As mentioned a couple of posts ago, I didn't realize that medicine was going to present itself with so many challenges. From decreased reimbursements, uncooperative patients, to people thinking that doctor's are loaded with money, a good relationship between a physician and patient can go along way for both parties being satisfied with the association. Here are a few suggestions with no particular order of importance except #1:
1: Expect office charges and have payments ready during your doctor visit: Nothing is more frustrating than to provide medical treatment to someone only to walk up at the end of the visit and hear them say, "I don't have the money, or, I can't pay you today." The physician is running a business and has people relying on him from staff to his own family. How would you feel if you completed your work and you heard from your employer, "I'm sorry. I don't have the money, or, I can't afford to pay you today." You don't put gas in your car without paying. You don't walk out with free groceries. You can't stay in your home or apartment if you don't pay. Why would you think a visit to the doctor is any different.
2: Missing appointments: Perhaps this is the second most frustrating part of practice. You schedule a time for a patient only for them not to show up and worse yet, not have the courtesy to call and cancel the appointment. This time allocated for you could have been used to see another person who had a medical need. In addition, physician's get paid when they see people. When you don't keep your appointment, you are taking money out of the doctor's pocket.
3: Pay your co-pays: your contractual agreement requires you to pay a co-pay at your doctor visits. If you insurance company has a contract with a physician paying them $100 for the service and you have a $20 co-pay, the insurance company is only going to reimburse the physician $80. Again, the doctor is entitled to the full reimbursement with your responsibility of paying the co-pay.
4: When scheduling an appointment with a doctor, have your current insurance information to give to the person scheduling the appointment: Offices have to verify insurance coverages especially at specialist's offices. You may not have the coverage needed and have an out-of-pocket expense. You don't want to be surprised when you show up for the appointment.
5: Inform your physician when your insurance changes: If you have been with a physician for awhile, there is a likelihood that your will change insurance, especially if employer provided. When you call to schedule an appointment, provided the scheduler with your new insurance information.
6: Show up early to your appointment: My daddy always said, "Son, never be on time for an appointment, but never be late." I have always held this close to heart. Especially if you are a new patient, show up at least fifteen minutes early as every office has paper work to be filled out. If you are an established patient, also show up early. If the doctor has a cancellation, he can get you in early and will help with his day as well.
7: Provide a written list of illnesses, surgeries, and current medications: This just takes a couple of minutes to start and only a few seconds to update. This is invaluable to you the patient and the doctor. I always have patients who tell me at subsequent visits, "Oh! I forgot about that medication, that surgery, etc." If your like me, you need a list to help you remember.
8: Don't be the doctor: Being informed is one thing. Telling a doctor on how you want to be treated is another. The Internet is a wonderful tool, but it can be filled with misinformation and some terms can be difficult to understand. Allow your medically trained physician to treat you. It is important to ask questions so you can understand what is going on and why the doctor is making the choices they are. But please, don't direct your medical care.
9: Have realistic expectations: I treat abnormalities of the foot and ankle either medically, biomechanically, and even surgically. But, I am not God. I can not take a foot or ankle that is not functioning properly and get it back perfectly. Even with 'elective' surgeries, the outcomes are not going to be perfect. They will be much or significantly improved. It is important that you have realistic expectations of any medical or surgical outcome.
10: Things happen: All doctors and surgeons are required by law to have continued medical education to practice their craft. We go through residencies to learn from some of the best. But it is important to understand, that with all this training and education, things can just go wrong. Any physician is going to feel sorry for any medical or surgical outcome that is not what is expected. But going back to realistic expectations, you have to understand and be accepting of the fact that things can just plain go wrong.
I hope this helps with your physician relationships in the future.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
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