New Patient Appointments

If you haven’t been in to one of our clinics before, we look forward to welcoming you. This page walks you through everything you need to know before your first appointment: how to choose the right provider, what to bring, what your first visit covers, and how your care gets connected from day one.

How to Schedule

New patients must call our scheduling team to make an appointment. You can reach our scheduling team at (503) 659-4988.

You'll let the scheduler know you are a new patient and give them a brief sense of what kind of care you are looking for. They will match you with the right provider and find an appointment time that works with your schedule.

Alternatively, you can browse our providers page to see which of our providers are accepting new patients, and see if there is a particular provider you'd like to schedule with. You can meet our providers here >

Once your first visit has been scheduled, you will receive a confirmation email and text message from our Electronic Health Record platform, athenaOne.

Before You Call

Insurance
Please have your insurance information ready when you call. Check out our Insurance Guide for detailed information about insurance options.

Uninsured Patients
If you do not have medical insurance, we offer a private pay option as well as SureCare, which may offer discounted fees for our services.

Motor Vehicle Accidents
If you are calling to schedule an appointment for a Motor Vehicle Accident, please let our scheduling team know.

Worker's Compensation
As of March 2023, Northwest Primary Care is no longer taking new Worker's Compensation patients. We will continue to see patients with existing Workers' Compensation claims.

Complete Pre-Registration via athenaOne

Two days before your appointment, you will receive a text message and email from athenaOne with a link to your appointment pre-registration, which is a set of digital forms that will ensure we have the information we need to see you.

Need assistance with your pre-registration? No problem! Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your appointment time and our staff can answer your questions.

If you finish your pre-registration, please arrive to the clinic at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment time.

Arrival Time Policy

One of our core values is providing patient care in a timely manner. Please review our appointment arrival time policy below.

Please arrive to your appointment 15 minutes prior to your appointment time if you have completed your pre-registration via athenaOne. If you have not completed your pre-registration, please arrive 30 minutes before your appointment time.

If you arrive after the time designated above, we may be unable to see you that day and will need to reschedule your appointment.

Check In For Your Appointment

When you arrive for your appointment, please check in with our receptionist. We will ask you to verify your insurance information, address, telephone number and any special billing instructions. We will also ask for your current insurance card to be scanned into our system.

What to Expect at Your First Visit

Your first appointment at NWPC is a new patient physical. It is a thorough visit, not a quick intake. Plan for enough time to have a real conversation.

Your provider will:

Review your full health history, including past diagnoses, surgeries, and hospitalizations
Go over your current medications, supplements, and allergies
Review your family health history
Conduct a physical examination
Order any baseline labs or screenings that are appropriate for your age and history
Discuss any current concerns you have brought to the visit
Begin building a preventive care plan specific to you

This visit is the foundation everything else builds on. Come prepared to be thorough. If there is something you have been putting off addressing, this is the right time to bring it up.

What to Bring

To make your first visit as useful as possible, bring the following:

A valid photo ID
Your insurance card
A complete list of your current medications, including dosages
Any relevant medical records from previous providers if you can obtain them
A list of past surgeries, hospitalizations, and significant diagnoses
Your family health history if you know it
A list of questions or concerns you want to discuss

If transferring records from a previous provider feels complicated, our front desk team can help you navigate that process.

Choosing the Right Provider

At NWPC, you are matched with a specific provider, not a rotating pool of whoever is available. That relationship is the foundation of your care here, so it is worth thinking about what you are looking for before you call.

A few things to consider:

Do you want a provider who can care for your whole family, including children? Family medicine is the right fit.
Are you an adult managing complex or multiple chronic conditions? Internal medicine may serve you better.
Do you have specific women's health, men's health, or LGBTQIA+ care needs? Each of those areas has dedicated providers at NWPC.
Are you an older adult on Medicare with several ongoing conditions? Ask specifically about providers with experience in senior care.

Not sure where to start? Our scheduling team is here to help. Tell them a little about your situation when you call and they will point you in the right direction.

You can also learn more about each service area before you call. Start with our primary care overview or go directly to specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine, women's care, men's care, or senior care.

Insurance and Coverage

NWPC accepts most major commercial insurance plans and Medicare. Coverage and in-network status vary by plan, so it is worth calling us to verify your specific insurance before your first appointment.

We do not currently accept Oregon Health Plan. If you have OHP and are looking for a primary care provider, we are glad to help point you toward resources in the community.
For patients without insurance or with high-deductible plans, SureCare is our private pay option.

For a full breakdown of insurance information and what to expect at billing, visit our Insurance and Medicare Information page.

Transferring From Another Provider

Switching primary care providers can feel like a bigger deal than it needs to be. Your health history does not disappear when you change practices. With your authorization, we can request records from your previous provider and get your NWPC provider up to speed before your first visit.

The concern we hear most often from people considering a switch is that starting over means losing ground. At NWPC, the goal of the new patient visit is to close that gap as quickly as possible. Your provider will gain a real understanding of your health in a single thorough appointment so that your care can move forward from there.

Already an NWPC Patient Adding a Family Member?

If you are an established patient and want to add a spouse, child, or other family member to the practice, our scheduling team can help coordinate that. Call 503.659.4988 and let them know. They will handle the scheduling and make sure the new patient is connected to the right provider.

Questions Before You Schedule?

Our scheduling team will help you figure out next steps and choose the clinic location that is the best fit for you.

Cancellation

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please call our scheduling team as soon as possible at 503.659.4988. We request at least 24 hours notice if you will need to cancel your appointment. We reserve the right to charge $40 for missed appointments and appointments canceled with less than 24 hours notice.