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Preparing for your appointment

Your time is valuable, and so is the time you have with Dr Tomlinson. A little preparation before you arrive means your consultation is spent on your hand rather than on paperwork, and it often means Dr Tomlinson has already reviewed your history before you walk in.

There are five things worth doing, and the first one matters most.

If you are hoping to be seen sooner than your current appointment, see getting an earlier or emergency appointment.

Five things that make the difference

1. Complete your patient form

One form covers everything we need: your registration details, your privacy consent, your photography consent, where you have had any scans or tests, and whether you are already seeing a hand therapist. 

Completing it early lets our administrative team enter your details into your file before you arrive, so your consultation starts with Dr Tomlinson rather than with a clipboard.

Person completing the patient registration form on a laptop
Complete your patient form

If you would prefer to complete it on paper, you can download the form as a PDF and return it to info@melbournehandsurgery.com.

Please take care with the questions about scans and tests

This is the part patients most often rush, and it is the part that most often costs a second appointment.

Tell us what imaging or testing you have had, where it was done, and roughly when. Even an approximate date helps.

Please do not assume the results have reached us. We have no way of knowing what tests you have had unless you tell us, and radiology and neurophysiology providers will not release images or reports to us without your details and a specific request. If we know in advance, we can chase them before your appointment instead of after it.

2. Send us your referral

We need a current referral before your appointment. It lets us triage urgent conditions quickly, work out whether a telehealth consultation would suit you, and identify anything worth arranging before you are seen.

Your GP may have sent it already. If you are not sure, email a copy to info@melbournehandsurgery.com or upload it through our registration form.

3. Read your appointment confirmation email in full

Your confirmation email contains information specific to your appointment, and often links to information about the conditions or treatments that may be discussed. It is worth reading properly rather than skimming.

4. Write down your questions

It is easy to forget a question in the room and remember it on the way home. Write your questions down beforehand and bring the list with you. There is no such thing as a silly question about your hand.

5. Arrive five minutes early

Arriving a few minutes early gives you time to settle and means your consultation can start on time and run its full length.

If you are running late, please phone us on (03) 9427 9596. We will always do our best to see you, though a late start may mean a shorter consultation.

Why we ask for this in advance

We are not asking for paperwork for its own sake. When we have your form and referral before you arrive, we can often do things for you that would otherwise be impossible.

You may be seen sooner

If your referral shows a condition best treated early, we can move your appointment forward. We cannot do that if we have not seen it.

Your imaging is ready on the day

Chasing scans and nerve conduction studies takes time. Done in advance, it means Dr Tomlinson can discuss your results with you rather than search for them during your appointment and ask you to come back for another appointment to discuss them.

You reach the right person faster

Some hand conditions are better managed with hand therapy than with surgery. If that applies to you, we can put you in touch with an accredited hand therapist early rather than after a consultation you did not need.

Fewer repeat appointments

Almost every reason a patient needs a second appointment before anything can happen is a reason that could have been resolved beforehand.

The full detail

If your condition is best treated early, or needs urgent attention, seeing your referral lets us identify that and bring your appointment forward.

Please do not assume the radiology provider has sent your images through, that Dr Tomlinson has access to them, or that we have a way of knowing what tests you have had. If we know you have had x-rays, a CT or an MRI, we often need to telephone the provider to gain access. To do that we need your details, the date and place the imaging was performed, and what was performed. Handled beforehand, this can save you a second visit.

We contact the practice where your nerve conduction studies were performed so Dr Tomlinson has a copy at the time of your appointment. Please do not assume we have received them. To request them on your behalf we need your details and information about where and when they were done.

If your condition is best treated with early hand therapy and you have not yet seen a hand therapist for a splint or initial treatment, we can arrange that before your appointment rather than after it.

If it is likely you will need our hand therapist’s help or review after seeing Dr Tomlinson, we can let them know in advance so they are able to accommodate you.

If you have had hand surgery before, we may contact you to complete an authority to release treatment information. That lets us request records from your previous surgeon or the hospital where the surgery was performed.

Occasionally, after reviewing your referral and initial imaging, Dr Tomlinson will recommend a particular scan or investigation before your first consultation, or will contact your referring doctor to discuss what might be useful to arrange beforehand. She can only do this if the information reaches her in time.

There are conditions Dr Tomlinson does not treat. If your referral is for something outside her practice, it is far better that we tell you before your appointment than that you find out during it.

Ready to get started?

Completing your patient form now makes a real difference to your appointment.

Questions about your appointment? Contact us.

Complete your patient form