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Planning care for our patients from a distance
Patients seeking intake from outside the local area, please first download my 5 intake pages, fill in the questions fully and carefully, and fax them to our office along with any pathology, pap, blood or radiology reports that you may have been given by your other physicians. Our fax is 650-851-9747. Upon receiving the medical records and your completed intake patient forms, Dr. O’Hanlan will review them and call you to discuss your diagnosis and treatment. You may require some additional record, or even some new tests prior to clearing you to come for your visit and surgery here. Once you are cleared to schedule your visit and surgery and a date is selected, we will contact your insurance company for authorization, and make reservations at the hospital. We will provide you with the phone numbers and addresses of local hotels, and the free Sequoia House (as available) next door to the hospital. Your intake appointment in our office will be the day before your surgery. Do not plan anything for that afternoon or evening, because we may need to send you for more tests, and you will need to start your bowel prep to cleanse your intestinal tract for the surgery. A thorough exam and consult will take place in the first portion of the visit. In the second portion, Dr. O’Hanlan will share all the information she has gleaned from all sources, and discuss the proposed surgery, its risks, benefits and any alternatives. Then she will provide you with the surgical consents for your review and signature. There is always time for all of your questions to be answered. You will be sent to the hospital after your exam if additional tests are required. You will then go to your local hotel, the free Sequoia House or a local friend’s house near the hospital the night before your surgery where you will complete your bowel prep and get a good night’s sleep. Usually you will be asked to stay one additional night locally after your discharge form the hospital, and before you begin your journey home. Your home-town referring physician will help with your post operative care and we report all your findings and send copies of all procedures to their office during your recovery. We will try to avoid your having to return to see us, but sometimes this is necessary. To begin planning your visit and your operation, download and print the Pre-operative instructions and Recovery Information. It explains every bit of your surgical preparation and recovery. Read it well before you visit, writing down any questions you may have. Bring this document to every visit and to the hospital. You will need to re-read the “Discharge to home” section before you leave the hospital.
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