What is involved in the first evaluation?
In the first evaluation, Dr. Shah will make an assessment of the nature of the problem at hand. Some neurological consultations are for questions of diagnosis, that is, what is wrong with the patient. In that case the consultation may be followed by recommendations for imaging procedures and diagnostic lab tests with a follow up visit to review all of the data. Sometimes the diagnosis is already known and the consultation is for decisions about the treatment. In that case, tests might not be ordered but tests may be reviewed and the discussions about treatment options can take place. Dr. Shah will obtain a thorough history and perform a detailed neurological examination during the first encounter.
How long will my first appointment take?
There is no easy answer for this. It depends on the complexity of your neurological problem. A patient with a straightforward problem such as carpal tunnel syndrome may not require as long an appointment as someone with the new diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Some patients have extensive old records to be reviewed and some patients may be seeing a physician for the very first time. Dr. Shah usually reviews your CT and MRI with you during your first visit if they are available.
What is Dr Shah's educational background?
Dr. Shah attended M.P.Shah Medical College in Gujarat, India which included one year rotating internship at various hospitals in Gujarat. After that, he taught pharmacology to medical students and worked as in-patient hospitalist for a short period of time. After arriving to U.S. he did stroke research at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. He joined Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA for his internal medicine internship, neurology residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship. Dr. Shah has attended numerous educational conferences and participated in many research studies. (See his publications on Scholarly Activity page). He was also very active in junior resident teaching during his residency and fellowship (see his presentations on Scholarly Activity page).
How do I get put on the cancellation list to be seen sooner than my scheduled appointment?
Let the appointment secretary or the nurse know you are interested in an earlier appointment, should one become available. Leave them your daytime phone numbers where you can be reached at a short notice. All efforts will be made to accommodate your request.
Why is my waiting time longer sometimes?
We try our best to see you on time but Dr. Shah also has in-patient responsibilities and sometimes he has to attend urgent ER/in-patient consults. Dr. Shah loves to talk to his patients and sometimes previous patients require more time than allocated. We are sorry for any extended wait time. We are open to constructive suggestions and how to make things easier for you. Please provide your comments on Contact Us page - we are listening.
What information do I need to bring to my first appointment?
Please fill out our new patient forms on our website and bring all of your medications to your appointment. It is also very helpful for you to make a list of your allergies. Let us know to whom you wish records of your consultation to be sent (your primary physician, your gynecologist, your surgeon, your psychiatrist, etc). Please be sure pertinent copies of your medical records have been forwarded to us or brought to us the day of your appointment. It is a waste of your time if our nurse and physician spends a lot of your time on the phone tracking down records. If you have X-rays or MRI scans that are important for the issues your neurologist is to review, please be sure you either bring them yourself or have them forwarded to us. We prefer to look at images ourselves. Please bring a CD of you MRI and/or CT scan.
Which hospital is Dr. Shah affiliated with?
Dr. Shah is affiliated with Alamance Regional Medical Center. For most of the patients with neurological diseases, a hospitalist doctor will admit and will take care of you. Dr. Shah will work as a consultant to the hospitalist physician. Sometimes other neurologists from Dr. Shah's group might take responsibilities of your care if he is not available.
What do I do if I need to speak to my neurologist after office hours or on the weekends or holidays?
There is a neurologist on call for our neurology group. If you have an emergency which can't wait till the next business day, call our office number and an operator will page the on call neurologist for you. We don't do restricted substance refills on non-business hours, for other medication refills; please try to call during regular business hours.
Why must I sign so many forms before anyone can talk to anyone in my family about my case?
New federal regulations known collectively as HIPAA are enforced to protect the privacy of patients. While some of the regulations may seem cumbersome to the patients, they are ultimately designed to protect you from the improper use of your medical history. Please bear with us. These regulations must be adhered to since they are backed up by stiff penalties for failure to follow them.
What if I run out of pain medications after routine business hours?
Please make all efforts to notify Dr. Shah's staff that you are low on your pain medication. Do not wait until you only have a few days of medication left. Many pain medications cannot be called in verbally to the pharmacy and require written prescriptions. If you need a written prescription, please give us 48-72 hours notice so that you can pick up the prescription.