Your Visit | Overview
To make sure your child gets the most out of their visit, it’s helpful for us to know about your child’s condition. Please gather as much of the information below as you can before your child’s visit.
- health insurance information, including authorizations or referrals
- family history (including parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles)
- food and activity record for three days in the week or so before your visit
- a list of your child's prescription medications and dosages
- lab results, such as cholesterol, LDL, HDL or triglycerides, and recent blood pressure readings (for patients with high blood pressure)
What happens during your visit to the Preventive Cardiology Clinic?
A typical visit lasts for about three hours. During that time, we will review information about heart health, including diet and exercise. Your child will generally see two providers individually, the physician or nurse practitioner and a dietitian. The physician or nurse practitioner provides a full physical exam, reviews all lab results and provides an evaluation and treatment. The dietitian reviews your child’s food record and provides a comprehensive nutrition assessment and plan. After meeting with the team, we may recommend further testing.
Successful treatment involves a lifetime commitment to healthy eating habits and exercise. In some cases, we may prescribe medications to lower cholesterol or blood pressure.
The best approach is to make family-wide changes in eating and exercise so your child doesn’t feel singled out or isolated. This makes change easier for your child and often benefits other family members as well.