How to become your own patient advocate: Part 2

In Part 1 of How to become your own patient advocate I talked about 3 different ways you can take control of your visit with your doctor. In this post I’m going to explore how find a doctor that best meets your needs. Most of us go to the list of doctors that are within our insurance network and randomly chose a doctor that sounds good. We make the appointment, show up and the deal is sealed. From this point forward, most of us will feel assured that this new doctor is all-knowing and will be able to fix any health problem for me.

Woah, woah - backup! I think it’s a common mistake that patients willingly put their health care in the hands of total strangers. Would you leave your child with someone you’ve just met? Or would you take some time to meet them first, get a little information on their background before trusting them to care for your child? I think most of us would (I hope).

We should think about our health care provider the same way. Just because he/she has an M.D doesn’t mean they know everything there is to know about medicine. I think it’s important to note that “studies of autopsies have shown that doctors seriously misdiagnose fatal illnesses about 20 percent of the time.” I understand that doctors are human and make mistakes and it’s for this reason patients should not rely solely on the word of their health care provider if they feel their health concerns are not being addressed.

Most of us like to think our health care provider has our best interest at heart, but that isn’t always the case. “Under the current medical system, doctors, nurses, lab technicians and hospital executives are not actually paid to come up with the right diagnosis. They are paid to perform tests and to do surgery and to dispense drugs.” I know this sounds awfully pessimistic but I think it’s something we should all consider.

I think one of the ways we can prevent our health care from getting lost in the system is have an informational interview with every new health care provider.

• What’s their background? Are you seeing this doctor for a particular specialty?
• What is their health care philosophy? Is it something you feel comfortable with?
• Do they listen to your concerns regarding your health?
• Do they listen to your questions and answer them to the best of their ability or put you in touch with a resource that can?
• Do they minimize your concerns or questions?
• Do they allow enough time in your appointment to discuss all of your questions & concerns?

I believe a doctor that will take the time to answers questions and address concerns will also take care of his or her patients for the long-term. No one knows your body better than you do. For example, if you bring up concerns about symptoms you’re having and you know that your body just doesn’t feel right, a doctor that has already demonstrated that he/she will take the time to address your concerns will mostly likely do what they can to find an answer for you.

But if this isn’t the case and your doctor brushes off your concerns, then it’s time to find yourself a new doctor. Don’t be afraid to seek out another doctor. Remember this is your health and you shouldn’t trust it to just anyone.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Related posts:

1. How to become your own patient advocate: Part 1 ...
2. Comprehensive patient care (yes it’s true!) ...
3. Recap on the 2009 Pituitary Patient Symposium on Cushing’s Syndrome ...