New Patients Consultation Process
What to expect during your consultation
The success and safety of your plastic surgery procedure depends very much on you being completely candid during your consultation. By being actively involved in your consultation, problems, concerns and questions you may have can be addressed by our surgeons at Criswell & Criswell.
Before your Consultation
Talking with Patty: When you first contact us, you will likely talk with our Patient Care Coordinator, Patty. Take advantage of their knowledge of plastic surgery and ask any questions you’d like. Also, please give them as much information about yourself as you can, sharing your goals and expectations. Be prepared to discuss the approximate cost of your procedure, how you plan to finance it, and what your time frame is for surgery. Our Patient Care Coordinators will often set a date for surgery if you are clearly interested in moving forward. Also, you may be asked a few questions about your overall health and any particular details related to the procedure you are interested in.
Complete your health information and demographics on our Online Web Portal prior to your consultation, you will be required to complete our Online Web Portal questions. This is important for your safety, giving our doctors the information they need to give you the best quality care. Also, by completing this form online, before your consultation, you will have more time to spend talking with the doctor.
Read our welcome letter and consent forms. This is important for you to be able to understand our practice’s policies, and at your consultation you will be asked to sign that you have read them.
At your Consultation
Arrive a little early. Bring a photo ID and plan to sign that you have read our welcome letter and consents.
Be prepared to discuss and answer questions about:
- Your plastic surgery goals and desires
- Why you want surgery, your expectations and desired outcomes
- Your general health status, any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
- Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
- Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
- Previous surgeries
- Family medical history
Your surgeon will also:
- Examine you and ask you to point out what areas you are interested in changing
- Your surgeon may take detailed measurements of certain areas
- Your surgeon will likely point out features of your body that you may or may not have noticed before, like asymmetry, shape, and skin quality
- Discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment
- Discuss likely outcomes and any risks or potential complications
- Discuss the use of anesthesia during your procedure
Your Nurse will then:
- Take photographs for your medical record to assist in surgical planning
- Help you try on breast implant sizes if your consultation involves breast augmentation
- Answer any further questions you may have
Completing Consultation
Patty will meet with you to proceed with surgical planning and scheduling. They will give you a financial quote for the procedure or procedures that your surgeon recommended. You will be asked to sign this quote, acknowledging that you are aware of the fees associated with your individual procedure. There are no hidden fees in your quote. All quotes will include the cost of the procedure, facility costs, and any anesthesia costs. All of your preoperative and postoperative visits are included in the surgical package, as well as your initial surgical garment and supplements if applicable. If needed, your doctor will write a prescription for medication for surgery; the cost of these medications is not included.