Center for Innovation in Chronic Disease Care

When you come in to the clinic, you will register at the Teen Health Center front desk before seeing a physician. You will be asked to:

• Provide your address
• Show your health insurance card
• Sit in the waiting room until a medical assistant calls your name
• Go to the blood pressure, height and weight area when your name is called

Note: If you are not 18, and your parent or guardian is not with you, we will call to get permission to see you.

Do you need any of these forms? Ask for them at the front desk:

• Work permit
• Sports physical
• Referral

The medical assistant will get your:

• Blood pressure
• Weight
• Other tests, if you need them (eye exam)

You will then go either to an exam room or to the waiting room until an exam room is open. You and your parent or guardian will be given a clipboard with a questionnaire about your asthma.

A doctor or nurse practitioner will talk with you and perform the exam. A second doctor may come in to go over the most important parts of taking care of your asthma.

Depending on how your asthma is doing, a nurse educator will come in to teach you about asthma and how to manage it better.

Another member of your healthcare team may come in to ask you to answer a survey or to ask your opinion about something to help improve the way we take care of teenagers with asthma. You can always say “no” to helping us in this way.

If you need shots or tests, these will usually be done right in clinic.

At the end, one of the doctors or nurses will come back in to make sure all your questions were answered, you have your prescriptions and papers, and you know when to come back.

Before: The parent coordinator will call you to confirm your appointment and make sure you are still able to attend. She will answer any questions about the visit.

After: The nurse will call you to make sure you got your prescriptions and answer any questions you have about your medications or asthma.

For your first visit, bring your immunization records and insurance card (we will also ask for your address and phone number). For all visits, bring your insurance card (we will also ask to make sure your address and phone number are the same as at your last visit).

The Asthma Innovation Lab is open Tuesday afternoons; you may make an appointment from 1-5 pm.

We ask that your parent or guardian come with you on your fist visit. After that, we would like to have a parent or guardian but understand if schedules do not allow that. If you are under 18 and your parent or guardian could not come with you, we will call to get permission to see you.

It depends on what you want. For first visits, it usually takes about two hours (from registration to education, including examination). For other visits, it depends on whether you want self-management coaching (to help you take care of your asthma better) or if you want to help other teens and us by giving us your opinions.

We want to make sure we are helping you to manage your asthma in every way possible – this helps us know how your asthma is and how we can help.