Welcome to UCBC

Your first visit to our office will introduce you to the medical professionals who will take care of you. We’ll take your complete medical history including previous surgeries, hospitalizations, major illnesses, and your medications or nutritional supplements. We’ll also need copies of reports or scans from your other doctors or medical centers. We may request additional scans or lab tests during this visit. Most lab tests can be performed in our clinics.

You may meet with one of our financial advisors to discuss your insurance, co-pays, deductible, how we provide billing statements and other payment issues. Our social worker can provide you with additional information about local and national support services.

If your chemotherapy treatment requires placement of a central line (a catheter inserted into a major artery in your chest to minimize IV sticks in your arms), we’ll schedule a separate appointment for this procedure.

Once we have all the necessary information and have talked with your other physicians or, if necessary, with experts at NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers, we will discuss your individualized treatment plan with you and your family members. You will receive additional information about your chemotherapy and what to expect during treatment.

As you go through your treatment, it may be necessary to adjust your medications or scheduling depending on how you tolerate the drugs. Our radiation and medical oncologists meet weekly to coordinate your care and update your treatment based on your responses and medical needs.

How to prepare for your first visit

• Be sure your referring physician has sent your medical records to us (or given them to you to bring).
• Make a list of all your current medicines and nutritional supplements, their doses and how often you take them, or bring in the bottles.
• Make a list of all your past surgeries, hospitalizations and major illnesses. Make a list of any tests or scans you have had at other cancer centers such as Duke, M.D. Anderson or elsewhere, and bring a copy of the reports or the scans with you to your first appointment. If you request the other center forward that information to us, please allow at least two weeks.
• Bring your insurance card and a photo ID (driver’s license or passport).
• Payment is required at time of service so please be prepared to provide your co-pay or deductible.
• Write down a list of your questions.
• Bring paper and pen to take notes.
• Bring a family member or friend and ask him or her to take notes.
• If you have young children, arrange for their care during your appointment. Children under age 12 cannot be left unsupervised in our waiting area.

To read about what to expect on subsequent visits, go to the Subsequent Visits page.