We all know it. We all see it. We all have been affected one way or another by it. Our healthcare system is changing – in some ways for the better (more treatment options, better diagnostic tools) but in many ways the changes are not in the best interest of the patient or the doctor. Due to decreasing reimbursement payments and rising malpractice premiums, doctors are forced to see more and more patients every day. Most primary care physicians need to see at least 25 to 30 and sometimes up to 40 patients each day.
If you are one of 150 patients that your doctor has seen in their office that week, how do you ensure that your needs are fully met? How do you make sure that your doctor has checked to see if the new prescription he or she is prescribing interacts with any medications that you are already taking? And, with such limited time, how do you get your questions and concerns addressed?
The best way to get the most out of your doctor visits is through effective communication. No longer can you passively sit back and assume that your doctor is following through on all of your healthcare concerns. You need to take control of your healthcare and facilitate effective communication with your doctor, and the first step in this direction is to get organized.
You need to make your own medical chart; one that stays with you for you to take from doctor to doctor or in the event that you need to go to an emergency department or be hospitalized. This chart needs to include:
1 – a list of your medical diagnoses; you may need to have a discussion with your doctors or ask them to email you this list for your records in order for it to be accurate and complete.
2 – a list of all surgeries or procedures
3 – a list of all hospitalizations
4 – a list of allergies and what reaction occurred
5 – a complete medication list
6 – a list of all your doctors’ names, specialties, and contact information
The next step in facilitating communication with your doctor is for you to plan for your doctor visits ahead of time. Prepare a list of any new events or problems that have occurred since your last visit with that doctor; include other doctor visits, specialists’ consultations, any emergency department visits and hospitalizations, medications changes and any tests performed. Then, make a list of questions that you would like to have addressed by this physician. Lastly, leave room for your doctor to write a short summary of what happened during your visit, to explain any medication changes, and to list any tests that need to be scheduled and followed up.
Remember, that you and your doctors need to work together as a team in order for your care to be optimized. Organizing and coordinating the team is the most important job you can do to ensure the optimal care that you deserve.
Elizabeth Reimet, M.D. is a Board Certified Internist, and she is the co-founder of Insight Medical Consultants, LLC, a private medical care advisory practice. She attended medical school at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (Drexel University) and completed her Internal Medicine internship and residency at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City. She pursued post-graduate training in oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center and practiced general internal medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has experience in insurance advocacy and in the training of patient advocates. She has a special interest in advocacy for those with disabilities, and she serves on the Children's Services Board of the Association of Retarded Citizens of Montgomery County (MARC). Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Reimet was trained and practiced as a physical therapist. She lives with her husband and two children in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
Source: www.articlesbase.com