Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Dr. Eric Bricker, Chief Medical Officer of Compass Professional Health Services. We hope you enjoy Dr. Eric’s wisdom and perspective.
- Never assume.
- Ask about the price…before.
- Ask in general. Speak up.
- Don’t pay a bill if you don’t understand it.
- Trust…but confirm: Advice from your physician, Information from your insurance company.
- Get the first appointment of the day. Your doctor’s mind will be fresher and he/she will be more likely to be on time.
- If you are going to be incapacitated by anesthesia, have a family member/friend take notes.
- Just because your doctor is in-network that does NOT mean the facility where he/she practices is in-network.
- When prescribed a medication, ask how much the medication will cost AND ask if there is a generic option as an alternative.
- When referred to another physician by your doctor, assume they know nothing about you and have none of your prior test results. Plan accordingly.
- If you don’t have a primary care physician—family practice or general internist for adults—get one. Use them as your starting place for care.
- Get your preventive care. It should be free to you and it could save your life… especially the easy stuff like blood pressure checks, blood glucose checks for diabetes and cholesterol screening.
- Before you get surgery, get a second opinion. If you talk to 10 surgeons, you will get 10 different opinions.
- If you are given a free sample of a medication at a doctor’s office, you can assume it is a VERY expensive medication. Do not get the prescription filled until you ask if there is a generic option for your condition.
- When you receive a bill from a doctor or hospital, first thing you should do is look up your EOB on your insurance company’s website to see if the amount you owe matches.
- If you are ever hospitalized, ask everyone who sees you to wash their hands before touching you.
- If you are ever hospitalized, assume your discharge plan—medications, follow up appointments, durable medical equipment—will get messed up. Plan accordingly. If it does not get messed up, then you can be pleasantly surprised.
- Do not assume that your insurance will ‘cover it.’ There is A LOT of fine print in your insurance policy about what is not covered: foot care, oral medical issues, eye care, specific CPT codes for routine medical care, etc.
- Assume your doctor is overworked, burnt out and too busy—take their bedside manner and advice in that context. I.e. Don’t be too hard on them, have some sympathy, HOWEVER take their advice in this context—it could be biased, rushed and not thoroughly thought out.
- If you have multiple doctors or healthcare providers involved in your care, assume they are NOT communicating with each other and take on the responsibility of facilitating that communication Yourself.
I want to make sure you are a safe healthcare consumer and given the way healthcare is, the best way to be safe and receive high quality care that does not cost you a fortune is to be VIGILANT.
So that would be my advice for the New Year: Be Vigilant. Pay attention. Eyes wide open.
Healthcare will get better, but in the meantime… caveat emptor—buyer beware.
This content was written and shared by guest blogger, Dr. Eric Bricker. It originally appeared in the Compass Healthcare Consumerism Blog.
Dr. Eric Bricker is a Johns Hopkins trained internal medicine physician and Chief Medical Officer of Compass Professional Health Services. Dr. Bricker has published research on the quality of diabetes care and treatment of hospital-acquired infections. Prior to becoming a physician, Dr. Bricker was a hospital finance consultant, working on billing projects at major medical centers across the country.
Connect with Dr. Eric on Twitter or read more of his blogs.
To learn more about Compass Professional Health Services, visit their website, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
