Maximize Your Medical Appointments

Visiting your physician's or healthcare practitioner's office does not top the list of the most desirable things in life that we most want to do. Of course, we all will visit a doctor at some time or another. We have listed eight suggestions to help maximize the time you spend in the examination room. With insurance peering over the patient's and doctor's shoulders with stringent regulations. Harried medical practitioners having less control over medical treatment seek to see as many patients as possible in their workday. For the patient, it is prudent to follow certain steps before, during and after the office visit in order to get the most benefit from the visit. These suggestions will help the patient get questions answered during the visit rather than realize questions that were not addressed during the visit.

1. Avoid broken appointment charges. Request an an appointment card if you are not given one. Do not trust your memory. Once home, write your appointment on the calendar or enter into your computer. Do not discard the appointment card. When you arrive on the appointed day for your appointment and are told you have come on the wrong day, you can clear up the confusion by showing your original appointment card. Often, office personnel will call you a few days prior to your appointment to confirm your upcoming appointment. It is not a hard and fast rule that they will do so. Call and confirm the date and time if you are not called. This simple step saved me on a few occasions from having to reschedule an appointment.

2. Request new patient forms be sent online or by mail if the office offers this option. Many offices will send you the new patient forms to be completed on line or be filled out and brought with you on your scheduled visit. When scheduling an appointment as a "first time" patient ask if the forms can be mailed or emailed to you. Completing the forms ahead of time helps to eliminate time spent in the office filling out long forms and trying to remember dates and times of surgeries, symptoms, past medical history and other such pertinent information.

3. Be sure that your insurance card or benefits card is up to date. If a recent change of coverage has occurred, check to see that coverage is current. Almost certainly, before services are rendered, office personnel will ask for your insurance card and photo I.D.

4. Keep your health care practitioner's office appraised of any change of name, address, telephone numbers, and changes in insurance or medical coverage.

5. The day before your appointment list questions that you want to ask. List any symptoms experienced, side effects from medications, and other pertinent questions relating to your medical condition. Making a list helps you to organize your thoughts and makes it less likely that you will go home with unanswered questions.

6. Take your own magazines, books, or puzzles or writing tablet, etc to pass the time while waiting to be seen by your healthcare provider. Often, the displayed magazines may be outdated or of no interest. If you bring your own reading material, you will be more relaxed and won't have to stare aimlessly into space or view television programs that do not suit your taste.

7. Inquire about the practitioner's fees before the day of the appointment to avoid "surprises" or shock at the end of the appointment. If it is necessary to pay in installments, obtain prior approval to avoid embarrassment at the time of payment. We all have seen the signs in doctor's offices that state "Payment is expected when services are rendered". Check to be sure of the fees charged before scheduling an appointment. For security reasons, when paying by check place an unsigned check in your wallet rather than your checkbook . At the time of payment, you need only to write in the specified amount and record the amount when your return home. To avoid forgetting to write the check amount in my check register, I usually write an estimated amount in my checkbook and make the final entry when I return home.

8. If you are going to be late for your appointment, call the office and see if you should keep the appointment or reschedule. Better to call and avoid a possible broken appointment charge.

These helpful suggestions will assist the patient in maximizing your office visit and to help you to receive the most benefit from the time spent with your healthcare practitioner.