Patient Resources - Information About Your Visit
We are upgrading our online forms – in the meantime, please print these PDF’s and bring the completed forms with to your appointment.
Patient Forms
Patient Registration Form
Adult Medical History Form
Pediatric Medical History Form
Allergy History Form
Thyroid History Form
New Patients
We look forward to meeting you on your initial visit to our offices. Our completely electronic medical record allows us to provide you with the highest quality care and optimal communication with your other health care providers. In addition, we know that every patient is different and has specific needs, and we will strive to provide you with personal, individualized attention.
What to expect
ENT doctors, or otolaryngologists, are trained in the medical and surgical treatment of patients with diseases and disorders of the ears, nose, throat (ENT), head, and neck. ENT is a subspecialty and requires specialized equipment to thoroughly examine and properly diagnose a patient’s complaint.
We understand that patients may be unfamiliar with these ENT techniques and equipment. Listed below is an idea of what to expect in an ENT consultation. However, not all of these methods will be necessary in every consultation and the techniques will vary given the individual needs of the patient and the nature of the complaint.
Please prepare for your visit by bringing:
- Health Insurance Card/Information
- A list of all medications you are taking
- A list of your questions /concerns
- A copy of your XRAYS / CT scans (not just the reports - please get the actual films as well)
- Copies of records from doctors related to your sinuses/nose/allergies/lungs.
Patient Portal
Secure Patient Portal - We invite you to log in to your online account or create a new online account. Take advantage of the online services offered by our practice with the assurance that all of your information is encrypted and stored securely. Click Here
- Access all online services offered by your physician
- Update demographics and insurance
- Update e-mail address
- Update username and password
- View history of previous visit
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Ears
An otoscope is an instrument used to examine the ears and illuminate the eardrum. The instrument contains a light source with a small amount of magnification attached to it. This is not normally a painful experience and can be undertaken in all age groups.
Tuning forks are sometimes used during a consultation to gauge hearing. This non-invasive technique simply involves placing vibrating tuning forks at different parts of the head and face and adjusting the frequency to gauge a patient’s level of hearing.
During an examination of the ears, the eardrum and canal may also need to be viewed with a microscope. The microscope allows for binocular vision and depth of field. The use of microsuction may also be necessary to remove wax or debris from an ear canal.
Nose
To look at the front of the nose, a simple speculum is used with a headlight. Sometimes a rigid or flexible endoscope is also used, especially before or after nasal surgery. A nasal endoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that physicians use to view the inside of the nasal cavity and the entrance to the sinuses. It can be useful in diagnosing conditions such as infections or polyps. It is inserted through the nostril after a nasal decongestant or numbing medicine has been applied topically in a patient's nose. The endoscope is unable to enter the sinus cavities themselves, but it is used to examine the sinus openings. The procedure is low-risk but may be cause temporary discomfort.
Throat
The physician often conducts an external examination of the neck, manually feeling for glands and abnormalities.
The oral cavity can be thoroughly examined with a tongue depressor and good illumination to visualize the tongue and tonsillar area. The back of the nose and voice box may also require examination with a flexible nasolaryngoscope. This is a fine fiber optic cable (about half the width of a pencil) that is inserted into one side of the nose. Most patients find this very tolerable and it gives the surgeon a superb view of areas that are very difficult to examine otherwise. The whole procedure usually only takes a minute and is often required as part of a thorough ENT examination.
Billing & Insurance
We accept most PPO's, Medicare and Brown and Toland Medical Group HMO's. You will be responsible for ALL co-pays, deductibles and non-covered services. We accept Visa, Mastercard, personal checks and cash.
If you have any questions regarding billing, please contact our office directly at 415-362-5443.
Patient Electronic Health Record Notification
As part of our commitment to patients in providing the highest quality healthcare services, the physicians and staff of this office utilize an electronic health record (EHR) system. The EHR system allows our physicians and staff to consolidate, store, retrieve and share medical information about a patient’s medical history. The EHR is endorsed as a way to increase accuracy, improve efficiency and reduce medical errors. Medical records are created when you receive treatment from a health professional, as you do from our office. Records may include your medical history, details about your lifestyle (such as smoking or involvement in high-risk sports), and family medical history. In addition, your medical records contain chart notes, consultation notes, laboratory test results, medications prescribed, and reports that indicate the results of operations and other medical procedures. Information will be entered directly or scanned into a web based medical record system in the computer. This chart is connected to a network of local physicians and offices associated with the Brown & Toland Medical Group. The physicians in the Brown & Toland network are members of hospital staff at various hospitals including California Pacific Medical Center, Seton Medical Center, St. Mary’s Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital. Your medical records are shared in this network and may be accessed by other physicians within the system. In turn, this office has access to records generated by other network physicians who see you and these records are shared only where there is a treatment relationship. The EHR has levels of security to protect against inappropriate access or disclosures. We believe patient care will be enhanced by immediate access to information we might not know otherwise exists.
If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them with your physician or call our office for further assistance.
