What to Expect

Minnesota Lung Center will work closely with you and your primary care physician to help you understand your respiratory condition and determine the best medical care. Your familiarity with the consultation process will ensure a successful visit.

You may schedule your appointment at the clinic location of your choice by calling 952-567-7400.

Preparing for Your Consultation and Visit

Before your initial consultation, we will mail you a packet of information. Please complete the enclosed questionnaire and bring it with you to your appointment. In addition, please bring or send in advance any current and pertinent x-rays, reports and/or lab studies. We will also require a current list of your medications, their strengths, and their directions. Please also be prepared to provide us with your insurance information, as well as the name and address of your primary care physician. If you have questions regarding approval of physician referrals, your insurance company’s customer service can also assist you.

Preparing a list of your questions and concerns before each visit will help ensure that your needs are addressed. The average initial consultation visit lasts from 90 to 120 minutes, with follow-up visits lasting about 45 minutes. Extra time may be required for consultation with your primary care clinic. Please note that many of our patients have asthma and are especially sensitive to fragrances. Please avoid the use of cologne or perfume when visiting our clinics.

Your Consultation Visit

Once your registration is completed, you will meet with a nurse clinician who will carefully listen to and document your symptoms, history and concerns and perform a basic physical assessment to help the physician understand your condition and meet your needs.

If you require tests to further assess your condition, a certified respiratory care practitioner will administer an in-office pulmonary function test. The test may take up to 45 minutes and is done under a physician’s direction.

The physician, a Board-Certified Pulmonologist, will review your test data, complete a physical examination and consultation and provide you with complete clinical impressions and treatment options. The physician will also answer your questions and discuss your concerns.

Further Follow-up Care

Our health care team will coordinate with you and your primary care physician to arrange needed testing, treatment and any follow up visits that are advised and agreed upon. After your visit, if you have further questions regarding your care, a staff of triage nurses will be available to you on our Helpline at 952-567-7400. Calls will be returned promptly, however messages left after 4:00 p.m. may be returned the following business day.

The triage nurses can clarify your medications and help answer your questions. Urgent needs may require intervention in an urgent care clinic or hospital emergency room. Some concerns may need to be assessed with an in-person appointment in our office, while other issues may need to be addressed by your primary care physician. Prescription refills and adjustments to your medications are best addressed at your clinic visit, but if a refill is required prior to your visit, please allow up to three days for the review of your records. If you have a question regarding Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), call 952-567-7400.

At follow-up visits in our office, you will again be interviewed and examined by the nurse clinician. It maybe necessary to repeat some pulmonary function tests to assess changes in your condition. This will not require a lengthy visit, but our nurse clinicians will be equally attentive in the evaluation of your condition and needs. The physician will once again expand on the interview and examination, answer your questions and review all pertinent data to determine ongoing treatment options.