What to Expect From Your Clinic Experience

Welcome!

Once Dr. Villines has completed his interview and examination, a determination will be made as to whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy is indicated for your condition and if you have any contraindications to HBOT (i.e., any problems that might be harmful to you or your loved one.) After this you will have a short orientation session to enable you to become familiar with the clinic and hyperbaric chambers, discuss and practice ear-clearing techniques and answer any questions you may have.

At this time, we can set up a schedule for therapy and your payment plan. You will sign our consent-for-treatment form, which includes consent to be photographed. We like to follow a patient’s progress with photos and/or video recordings. These will be strictly confidential and will not be released or viewed by anyone else without your expressed, written permission.

When you are ready to begin hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you will need 100% cotton clothing that has no snaps or zippers. Cotton scrubs or pajamas are great choices. (Non-metallic buttons and elastic waist bands are allowed.) You will need to change into these clothes when you get to the clinic. Please do not wear them into the clinic from home as this could potentially expose them to environmental contaminants, which could be dangerous in the oxygen environment.

Please arrive 15 minutes early for your appointment to allow time to change clothes and have your vital signs taken. Also, please make sure you have eaten a well-balanced meal prior to your treatment time.

Each chamber has a 26” flat screen TV and DVD player. You are encouraged to bring your favorite movies to watch during treatment. We have basic cable.

Any valuables should be left in the car or at home. We do not have a safe to lock anything in.

You can plan to be at the clinic from 90 minutes to 2 hours, Monday through Friday. We will make every effort to schedule times that are convenient for you. If you must miss a day, we ask that you let us know at least 24 hours in advance. We do understand that emergencies and illnesses occasionally arise, and we request that, under these circumstances, you let us know as soon as you realize you will not be able to keep your appointment.

If treatment is being sought for your child and you intend to be in the chamber with your child or have a caregiver who will go in, Dr. Villines will also examine you and/or the caregiver to clear you for treatment, as well.

It may be necessary for you to have a chest x-ray. If you have had a chest x-ray within the past year, it could save time to bring that report with you.

Rarely, patients find it impossible to clear their ears, and require referral to an ENT specialist for ventilation-tube placement in their ears. This does not happen often with slow decompression and recompression . It will help your child to practice ear-clearing techniques before he or she begins treatment:

Practice drinking from a bottle or sports bottle.
Practice pinching their nose and swallowing at the same time. Ask them if they feel a sensation in their ears when they do it.
Drive up and down a large hill or mountain and ask them if their ears are stopped up. Have them swallow, yawn or pinch their nose to relieve the pressure.

It is our goal to make hyperbaric oxygen therapy a pleasant experience for everyone involved. Please feel free to let us know if you have questions or concerns about anything involving your treatment.

OFFICE POLICIES

Before beginning treatment, a physical exam by Dr. Villines must have been completed and be on file in the clinic.
We must have signed consent prior to beginning hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
If you are more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, your chamber time may be shortened.

PAYMENT POLICIES

All treatments are to be paid in advance unless other arrangements have been made.

To receive a package discount, the entire package amount must be paid in advance.

There will be no discount for paying weekly.

We will accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards. We also offer a payment program through Care Credit, which offers 0% financing for up to 12 months, along with extended payment plans.

Checks will be accepted but will be cashed immediately. There will be a $30.00 fee for returned checks.

We have a 24-hour cancellation policy. All scheduled treatments that are not cancelled 24 hours prior to your chamber time will be considered a “no show,” and you will be charged for half the treatment.

If your chamber time is shortened due to tardiness, the lost minutes will not be refunded to you.

If a package has been purchased and the patient is unable to complete the purchased amount of treatments and will not be returning at a later date, a refund will be issued. The amount of the refund will be the price paid minus the number of treatments completed at appropriate package rate. For example:

If a 40-treatment package has been purchased and the patient is only able to complete 10 treatments, you will be charged for the 10-treatment package amount and refunded the difference.
If the patient was able to complete 11 to 19 treatments, you will be charged for the 10-treatment package plus the extra 1 to 9 treatments, which will be calculated at the 10-treatment package rate and then refunded the difference.
If a parent or caregiver dives with a child, there will be no charge for the parent or caregiver.
100 % cotton must be worn by any person going into the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. You will be responsible for the purchase and maintenance of these garments.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

We need to inform you of several safety measures that must be followed to ensure your safety, or that of your loved one, as well as the staff in the clinic. Strict adherence to these measures must be followed. Any person entering the hyperbaric oxygen chamber may only wear 100% cotton clothing (including underwear). Your clothing may not have metal snaps or hooks. Velcro, elastic and non-metallic buttons are allowed. Quite often, hyperbaric patients will buy 100% cotton pajamas or scrubs to use for their treatment “uniform.” We ask that patients change into their “uniform” after they arrive in the clinic and change again before leaving the clinic. This greatly reduces the risk of soiling the clothes with environmental contaminants that increase the chances of a fire. Other products not allowed in the chamber include, but are not limited, to:

Ointments
Hairspray
Toys*
Hair accessories
Hair gel or mousse
Books
Deodorant
Lotions
Stuffed animals and toys*
Make up
Perfume
Blankets*
Hearing aids
Watches
Alcohol
Jewelry
Hard contact lenses
Petroleum-based products

*If your child is attached to a toy, stuffed animal or blanket, we suggest you try to substitute a 100% cotton blanket (no binding) or cotton toy (stuffing must also be 100% cotton) soon to ease any anxiety your child may experience if separated from his or her favorite.

In addition, electronics such as iPods, PDAs, phones, etc. cannot be taken into the chambers. BE SURE TO ASK THE CHAMBER ATTENDANT if you have anything you would like to take into the chamber.

Fortunately, pacifiers, plastic bottles or athletic bottles with plastic straws are allowed in the chamber. In addition, each chamber has a flat-panel television screen and a DVD player. Please feel welcome to bring your favorite movies to watch!

We advise you not to drink carbonated beverages for at least four hours prior to treatment, as it could cause stomach upset. We also recommend a well-balanced meal before treatment. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may sometimes cause a drop in blood sugar, particularly if one has not eaten.

SMOKING constricts your blood vessels. For maximum benefit, stop smoking during your hyperbaric series. The use of nicotine gum, lozenges and the patch has the same vasoconstrictive action as cigarettes, chew and dip. We do not recommend using these smoking-cessation aids. If you cannot stop smoking, please refrain from it for at least two hours or more before and after each therapy session. Of course, there is absolutely no smoking in or around the clinic.

If you have any questions or concerns about hyperbaric chamber safety, be sure to address them with the chamber attendant or the hyperbaric physician.