How to Optimize Your Medical Visit: Insider Tips from a PA

You did it, you made a doctor’s appointment. This may be just a quick in-and-out visit for a strep test or it could be for something that has been bothering you for many days, months, or even years. Whatever brought you to this point, it may not have been easy. Going to the doctor can be intimidating. The nerves kick in before you even leave your house. Then there is the extended wait in the waiting room because your provider is inevitably “running behind” and of course, the misunderstanding about your co-pay upon checking in.

Then, you finally get back into the exam room for……more waiting. You look around at the wall art and wonder what is inside the cabinet. Maybe you are even bold enough to sneak a peek INSIDE said cabinet (good for you)! Then the knock comes and ENTER the person who is supposed to help you solve all of your health problems! They seem busy. They glance at their computer to remind themselves of your first name before saying, “Hi, ______, what brings you in today?”

OK, PAUSE. This is your first opportunity to optimize your visit. If you have been saving up a number of health problems to discuss during this 20-30 minute visit, the best thing you can do BEFORE you enter the doctor’s office is prioritize your list. Pick the one to two most important problems you want to discuss. Then order everything else from most important to least important after that. Next, go in with realistic expectations. Medical providers cannot get through a list of four to five things in one short visit. In fact, it may take two to three visits to get through that list of ailments you have been saving up over the past year. If you want good care, you want your provider to spend an appropriate amount of time on EACH of your medical issues, rather than trying to hit everything on your list haphazardly. I get it, checking off everything on your list for one co-pay may feel satisfying, but chances are, attention to detail is lacking if this is the case.

I always tell my patients that I cannot do a good job if I rush through their problems. Each problem will get about 1/3 of the attention that it deserves if we try to get through everything in one visit. To care for you fully, we need time to focus on one problem at a time. If we are lucky, we can get through your top two issues in one visit. If one of those issues is chest pain and you have it marked as number four on your list, your list will be re-prioritized in order of urgency.

Now that you know that you need to prioritize your list, think about how you will answer certain questions. The most common questions that a health provider will ask in order to get you appropriate testing and an accurate diagnosis are as follows:

·       How long has this been going on for?

·       What makes this problem/symptom better or worse

·       What have you tried to improve the problem?

·       What does it feel like (ex: for pain: is it sharp, achy, crampy, etc.)?

·       Are there any other symptoms associated with this problem (ex: for abdominal pain: do you get nauseated when the pain is present)?

If you think about the answers to these questions ahead of time, you are setting yourself up for an efficient visit. Try to give all the information that you think is important and then allow your provider to ask you any questions to fill in the blanks. Try as hard as you can to stay on topic as veering off topic is one of the biggest wastes of time during your visit. For example, if you are telling me about your abdominal pain one minute and then about your brother in law’s emergency gallbladder removal for the next few minutes, we have just gone on a 5-minute detour that will take away from getting YOU a solution to your problem or being able to address another problem on your list.

Finally, use your time wisely. Patients run into MANY frustrations before they even get into the exam room. Frustrations regarding insurance, billing, or even less than polite front desk staff. I know these things matter BUT if you spend the first 5-10 minutes complaining to your medical provider about these frustrations that is 5-10 minutes less that they have to focus on helping you. If something really egregious occurs during your time at the doctor’s office, reach out to the office manager after the visit. They can help you navigate any non-medical issues that came up during your visit.

I hope this helps.