• We are open Monday through Thursday 7:40am – 3:40pm.  We close at noon on Friday and are closed on most major holidays.

We know that many thyroid patients have severe symptoms and want to be seen earlier.  Because we take 40 minutes with each new patient and Dr. Henderson is the only doctor in our practice, the wait can be many months.  We do not have any “secret spots” to squeeze people in as our schedule is 100% full.  Our waitlist is strictly for patients who are pregnant, have active thyroid cancer, or uncontrolled Graves disease.  All other patients will need to wait and/or continued to be managed by their PCP or endocrinologist until your scheduled appointment.  There are no exceptions to this rule, even if you have a referral from your doctor.

We are located at 875 Lowcountry Blvd in Mount Pleasant, near the corner of Johnnie Dodds (US-17) and Shelmore Blvd and next door to Charleston ENT.

1. For new patients, blood work should be done at least 10-14 days prior to your first appointment.  If you have recent done blood work (last 1-2 months), we can discuss those results instead.  
2. Patients need to get new blood work 7-10 days before EVERY appointment.  These results will be discussed at your follow up appointment. 
3. We prefer that you use Labcorp or Quest so that orders can be sent and received electronically.  See our Lab Ordering page for more details.

Insurances that require referrals include: 

1. BCBS student insurance
2. Tricare 
3. Some United Healthcare (will say on your insurance card)
4. Some AARP (will say on your insurance card)
5. Some Humana (will say on your insurance card)

Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled time.  We always run on time, so showing up early helps us accomplish that.  Be aware that there can be a lot of traffic around our office. 

You should have received a confirmation email when you scheduled your appointment.  Otherwise, email us at office@charlestonthyroid.com.

• We take most major medical insurances (see scheduling page). 
• We are not credentialed with Medicaid or Medicare.  If you have Medicaid or Medicare as your primary, co- or secondary insurance, it will not cover any of your visit costs.  Medicaid also includes Healthy Choice, First Choice, Absolute Total Care, Well Care, Molina, Blue Choice Medicaid, and dual Medicare-Medicaid.
• If you have no insurance or if we don’t take your insurance, we are still happy to see you as a patient, but you will need to be self-pay.  Please contact our office for details and pricing.  Full payment will be due at the time of service. 

We take care of all issues related to the thyroid:

• Hypothyroidism
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Hyperthyroidism
• Grave’s disease
• Thyroid nodules, cysts, & cancer

As an internal medicine physician, Dr. Henderson is trained to see patients over the age of 12.  We sometimes make exceptions for current patients’ family members down to 10 if they just need screening.  Anybody younger than that should seek care from a pediatric endocrinologist.

• Thyroid ultrasounds, biopsies, lymph node mapping, and alcohol ablation are all performed in our office. 
• If Dr. Henderson feels that an ultrasound is needed, it will be done at the time of your visit.  Most new patients do get an ultrasound.  
• If a biopsy is needed, you will need to return on a future date to allow us time to get permission from your insurance company.  
• Radioactive iodine and surgery must be done at a different facility.

In general, no, unless you also have a thyroid condition. 

All patients on insulin are expected to have it managed by another physician.

About half of our patients live outside of the Charleston area or in different states.  If you are concerned about any special needs or have specific questions, please contact our office as soon as possible.

• Dr. Henderson is licensed to practice medicine (and telemedicine) in South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, and Minnesota.  However, we require patients to be seen in person at least twice per year.  All of our providers also see patients via our telehealth practice (MyThyroidDoctor.com) for those who prefer all telehealth.

In general, fasting is not required for your appointment, thyroid blood work, or biopsies. 

If checking blood sugar, cholesterol, or insulin levels, fasting IS required 

For in-office metabolic checks, fasting IS required for 4 hours prior to checking your metabolic rate.  This includes abstaining from coffee and cold medicines or stimulant medications.

You will need a picture ID, insurance card, insurance copay, and any medical records that were not sent ahead of time.

To maximize your time with the doctor, please make sure your records are here at least 2 days before your appointment.  You can fax, mail, or bring them.  You will need to contact your PCP as they may need your consent and/or signature.  Many offices need at least a few days to do this and some require a few weeks.  You can print out our release form here.

We need relevant office notes, blood work, thyroid biopsies, thyroid ultrasounds, pathology reports, and any radiation reports (PET, CT, MRI, & thyroid iodine scans) for the last 1-2 years.

Yes, it is definitely ok to ask for a second opinion, especially if you continue to have thyroid symptoms or other concerns.  If you want it to be confidential, bring your medical records and advise us of the fact.  We won’t send any letters to your other physicians if that is your preference.