What should I bring with me when I come for a scheduled office appointment?
Apart from medicare and your insurance information
- A referral from your General Practitioner or family doctor.
- All pertinent X-ray reports and test results from your primary care or referring physician
- A list of all medications that you are currently taking
- A list of any known drug allergies and the symptoms you may have from taking these medicines
Are my medical records kept private and confidential?
Your medical file is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy. Our staff are bound by strict confidentiality requirements as a condition of employment regarding your medical records. Ordinarily we will not release the contents of your medical file without your consent.
Do I need a referral to make an appointment?
This is essential for all NHS patients wishing to see Prof. Lobo as an NHS consultation. Whilst not strictly necessary for private patients, please bear in mind that Medicare pays higher rebates for specialist services if you have been referred.
How can my family doctor help me to obtain specialist medical care?
Before seeing any medical specialist, it is always preferable to talk to your own family doctor, who can discuss your condition with you and advise on whether any specialist care is appropriate. If it is, he or she can help you to choose the specialist best suited to your needs. Your family doctor can help the specialist to care for you better by providing relevant information about your health. Communicating with the specialist will also enable your family doctor to care for you better during and after your specialist treatment.
What should I expect during my first visit?
During your initial visit, Prof. Lobo will spend up to an hour going through the full medical history, and undertake a thorough physical examination to look for causes of hypertension and what damage high BP may have already caused. Following this he will make recommendations for any further investigations that may be necessary and also formulate a treatment plan which will involve lifestyle measures and possibly drug therapy for hypertension. Follow up appointments can thereafter be organized to go through the results of the tests and assess the impacts of treatment.