How to Be a Patient: The Essential Guide to Navigating the World of Modern Medicine
by Sana Goldberg
Written by a medical professional, this book is a really practical guide to being a good patient and advocating for yourself.
Some of my quick notes:
- Making appointments
- Make routine appointments in spring and summer
- Make appointments earlier than 1pm because you're more likely to wait at the end of the day
- Call between 10:30am - 11am. It's less busy and there are a lot of cancellations
- Don't leave a message - keep calling until you get a person
- Wednesdays are a good day for appointments. Avoid Mondays and Fridays if possible.
- Going to your appointment
- You're more likely to have your issues acknowledged if you dress up
- Make a list of what you want to cover, including referrals, symptoms, etc. (I do this in Google Keep!)
- Make it personal - share stories, especially when they are relevant. She gives the example of the provider asking how you are, and instead of saying 'fine,' tell her just a tiny bit about your day. Helps you two relate.
- Instead of just listing your symptoms in a scattered way, create a story / narrative about your symptoms to give them context. Try to limit to 2-4 symptoms. Otherwise, you just create noise which makes diagnosis harder.
- Include this info for each symptom:
- When did it start
- Frequency
- What aggravates it
- Duration
- What alleviates it
- Any remedies you’ve tried that didn’t work
- She also gives you a great template to describe your symptoms
- There is also a section later in the book about describing your pain
- Diagnosis
- Different kinds of diagnosis errors - misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, overdiagnosis, underdiagnosis
- A study showed that if providers get a list of possible diagnoses at the beginning, they are more likely to diagnose correctly. If they are over certain at the beginning you may get premature diagnosis / error
- Don't be afraid to ask doctor to explain how they reached a diagnosis
- Should you go to the ER, urgent care, or wait?
- ER - sudden onset, poses a threat to basic functions, may lead to losing a limb, or is a physiological function that changes rapidly. ABC = Airway, Breathing, Circulation
- If you're not sure if you should go to urgent care or wait, call your PCP and ask
- How to use the healthcare bluebook to determine price of procedures
- Ask your provider for the specific name and CPT (current procedural terminology) code for procedure and where you are going
- “I’m scheduled to have a/an . The code is . My insurance plan is . I am calling to inquire what the cost will be.”
- http://www.healthcarebluebook.com
- Vitamins / supplements
- Look for USP stamp. Compliance is optional
- Ask for prescription for dietary supplements if your provider recommends them (for coverage)
- Difference between a living will and healthcare power of attorney
- Living will = "what interventions you would want if you were unable to make your own medical decisions"
- Healthcare Power of Attorney = who you appoint to "make complex medical decisions for you in an unanticipated emergency"