Maybe the referral says “see cardiology” and you have no idea what that means for you. Maybe the appointment is Thursday, you have symptoms you cannot describe well, and your medicine list is out of date. Or maybe two offices have records, and neither one has the whole picture.
You are not behind. Getting ready for a visit is a series of small, ordinary steps, and you can take them in order.
The honest short answer: a good visit starts with one clear goal, a current record of your health history and medicines, and a plan for what happens after you leave. This guide walks you through those steps one chapter at a time.
| Best for | Anyone getting ready for an in-person, telehealth or specialist visit |
| Start with | One goal for the visit, written in one sentence |
| Bring | Current medicine and supplement list, recent records, and your written questions |
| Visit type | Ask the office whether the visit is in person or by video or phone |
| Emergencies | Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department. |
| Products | This guide does not recommend any product or prescription |
Where are you starting?
Step 1: Name the one thing you need from this visit
You are starting with a referral, a symptom, or a follow-up you do not fully understand. Begin by writing one sentence: what do you need to know when you leave?
Keep your list short. Three to five clear questions are easier to get through than twenty vague ones.
Sample wording to open the visit:
“The main thing I need to understand today is ____. Can we start there?”
- What is the next step, and what should I do before it?
- What should I watch for, and when should I call the office?
- What do you need from me before my next visit?
If this is your first visit with this clinician, First Doctor’s Appointment: What to Say and Expect walks through the opening minutes. If you are not sure this clinician handles your question, Specialist Scope Question Before Your First Visit helps you ask before you go.
What this means for you: Your one goal decides what you bring and what you ask. Write it down before you gather anything else.
Read next
How to Prepare for a Specialist Visit: records, questions and goals, in one order.
Once you know your goal, the next question is what the clinician needs to see before the visit starts.
Step 2: Gather your records and your full medicine list
Put your history in one place that someone else can read quickly. Clinicians cannot use records they cannot find, so this step saves time in the room.
- Recent visit notes or after-visit summaries
- Test results and imaging reports
- Your current medicines, with doses and how you take them
- Vitamins, herbs and other supplements, written exactly as the label reads
- Allergies and any reactions you have had
- Phone numbers for each office involved
If something you sent never arrived, Records Did Not Arrive: A Date and Confirmation Log helps you track it. If an error is in your file, How to Correct an Error in Your Health Record explains the steps before you go.
What to tell your clinician about supplements
Supplements belong on the same list as your medicines. Write each product name as it appears on the label, and bring the bottle or a photo if you can.
Research gives you a reason to be specific. A 2017 systematic review in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, indexed by PubMed, looked at 26 published supplement studies of the QT interval, a measure of the heart’s electrical timing on an ECG. Eight of them found a significant change in QT/QTc intervals, and more than 30% showed some degree of ECG change.
A 2023 narrative review in Innovations in Pharmacy, also indexed by PubMed, reported 79,071 supplement-related adverse event reports to the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition from 2004 to 2021. The review argues that supplements should get the kind of pre-approval review that prescription medicines get. You can read about the agency at the FDA website.
What this means for you: A supplement on a store shelf is not the same as a prescription medicine. Give your clinician the full list, and ask: “Here is everything I take, including supplements. Does any of it change what we should look at today?”
To see how to tell research from marketing language on a supplement label, read Ingredient Evidence vs. Marketing Claims: A Consumer’s Guide. This guide does not cover prescription options. Bring those questions to your clinician.
Read next
How to Get Medical Records Online, Including Old Records: how to request copies you can bring with you.
With your records and list in hand, decide how you will attend.
Step 3: Confirm the visit type and test your setup
Some visits happen by phone or video. Others need you in the room for an exam. Ask the office which kind this visit is before you plan your day.
A telehealth visit is a medical appointment done by phone or video instead of in person. For a phone or video visit, write down your symptoms ahead of time.
- A working device, and a backup plan if the internet drops
- A quiet, private place to sit
- Language support, if English is not your first language or you need a hearing or other accommodation
- Your written list of symptoms, questions and medicines
Set up your device with Telehealth Accessibility and Setup Questions Before a Connected Care Visit. If you need language help, read Language Access for Specialist and Telehealth Visits.
Sample wording: “Is this visit by video or in person? If the video drops, what number should I call?”
What this means for you: Confirm the format first. A video visit that drops in the middle wastes the time you planned for it.
Read next
Telehealth or In-Person? Questions to Prepare: how to choose the right type of visit.
Once the format is clear, decide who goes with you.
Step 4: Decide whether someone comes with you
A support person can help you remember what was said and ask questions you might forget. The support-person guide on roles, privacy and note-taking covers roles, privacy and note-taking.
Bringing someone is several decisions, not one. Settle them before the appointment.
- What will they hear, and is that okay with you?
- Will they take notes?
- Can they ask the clinician questions directly?
- Who speaks first if you want to step in?
If you are filling in for a usual caregiver, a short handoff note helps. How to Prepare a Caregiver Handoff Note explains that it is not a medical record. It is a one-page bridge covering recent observations, current medicines, the visit’s purpose and who is authorized to discuss care.
Sample wording: “My daughter is with me today, and I want her to hear the plan with me. Is that all right?”
What this means for you: Decide how much you want shared before you walk in, not in the waiting room.
Read next
Bringing a Support Person to a Specialist Visit: roles, questions and privacy.
If more than one clinician is involved, the coordination step matters most.
Step 5: Coordinate when more than one clinician is involved
One visit can lead to a referral, and that referral to another office. Within a few months, one person may be managing several offices, several sets of instructions and no single place where it all lives.
Before you leave any office, ask who handles each of these:
- Refills
- Test results
- Scheduling
- Urgent questions
Sample wording: “Who in your office sends my results, and how will I get them?”
When several clinicians need the same information, a shared list keeps everyone aligned. Care Team Contact Maps sets out who handles what, and Preparing for a Care Conference helps you run a team conversation with clear roles.
What this means for you: One person should own the running list. If you cannot name who that is, ask before you leave the office.
Read next
Preparing for a Visit With More Than One Specialist: a coordination checklist.
Once the coordination is set, the visit still has to turn into a plan you can follow.
Step 6: Turn the visit into a follow-up plan
If you receive an after-visit summary, use it to record any changes, tests, referrals and next steps listed there. On its own, it is only a record. You turn it into a plan.
- Write each change, test and referral in your own words
- Put a date beside each item
- Note who to call and for what
- Mark the next appointment and what to bring to it
Sample wording: “Can you confirm the next step in writing, and the date it should happen by?”
If your next step is a video follow-up, Preparing for a Telehealth Follow-Up After an In-Person Specialist Visit shows what to bring. To track results and referral loops, Closing the Referral Loop gives you a simple routine.
What this means for you: A visit is finished when you know the next step, the date, and who is responsible for it.
Read next
How to Read an After-Visit Summary and Turn It Into a Follow-Up Plan: a step-by-step plan.
Your next step
- Write your one goal and three to five questions.
- Gather records, your medicine list and your supplements in one place.
- Confirm in-person or video, and test your setup if it is video.
- Decide who comes with you, and write a short handoff note if needed.
- After the visit, write each next step with a date and a named contact.
Every guide on this topic
Getting ready for the visit
- How to Prepare for a Specialist Visit: records, questions and goals.
- Questions to Ask at a Specialist Visit: how to keep the answers.
- First Doctor’s Appointment: What to Say and Expect.
- How to Prepare for a Doctor Appointment.
- Specialist Scope Question Before Your First Visit.
- Focused Referral Question for Your Care Team.
- Referral Checklist Before a Specialist Visit.
- Which Care Team Member for a Nonurgent Question.
- Specialist Referral Packet: notes, tests, images, medicines and contacts.
- Preparing for a Second Opinion: the question, the record and the deadline.
- Second Opinion Without a Referral: insurance and Medicare questions.
- Referral and Prior Authorization: two different steps.
Records, images and accuracy
- How to Get Medical Records Online, Including Old Records.
- Records Did Not Arrive: A Date and Confirmation Log.
- How to Correct an Error in Your Health Record.
- Get, Check and Share Health Records.
- Sharing Medical Images With a Specialist: the image file and report differ.
- Tracking Test Result Information Across Your Care Team.
- One-Page Health Summary for a New Care Team.
Telehealth, cost and access
- Telehealth or In-Person? Questions to Prepare.
- Telehealth Follow-Up After an In-Person Specialist Visit.
- Telehealth Accessibility and Setup Questions.
- Telehealth vs. In-Person: Cost, Insurance and Prices.
- Language Access for Specialist and Telehealth Visits.
Bringing someone with you
- Bringing a Support Person to a Specialist Visit.
- A Support Person at a Medical Visit: roles, privacy and notes.
- Caregiver Handoff Note for a Medical Appointment.
More than one clinician or a change in care
- Visit With More Than One Specialist: Coordination Checklist.
- Preparing for a Care Conference: questions, roles and notes.
- Care Team Contact Maps: refills, results, scheduling and urgent questions.
- Personal Care Timeline for Multiple Care Teams.
- Moving From Pediatric to Adult Specialty Care.
- Care Transition Checklist After Hospital or Emergency Care.
- Changing Specialists: Records and a Clean Handoff.
After the visit
- Read an After-Visit Summary and Make a Follow-Up Plan.
- When a Specialist Visit Is Delayed: records, questions and follow-up.
- Closing the Referral Loop: track the specialist report and next step.
Connected Care Guide is a publication. These guides are for education and do not replace care from a qualified professional.
By the Connected Care Guide Team