Preparing for Your Visit to Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Scheduling Your Appointment

Once your Oncology Information Specialist verifies your insurance benefits with you, you are ready to schedule your first appointment.

One of our schedulers will contact you to schedule your initial appointment, based on what is first available, what time works best for you, and the date of your last treatment (if applicable).

Our schedulers will also handle your travel and lodging arrangements. Your initial visit generally lasts about three to five days, which will include an initial consultation leading up to your individualized treatment plan.

Learning What to Expect from Your First Visit

Prior to your arrival at Cancer Treatment Centers of America^®, one of our oncology nurses will call you at home. The nurse will discuss your medical history and help address any questions or concerns you might have.

To ease your mind about what to expect in your first visit to CTCA^®, we will mail you a personalized packet of information ahead of time. This packet contains helpful information, including what to expect on your first day, CTCA department telephone numbers, a courtesy shuttle schedule, a patient and family activity calendar, pharmacy information, dining room hours, local area information, and more.

The following are suggestions for items to bring with you:

• Your most recent health insurance card/s
• Enough clothing, toiletries, medication, etc. for a three to five day stay. [You may wish to start your treatment immediately after your evaluation. If you think this might be a possibility, you may want to pack for an additional five to seven day stay.]

Medical History/Gathering Medical Records

Prior to your first visit to CTCA, our medical records gatherers will obtain your medical records and other documents related to your previous cancer treatments.

All you have to do is let your healthcare provider(s) know that CTCA has authorization to collect this documentation on your behalf. To do this, simply fill out a Medical History Form, in which you will provide information about your previous hospitals/physicians, and an Authorization for Release of Private Health Information Form (a medical release form).

Both of these forms are included in the information packet you will receive in the mail. You can also download and print them by clicking on the documents below. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open and print these files.

Once complete, you can mail, deliver, or fax both form to us.

• Eastern Medical History Form
• Eastern Authorization for Release of Information
• Midwestern Medical History Form
• Midwestern Authorization for Release of Information
• Southeastern Medical History Form
• Southeastern Authorization for Release of Information
• Southwestern Medical History Form
• Southwestern Authorization for Release of Information
• Western Medical History Form
• Western Authorization for Release of Information

The following is a list of documents our medical records gatherers will request from your current physician, hospital, and/or clinic:

• History and physical
• Discharge summary
• X-ray films and reports, including CT scans
• Tumor marker reports
• MRI and ultrasound films and reports
• Operative reports
• Complete chemotherapy records
• Radiation therapy records
• Nuclear medicine scans
• Original pathology/cytology records, slides and reports
• Current laboratory reports
• Progress notes

If you have any questions about this process, please call a CTCA Oncology Information Specialist at 1-800-615-3055 anytime, day or night.