If you’re planning your child’s first appointment to Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, there is some necessary information you need to know to prepare them for this visit.

How to Best Prepare Your Child

No matter your child’s reason for an appointment, here are the basic things you need to know before arriving at Sibley Heart Center Cardiology:

• Bring the names and addresses of all your child’s doctors to the appointment.
• Arrive at least 15 minutes before your child’s appointment to complete first-time visit paperwork.
• Remember to bring your child’s insurance card, medical referral form, and insurance referral form.
• To diagnose your child’s heart problems correctly, our staff will ask for your child’s medical history. Please bring any medical records or prior test results that will be helpful for this appointment.
• Bring your child’s medicines, including vitamins and herbal medicines, or a copy of the prescription and any necessary medical records.
• Do not use lotions, oils or powders on your child’s skin before the appointment.
• Talk to your child about the appointment and why they are coming to Sibley Heart Center Cardiology. If they have any questions, our staff will do their best to address the child first at their appointment.

If for any reason you will be more than 20 minutes late to this appointment or are unable to keep the scheduled appointment, call our office as soon as possible at 404-256-2593.

What to Expect During Your Child’s First Appointment

All first appointments at Sibley Heart Center Cardiology are noninvasive, do not require shots, and do not hurt your child in any way. At this appointment, we will also keep you informed about the care your child needs and the available treatment options. We will also help schedule any additional appointments for your child. If needed, we have a social worker on staff to help you find health and community resources, understand Medicaid and Social Security benefits, and support your family as you cope with your child’s heart condition.

During the appointment, we may have to run other noninvasive tests such as an echocardiogram (also called echoes, which are ultrasounds of the heart) to help in diagnosis. If your child does need an echo, it might be worth giving them a heads up that it’s in a dark room and they need to be still for it. An echo may seem scary, but it will not hurt them in any way. You will be able to go over the echo results with your child’s doctor the same day as the actual test, so there will be no waiting time in between.

How Long Will Your Appointment Last

Depending on their condition, your child’s visit may take two to three hours depending on testing, how much information your doctor will need to discuss with you before you leave, and/or the needs of patients seen before you.

Insurance Referrals

Your insurance company or health plan may require a referral to see one of our doctors. If a referral is required, it is your responsibility to get this information, so please contact your primary care doctor for a referral before your visit. Some referrals may take up to 72 hours to complete, so please keep this in mind when making your child’s appointment.

Financial Information

Before your child’s first visit, we ask that you let us know about your current medical coverage. If you do have medical coverage, the specialist copayment is due at the time of your visit.

We encourage you to look at your plan before your child’s appointment to see if there are referral requirements. Also, please note you may be responsible for charges not paid by your child’s insurance if you do not follow your plan’s rules.

If you do not have medical coverage, we encourage you to call one of our financial counselors at 770-488-9204 to discuss payment arrangements. You may use this same number to get answers to any of your billing questions.

We look forward to meeting your child at their first Sibley Heart Center Cardiology appointment! If you have any questions regarding your child’s first appointment that were not addressed in this post, please call us at 404-256-2593 for more information or review the What to Expect section on our homepage.