ask you to bring your films at a later date.
  
  Ensuring that your radiology group includes your reports in your patient file will reduce your waiting time when you are here.  Alternatively we must call your radiology group and wait for them to fax your reports at "their convenience."
  
  If possible, bring in films that are one to three years old.  This is helpful as they can be compared to your most current films, thus making it easy to detect small changes.       


• Finally, you will receive an opinion on what your problem is and if it requires follow-up or treatment.  A record of your visit will be sent to your primary care physician.

• How long will my appointment take?
  Approximately 30 minutes, plus 15 – 30 minutes to fill out your paperwork.


• Will I have any x-rays during my appointment?
  It is not likely that you will have a mammogram during your appointment. If it is determined that additional studies are needed, we will help you get them scheduled.  We have an ultrasound in each of our offices so it is not uncommon for it to be used to evaluate an area of concern based on our physical exam of your breast, or to further characterize an area of interest that is seen on your mammogram.


• Will my appointment be on time?
  We try to be on time but it is better “to be the one waiting than to be the reason for keeping someone waiting”.  In other words, if we are off schedule, it is because we may have had someone earlier in the day with an unanticipated problem that required extra time and care. We invite you to call ahead to see how we are "running" time wise so that you can adjust your schedule accordingly.
  If we are running over one hour late, and only if this works better for you, we will gladly reschedule your appointment for the beginning of our next business day. We understand and respect that your time is valuable and that you are busy too!


• Will I have a biopsy the day of my visit?
  Probably not. Although your mammogram or ultrasound may show an abnormality, these are often very tiny (only a few millimeters in size) and require a sophisticated procedure (biopsy) and care to give you an accurate diagnosis. We will facilitate the scheduling of your biopsy usually in less than one week, with results available approximately 24 hours after your procedure. (Note:  If you have a large cyst or breast lump that is palpable (i.e. that you can feel), the fluid may be drained or a biopsy can be taken the day of your visit.) At the Connie Dwyer Breast Center, same day results are available for all morning biopsies.

Move Up Requests If you feel your appointment needs to be moved up to an earlier day, your MD or imaging center can fax your results to (973)729-3194. They will be reviewed and evaluated to determine if your appointment date is appropriate for your results.

We look forward to meeting you in one of our three offices. Please double check both the location of your appointment, directions (see menu) and the doctor with whom you will be consulting:

Dr. Diana Addis – 649 Morris Avenue, Springfield NJ  07081
Phone (908) 918-0001      Fax:  (908) 918-0003

Dr. Michelle O’Shea – 89 Sparta Avenue, Ste.210   Sparta, NJ 07871
Phone (908) 918-0001 or (973)729-6517 Fax: (973) 729-3194

Dr. Jan Huston - The Connie Dwyer Breast Center at St. Michael’s Medical Center  
111 Central Avenue, Newark NJ  07102
Phone: (973) 877-5186     Fax: (908) 918-0003

Dr. Tamica Evelyn White - The Connie Dwyer Breast Center at St. Michael's Medical Center Phone: (908) 918-0001 Fax: (973)877-5187

Our “Fast Track” Option

For those patients who do not want to wait a few weeks to see one of our physicians, an option that is available is to “fast track” your visit by seeing one of our Physician Assistants (available at the Connie Dwyer Breast Center in Newark and at our Springfield office).  Your appointment will proceed in the same manner as above but you will most likely be seen in less than one week!  The physician assistants will review your appointment and x-ray findings within 48 hours with the breast surgeon.  If a biopsy is needed it can be scheduled based on the x-ray review.  If follow-up is necessary, you will be scheduled to see the breast surgeon within three days to three months depending on the nature of the findings.

HOTLINE

Please, if you have a new diagnosis of breast cancer or have been told that you probably have breast cancer based on your exam or mammogram, call our hotline 973-729-6517 and speak with Nancy or leave a message. She will have you fax over your reports and we will see you in one of our offices within a few days.  Although breast cancer is not an emergency, we don’t want our patients to experience anxiety at home with no one to answer their many questions.  Learning about your diagnosis and making a treatment plan as quickly as possible will help to calm your natural fears.

Remember…most breast concerns do not turn out to be cancer. Cancers that are detected at an early stage are highly curable. Our practice diagnoses and treats approximately 15 new cancers a week (750 a year) so we are very comfortable guiding you along your individual path to full recovery.