Take Charge of Your Healthcare: Part III

Disclaimer: This blog will pertain to my U.S. readers; my suggestions may not apply to my international followers.

Part III: Take Charge of Your Office Visit

Now that you have read Part I and Part II of my blog post about taking charge of your healthcare, Part III may cause a bit of consternation on your part. Be bold, be assertive, but kind. This is your body, you are paying for this care even though it may not seem that way to some if they have no co-payment or bill because their insurance pays for it. Nothing is free. Most of us have paid into healthcare at some point through our jobs and the money is taken out of our Social Security checks.

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Here are some tips to take control of your office visit that you have paid for. Again, the provider has special training and skills, but this is your body and your appointment time. So make the best of it.

Be kind and genuine. When you are ill, this can be a big ask. This is why the joint visit with your advocate is important as I spoke about in Part II.Begin your visit by asking how much time you have for the office visit. Maybe 20 minutes was allotted, but because you waited a long time in the waiting room and the provider is running late, maybe you have only 10 minutes. Make this all clear at the beginning.Next, inform the provider you have a list of (5 or how many?) questions. “Should I ask now or at the end of the visit?”Answer all their questions as completely as possible. Why are you here, Date and time the symptoms started, the level of discomfort, what you have tried to relieve the discomfort. EVERYTHING. Even things you have done to aggravate the condition. “I went kayaking for 5 hours last week and aggravated the elbow.[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://susangreisen.com/wp-content/u..." data-large-file="https://susangreisen.com/wp-content/u..." src="https://susangreisen.com/wp-content/u..." alt="" class="wp-image-9000 size-full" />

If they provider does not physically examine the area that needs addressing, ask them to do so. If this provider doesn’t do this for your elbow issue, for example, you may want to find another doctor or provider

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Remember, in most cases, you have the right to a second opinion about the conclusion of your diagnosis or treatment plan. Be sure to check with your insurance if this is covered. Then check within your community who and where you might go for this.

Be assertive NOT aggressive with your provider if you believe something is being missed. Healthcare providers are often stressed and under time pressure. So respect their time, be concise, to the point, and avoid storytelling regarding how your grandchild created the fall. Just say you tripped over your grandson’s toy truck and landed on your knee. Help the provider, and they will help you. Taking charge of your office visit takes practice if you have never done this approach before. I’ve received good results, and so have those who have used this method.

My next blog in this series, Part IV, will be about giving your provider feedback. This should be interesting.

I want to hear from you about your suggestions and comments. Let’s help each other. (In the comment section, you don’t have to share a website.)

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