Patients and Families

Referral Information

Patients come to The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke through physician referral or as a result of their own search. Once you make contact with us, you will undergo a careful screening process. Some patients are candidates for treatment here, while many others can have their needs met most effectively at their local hospital. Here is how we work together to decide what is best for you.

Step One:
Contact Us:
Patients and / or physicians wishing to begin the screening process can contact us any of the following ways:

By online forms:
Submit an adult patient self-referral form.
Submit a pediatric patient self-referral form.
Submit a physician referral form—Adults.
Submit a physician referral form—Pediatric.

By telephone:
Adult patients: 919-684-5301
Pediatric patients: 919-668-6288

All of the following information is required to begin the screening process:

• Name of patient (and name of parent or guardian if a pediatric patient)
• Date of patient’s birth
• Diagnosis
• Date of diagnosis
• Prior treatment information (i.e. surgery, radiation, chemotherapy)
• Telephone number where patient can be reached

All messages – whether by email or telephone – are regularly checked during business hours. Our office hours are: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. We will respond to each message. Due to the high volume of incoming calls and messages we receive, we ask that you please allow up to 3 business days for our response.

Step Two:
One of our physicians will call you.
You will have a mini-consultation by telephone to determine whether The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke can meet your needs. If we think we might offer your best hope, we will ask you to send your medical records for review.

Step Three:
We will review your records.
After reviewing your records, we will call you to let you know whether to schedule an in-person consultation with one of our physicians and other members of our health care team, including a nurse, social worker, and others as defined by your needs. We will request additional demographic and insurance information at that time.

Step Four:
The in-person consultation at our Center.
The initial consultation visit takes place over two days. You will have a complete history and physical exam, a neurological exam, and an assessment of your psycho-social needs. We will discuss treatment options and a plan of care for your consideration.

There is no easy solution to a brain tumor diagnosis. What we can do is make it as comfortable and hopeful as possible for you and your loved ones. We sincerely thank you for considering The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke for your care.

At Duke . . . there is hope.

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