We all know what we’re expecting when we go to the doctor: We expect to get well.
But what do doctors need from us so they can help us get well?
Dr. Phil Mohler has practiced medicine in Grand Junction for 36 years and serves primarily elderly patients, and he also works as associate medical director for Rocky Mountain Health Plans. He provided several tips for patients that can make it easier to navigate the complicated health-care system.
The first tip: Find a primary care physician to serve as your first stop. Pick a doctor whose professional practice will outlive you. The idea is for you and the doctor to develop a relationship over time that will give the doctor greater insight and knowledge about you.
“People need to have a primary care physician,” Dr. Mohler says. Some patients try to diagnose their own ailments and then go directly to a specialist, shortcutting what would have been the role of a primary care doctor. Such an approach ultimately can be more expensive and less effective than first seeing a primary care doc.
“Sometimes that’s an inefficient model, and sometimes that a very expensive model,” Dr. Mohler says. “Primary care physicians are trained to take care of 85% of the complaints people come in with.”
Other tips:
• When making an appointment, ask for the first appointment in the morning or the afternoon. The doctor is more likely to be on time for the first appointment, and you won’t have to wait so long.
• When you call the doctor, be up-front about the problem you’re experiencing. By thoroughly explaining your problem, you can help the doctor’s staff schedule an appropriate amount of time with the physician.
• If you have several problems, make a list and prioritize the problems. Focus on the top issue with your doctor, and save the rest for another time, if possible.
• Regarding medications, seek the generic version of the product the doctor offers. “Generic drugs work great,” Dr. Mohler says. “There is a miniscule number of times you would not use the generic version.” If a doctor offers a brand-name drug, ask if a generic version exists.
• “Don’t go in and demand the new drug you saw on TV last night,” Dr. Mohler says. “Ninety percent of those drugs are ‘me-too’ drugs developed by drug companies after their blockbuster’s patent ran out.” Low-cost generic drugs and over-the-counter medications often work just as well as expensive name brands.
• Get immunizations. “In older folks, immunizations are still probably the best bang for our buck in medicine,” Dr. Mohler says. He says it is estimated that for every dollar spent on immunizations, the health-care system (and its patients) save $6 to $10 in costs. Typical immunizations protect against diseases such as flu, tetanus, whooping cough, and shingles.
• It doesn’t matter where you receive your immunizations, whether at your doctor’s office or at the grocery store’s pharmacy. But if you receive an immunization from someone other than your doctor, be sure to call your doctor’s office and ask that a record of the immunization be placed in your chart.
• Consider creating a medical power of attorney that gives someone you trust the ability to make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated. Share a copy of the document with your physician.
• The Medicare website at http://www.medicare.gov/ contains some tools to help people select the type of supplementary medical coverage they need when they reach the age to qualify for Medicare. Another resource exists on the website of CVS pharmacy. Visit http://www.cvs.com/, and in the menu on the left side of the page, scroll down until you see "Medicare Information" under "Pharmacy Services."
Douglas B. May, CFA, is President of May-Investments, LLC and author of Investment Heresies .
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