Your First Visit

Before you come

Your visit starts before you arrive. Tell us your story through the online intake, which takes about 15 minutes on a phone or computer. It asks what hurts, how it started, what you have tried, and what you want to get back to. Dr. Wey reads it before you walk in, so the visit is spent on you rather than on filling out forms. If you prefer, the office can take the same information by phone.

If you have had an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan anywhere, send it ahead. A disc, a portal link, or the name of the imaging center is enough; the office will request it. The written report alone is not enough: Dr. Wey reads the images himself.

What to bring

• A photo ID and your insurance card, and a referral if your plan requires one.
• Your imaging, if it has not already been sent.
• A list of your medicines and doses, including supplements.
• Notes or records from physical therapy, injections, or earlier spine surgery, including the operative report if you have it.
• Your questions, written down. The ones you think of in the car are the ones you forget.
• A family member or friend, if you would like a second set of ears. For a child or teen, a parent or guardian must come.

Wear clothes that are easy to move in. You may be asked to change into a gown for the exam and for X-rays.

At the visit

Plan on about an hour for a new visit, longer if X-rays are needed.

• You will usually meet a medical assistant first, who confirms your history and medicines.
• Standing X-rays of the whole spine are taken at the office for most new patients, because how the spine lines up when you stand is often more useful than an MRI taken lying down.
• Dr. Wey, or his physician assistant working with him, goes through your story, examines you, and tests the nerves: strength, sensation, reflexes, walking, and balance.
• Your images go up on the screen, and you look at them together. He shows you what matters and what is just normal aging, in plain language.
• Then the plan. It might be a home program, physical therapy, an injection, more imaging, or, when it is the right answer, a conversation about surgery. If the answer is "this is not a surgical problem," you will hear that clearly, with a plan that still moves you forward.

What you leave with

• A written plan, and the printed guide for your condition or care plan from this site, in the language you prefer.
• Referrals or orders placed before you leave: therapy, imaging, injections, or lab work.
• A follow-up plan, with a date or a "call us when."
• A note to your referring doctor, so everyone is working from the same page.

If surgery comes up

Nothing is decided at the first visit unless it is urgent. You leave with the information, a guide to read, and time. A second visit, often with your family, is where the decision is made. Dr. Wey is glad to be a second opinion, and glad for you to get one.

Interpreters and access

Interpreters are arranged for any language at no cost; ask when you book. The office is accessible, and the intake and this site are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and Korean.

Learn more

My frequently asked questions cover imaging, injections, second opinions, and what to expect after surgery.