Arlington
801 W Interstate 20, Suite 1, Arlington, TX 76017
Peter LaNasa, MD
Radiation Oncologist · 30+ years of experience
New patients
What actually happens, from the first call onwards.
Most people arrive here having been told something frightening and given very little detail about what comes next. This page is the detail. Nothing on it is a surprise you have to prepare for on your own.
Already have an appointment? What to bring
Quick access
Start where it helps most.
Preparing for your first visit
What happens, and what to bring with you.
Open
Patient forms
What is completed at the front desk, and what to gather first.
Open
Insurance and billing
What to check with your plan before your first appointment.
Open
Frequently asked questions
Plain answers to what people ask us most often.
Open
Patient portal
Appointments, messages and records, once it is available.
Open
Talk to someone
No referral is needed to ask a question. Call either center.
Open
Before you come
What to bring to your first appointment.
- Photo ID and your insurance card
- A list of your medications, including anything over the counter
- Any imaging, reports or pathology results you have been given
- The name and number of the doctor who referred you
- Someone to come with you, if you can. Two people remember more than one
- Your questions, written down before you get here
If you do not have all of it, come anyway. We would rather see you and chase a report than have you put off the appointment. Call ahead if you are not sure what is needed and we will tell you.
Step by step
Six stages, and roughly when each one happens.
-
Getting in touch
Most people are referred by another doctor, but you do not need a referral to call and ask whether radiation is worth discussing. Call either center or send a request and we aim to come back to you within one business day.
-
Your first consultation
You meet your radiation oncologist. They go through your diagnosis, your scans and any treatment you have already had, examine you, and tell you whether radiation would help in your case, what it would involve and what it would cost you in side effects. Bring someone with you if you can.
-
The planning scan
A separate appointment, sometimes called simulation. A CT scan is taken in the exact position you will be treated in. You may get small permanent skin marks, and for some treatments a mold or a mesh mask is made to hold you steady. Nothing is treated on this day.
-
Your plan is built
Your dose is mapped onto that scan and independently checked before anything is delivered. This usually takes a few days. It is not a delay in your care, it is the part that makes the treatment safe.
-
Treatment
How many visits depends entirely on what is being treated. It might be one, or five, or several weeks of weekdays. Each visit is short, and you are seen by your oncologist weekly during the course so side effects are managed as they appear.
-
Afterwards
You are seen again after treatment finishes. Some side effects settle in the weeks after rather than immediately, and scans of treated tissue can take months to look the way anyone expects, so both are explained to you rather than left to worry about.
Patient portal
Your health information, when you need it.
Appointments, messages to your care team and parts of your record, in one secure place.
Forms and medical records
Getting your records to us.
If another physician has done your biopsy, imaging or surgery, having those records here means your physician can assess you properly on the first visit.
Insurance and billing
Questions about coverage are normal.
Coverage varies by carrier and by individual plan. Our team can help with questions about coverage, statements and what treatment is likely to mean for you.
Questions once treatment has started? Call us.
Our relationship with you does not end when you leave the treatment room. Call the center treating you about any of these.
- New or worsening symptoms
- Side effects of treatment
- Medications
- Upcoming appointments
- A missed or rescheduled treatment
- Instructions you were given and want checked
Our locations
Two centers. One standard of care.
Fort Worth
6801 Oakmont Blvd, Suite 101, Fort Worth, TX 76132
Jerry Barker, MD, DABR, FACR
Radiation Oncologist · 30+ years of experience
You do not have to figure this out alone.
We will talk it through with you.
Online requests are secure and confidential.