355 CRAWFORD ST. # 622
Portsmouth, VA
MONDAY - FRIDAY
8:00AM - 5:00PM
Portsmouth, VA
8:00AM - 5:00PM
Starting care with a new doctor can feel like a big step, particularly if it’s been a while since you’ve had a regular provider. Whether you’re brand new to the area, recently switched insurance, or simply ready to be more proactive about your health, knowing what to expect can make the whole experience a lot less stressful.
At Hampton Roads Primary Care, we work with adults across Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and the surrounding Hampton Roads area. Our goal is to make every first visit feel straightforward and unhurried — a real conversation about your health, not a quick check-in and a checkout. If you’re thinking about becoming a patient, this guide walks you through exactly what the process looks like, from scheduling to leaving with a plan.
Most people think of a doctor as someone they see when something goes wrong. But a good primary care provider is much more than that. They’re the person who knows your full health picture, including your history, your habits, your family background, and your concerns, and uses all of that to help you stay well, not just recover from illness.
The CDC recommends that adults maintain regular contact with a primary care provider as a cornerstone of preventive health. Here’s why that matters in practice:
Continuity of care. When you see the same provider over time, they get to know you. That means changes in your labs, your blood pressure, or your energy level don’t go unnoticed. Those changes become part of a longer conversation about how you’re doing.
Preventive screenings. Many of the most serious health conditions — heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers — are far easier to treat when caught early. Regular visits give your provider the chance to recommend screenings appropriate for your age and risk factors before symptoms appear.
Managing chronic conditions. If you’re living with high blood pressure, diabetes, or another long-term condition, your primary care provider coordinates your care, adjusts your treatment plan as needed, and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Specialist coordination. When you do need to see a specialist, your primary care provider helps facilitate that referral and stays in the loop so your care stays connected rather than fragmented.
A relationship built on trust. Over time, your provider learns what’s normal for you. That context is genuinely valuable and it’s something an urgent care visit or a walk-in clinic simply can’t replicate.
Getting started is simple. You can call our office at (757) 516-7554 or reach us by email at info@htrpc.com to schedule your new patient appointment in Portsmouth.
Before your visit, you’ll complete new patient paperwork. We’ll ask for basic demographic information, your insurance details, your medical history, and a list of any medications you’re currently taking, including over-the-counter supplements. Completing this ahead of time helps your appointment run smoothly and gives your provider a head start on understanding your situation.
A few things worth doing before you come in:
Here’s a quick checklist so you’re not scrambling the morning of your appointment:
Don’t worry if you don’t have everything on this list. We can work with what you have. The most important thing is simply showing up.
A new patient visit at Hampton Roads Primary Care is more thorough than a routine follow-up. Plan for enough time to have a real conversation. This is not a rushed appointment.
Your provider will want to understand where you’re starting from. That means talking through:
This isn’t an interrogation but rather a conversation. The more openly you can share, the better your provider can tailor your care.
Your provider will perform a general physical assessment, which typically includes checking your vital signs — blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and respiratory rate — as well as your height, weight, and body mass index. This baseline gives your care team a reference point for future visits and helps flag anything that warrants follow-up.
According to the NIH National Library of Medicine, routine physical assessments help identify risk factors for common conditions before they become serious problems.
One of the most important parts of a first visit is simply talking about what matters to you. Do you want to lose weight? Manage stress better? Get your blood pressure under control? Understand a family history of heart disease?
Your provider will help you think through realistic, achievable health goals and discuss what preventive steps, lifestyle changes, or screenings make sense for where you are right now. This is the beginning of a plan, not a one-time conversation.
Preventive healthcare is one of the most powerful things you can do for your long-term health, and it is a core part of what we do at Hampton Roads Primary Care.
Our annual wellness exams are designed to give you and your provider a comprehensive look at your current health status and the opportunity to get ahead of potential problems. These visits go beyond a basic physical and include a review of your health history, a personalized risk assessment, and a plan for the year ahead.
We also offer a full range of preventive health screenings including blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol checks, diabetes screening, and age-appropriate cancer screenings. Catching problems early is almost always better than treating them later, both for your health and for your quality of life.
If weight management or nutrition is a concern, we provide nutrition and weight management guidance that’s practical and sustainable. This is not a crash program; it is a real conversation about what changes you can realistically make and how to support them over time.
The American Heart Association notes that lifestyle choices including diet, activity level, weight, and not smoking account for a substantial portion of cardiovascular disease risk. Preventive care is where those conversations happen.
If you’re managing a chronic condition, your first visit is a good time to make sure your care plan is working and that nothing needs to be updated or adjusted.
Our chronic disease management services are designed to help patients with conditions like:
Managing these conditions well means regular monitoring, consistent follow-up, and a provider who keeps the big picture in mind. If your current treatment plan isn’t where you want it to be, or if you’ve been managing a condition without consistent primary care support, we can help you get on steadier ground.
We also handle medication management, including reviewing what you’re taking, making sure everything is appropriate given your full health history, and addressing any concerns about side effects or interactions.
Primary care at Hampton Roads Primary Care goes well beyond an annual exam. Depending on your needs, we offer:
Comprehensive primary care means your provider can address multiple aspects of your health in one place, making it easier to stay consistent with your care and less likely that something gets overlooked.
The first visit is really just the beginning. Over time, your relationship with your primary care provider becomes one of the most valuable assets in your healthcare. Your provider learns what’s normal for you: your baseline, how you tend to respond to different treatments, and what motivates you when it comes to making changes.
That continuity pays off in real ways. Research consistently shows that patients with a regular primary care provider have better health outcomes, lower rates of hospitalization, and better management of chronic conditions compared to those without one.
Your provider will work with you on:
Think of your primary care provider not as someone you see when things go wrong, but as a long-term partner in staying well.
A new patient appointment at Hampton Roads Primary Care is typically longer than a standard follow-up visit. Plan for approximately 45 to 60 minutes. The first visit involves a thorough review of your health history, a physical assessment, and a conversation about your goals and concerns. Completing your new patient paperwork before arriving helps the appointment run more efficiently. If you have a lot of health concerns to discuss, don’t worry — your provider will work through your priorities and schedule follow-up as needed so nothing important gets skipped.
You do not need records to schedule or attend your first appointment. Your provider can gather the information needed through your intake forms and the visit itself. That said, if you do have records from a previous doctor, specialist, or hospital, bringing them (or having them sent ahead of time) is genuinely helpful. A summary of past diagnoses, surgeries, lab results, or treatment history gives your new provider useful context and can help avoid redundant testing.
Bring them all. One of the advantages of a primary care visit, and especially a first visit, is that it’s designed to look at your whole health picture, not just a single complaint. You won’t be rushed out the door for having more than one question. That said, your provider may prioritize based on what’s most medically significant and schedule follow-up appointments for concerns that need more time or testing. Making a written list of your concerns before the visit is a simple way to make sure you don’t forget anything once you’re in the room.
For most healthy adults, once a year for an annual wellness exam is a good baseline. If you have chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or thyroid issues, you’ll likely come in more frequently — often every three to six months — to monitor your condition and adjust your treatment plan as needed. Your provider will recommend a visit schedule based on your specific health situation. The goal is to stay proactive rather than reactive, and regular visits make it easier to catch problems early and keep your health moving in the right direction.
Yes. Hampton Roads Primary Care offers telehealth services for appropriate visit types including follow-ups, medication reviews, and certain non-urgent concerns. Telehealth is a convenient option when you don’t need an in-person exam and can be especially useful for patients managing ongoing conditions who need regular check-ins without always coming into the office. Your first visit will typically be in person so your provider can complete a full assessment, but telehealth is available for many of your follow-up needs.
Establishing care with a primary care provider in Portsmouth is one of the most straightforward things you can do for your long-term health, and your first visit at Hampton Roads Primary Care is designed to make that step feel easy.
You’ll leave with a clearer picture of where your health stands, a plan for any follow-up care or screenings, and a provider who knows your history and is invested in keeping you well. Whether you’re coming in for an annual wellness exam, to address a chronic condition, or simply to establish a relationship with a trusted primary care provider in Portsmouth, VA, we’re ready to take care of you.
Call us at (757) 516-7554, email us at info@htrpc.com, or Book Online to schedule your new patient appointment. We serve adults throughout Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and the broader Hampton Roads area.
Your health is worth the appointment. Let’s get started.
