Raise your hand if you’ve felt personally victimized by the US healthcare system.
Whether it has been a sneaky bill from your insurance company, having to wait for hours for a 15 minute appointment, being given a treatment plan you specifically said you did not want, or having to deal with bad office staff… well, there’s a lot going on that can make you feel completely out of control of your own healthcare.
Happily, and as impossible as it may seem, you can cultivate empowerment in your healthcare. Of course it takes practice, and may be incredibly uncomfortable depending on how naturally assertive you are to begin with. It is doable though, and the more you do, the better quality care you will receive.
Ask. Interview your provider before you commit. How do they typically treat _____? What is their philosophy? If you have other providers on your team, will they be willing to communicate? If you are/aren’t willing to entertain certain treatment options, do they have others available? What are their office hours and what flexibility do they have for after hours visits? What are their payment and insurance policies? Ask ask ask… any information you’d like to know, ask.
Go with your gut. If you meet a doctor or other healthcare provider and LOVE them — awesome! Go with it. If you feel less than stellar and are skeptical — even if you can’t articulate why — find someone else. Your intuition is not nothing. You don’t have to say why you don’t want to see a certain provider, and you don’t have to articulate the decision with logic. Trust your gut and find another provider.
Notice how the office runs. Are you greeted promptly and with a smile when you walk in the door? Is the waiting room clean and well kept? Are your phone calls returned within a reasonable amount of time? Does there seem to always be a new receptionist every time you’re in the office? A well run practice should be: clean, efficient, timely, friendly, welcoming. If the person you’re talking with doesn’t know the answer, they should be willing to find out for you.
Do they listen? Bad providers treat to the lab test and don’t hear a word out of your mouth. Good healthcare providers hear what you say… most of the time. Great providers listen deeply and honor your boundaries and preferences even while providing information and recommendations.
How do they share/provide records (chart notes, lab results, etc)? Your medical chart is YOURS. You should be able to access it without having to pay for it or be hassled about it. Most medical practices use electronic systems that include patient portals so that you can access your record in real time — including imaging reports and lab results. Ask early on how to get access to your chart and how the practice processes lab results so that you can get access to those as well. Having these is not important until it is — a chronic or potentially terminal diagnosis is made that much easier by already knowing where to pull information for the next specialist you need to see.
ASK some more. What are they recommending? Why? What are the alternatives? What are the risks? How long can you expect to need to keep with this treatment plan? Are they treating symptoms or the cause of the issue? [And, in light of recent high-visibility flu-shot/insulin mix ups, I HIGHLY encourage you to ask to see the vial from which anything that is being injected was drawn up from; if it is a single use injection, ask to see the label of that too.] For a more extensive list of questions to bring with you to your provider, head over here.
Call before your appointment. Is the doctor running on-time? How late are they? Check in and see if you should come later to help minimize your wait time.
All in all, the best you can do is ask and make sure you have easy access to your information either by keeping a file of labs, imaging and notes at your home or via an electronic patient portal. If in doubt ASK. Your health will thank you!
If you’re interested in more info on how to get and stay empowered with your healthcare, head on over here!