Saving on Medical Costs

With medical costs skyrocketing and insurance reimbursements dwindling, making the most of a visit to the Doctor’s office is important.  In particular, working cooperatively with your Dr. to try to find out what ails you (or a family member) can help prevent unnecessary tests, incorrect prescriptions and repeat visits.  One of the challenges to this is cultural.  While most people are opinionated and strong-willed, most people tend to defer entirely to their Drs. opinion and recommendations, even if they disagree with them.  While I’m not saying that an untrained person should debate medical care with a professional that has years and years of education and experience, I am saying that everyone can become a better consumer of health services.  Consider the following for a non-emergency appointment:

–Before the visit to the doctor, write down a list, including full names and doses, of medication that you are taking, or bring the medications with you.  Do not assume that your doctor or health clinic will have the information available or accessible.

–If you are visiting the doctor for a diagnosis or to receive new medicines, keep a log of the symptoms you’ve had and when they shifted.  For example, on Wednesday mild sore throat, on Thursday fever of 100.7, too 2 tylenol, etc… Between sitting in the waiting room, having your blood pressure checked, and simply the stress of being in a doctor’s office, I used to find myself remembering in the car on the way home something that I should have mentioned to the doctor.

–Similar to the above, if you have a friend or family member that has been helping with your care, if possible, have them accompany you on the visit.  I am surprised this is not recommended more often.  This other person is often better able to ask questions, and should write down any specific instructions the doctor gives.

–Learn to ask the right questions that will help you make more informed decisions going forward, such as, under what conditions should I come back for a follow-up?  What warning signs should I be worried about? For example, in some cases fatigue, mild headaches are not too worrisome, whereas fever is.

–If you are being prescribed a new medication, ask if the doctor has samples available to make sure you can tolerate the drug well before purchasing a whole 30-day course.

–See if you can receive test results by phone or internet without returning for another trip.

Keep in mind that your doctor is the medical professional, but you play a critical role in receiving good health care.

see more at this week’s Festival of Frugality