Practice
Quality and collaboration: understanding decisions
After an examination, you want to know what the results mean for you. Do the imaging findings match your symptoms? Why is a treatment being recommended? And what should the other doctors involved in your care know?
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Understanding
A closer look
Clarifying these questions with you is important to our work at OrthoCoast. This includes your observations, existing findings and a clear explanation of the next steps. This page explains how you can contribute to that discussion and which information helps.
Bringing existing information together
A radiology report and its accompanying images provide different information. Please therefore bring existing reports and images to your scheduled appointment, for example access to the images via a QR code or a CD. We review existing MRI images ourselves and discuss them with you in relation to your symptoms and clinical examination.
Your previous diagnoses and current medication plan are also helpful. If a code is printed on the plan, please bring it in full. An up-to-date medication list without a code is useful too. If images are missing, you do not need new ones taken solely for your practice visit.
Further information
Putting previous treatment in context for your consultation
Many patients are also cared for by a GP or doctors in other specialties. At your scheduled appointment, tell us which examinations have already been carried out and what recommendations you have received. Please bring the available documents relating to them. They help us understand your treatment so far and build on it.
If anything has changed since your last appointment, a short note can help: which medicines are you taking now, which treatment has started and how have your symptoms developed? Please be sure to bring any new reports and medical recommendations you have. Written assessments from the other doctors involved in your care help us put previous investigations into context. This means you do not have to remember every detail during the consultation.
Making qualifications and roles clear
Our doctor profiles list specialties, qualifications and each doctor’s areas of work at OrthoCoast. You can use them before a consultation to learn about the experience our doctors bring.
During the consultation, that expertise is applied to your question: which findings fit together, which options are available and what supports the next step? If you are unsure which doctor or clinic is appropriate for your concern, clarify this when arranging your appointment.
What to expect and next steps
Understanding which question the next step will answer
Please ask if the purpose of a recommended examination is not yet clear. A helpful explanation connects the unanswered question with its possible consequence: what do we want to find out, and how might that change the next steps?
For treatments, we discuss the goal, possible limitations and alternatives with you. Your previous experiences matter too. For example, if you previously managed well with a particular treatment or you did not tolerate a treatment, that is important information for the medical assessment. A previous experience is considered alongside your current situation.
Preparing questions for your appointment
Some questions only arise when you think about a recommendation again at home. For your next scheduled appointment, make a note of anything that remains unclear: the goal of treatment, an alternative, preparation or possible cost coverage. This helps you raise each point directly during the consultation.
If you have German statutory health insurance and wish to pay yourself for a service your insurer does not cover, you receive a cost estimate beforehand. Its scope and expected cost are discussed with you. We provide the service only after you have given signed written confirmation. You will find the details and distinctions under ‘Costs and insurers’.
Frequently asked questions
Should I bring the images as well as an existing MRI report?
Yes. If available, bring the radiology report and the images or access to them to your scheduled appointment. We consider this information alongside your symptoms and examination.
Does another examination automatically mean a different treatment?
This cannot be predicted in advance. Ask which unanswered question the examination is intended to clarify and what consequences a finding might have. Deciding not to carry out an additional measure can also be part of the medical assessment.
What helps if something has changed since my last appointment?
Bring any new documents you have and an up-to-date medication plan or list to your scheduled appointment. Also note which symptoms or treatments have changed and which question you would like to discuss.
Your next step
