To give a little bit of background on our particular
situation, over the last two years that Dayton has an above average number of
doctor appointments with his primary care physician (WHO WE LOVE!), 8 hospital
admissions (between two hospitals), has seen more specialist’s than I can remember,
has been through occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and has
had multiple developmental evaluations. As you can imagine his medical history (and
medical bills!) have been substantial. Through it all, we have found few simple ways to save our family time, money and frustration. I
am sharing them today in hopes that they might help someone traveling a similar
road.
Find the right
Doctor:
There is nothing more comforting them choosing the right
doctor for your child. If you respect & value their opinion and they do
yours your child’s overall care will substantially benefit. Sometimes that
takes seeing a few different doctors before you find “the one”. Keep in mind,
doctors are not one-size-fits-all so even those that come highly recommended by
friends or family, might not be the right fit for you or your child. Even in a
hospital setting when you may not feel like you have an option as to who you
see, it’s ok to ask if there is an alternative person for you to talk to. Don’t
be afraid to voice your concerns if you don’t feel like you’ve found the right
fit! It’s imperative you trust your health care providers. I can assure you,
Doctor’s want the trust of their patients too. A child’s healthcare is a team
effort, so parents and doctors have to be on the same team.
Schedule Appointments
Appropriately:
I see and hear people complain ALL.THE.TIME. that they don’t
feel like their doctor is spending enough time with them and trust me, I have
been there. I feel you. But, here’s is what I’ve learned works best for us. Most
appointments are scheduled for a certain amount of time 15 minutes, 30 minutes
and some even an hour. When you call to
make an appointment, based on what you are stating your child needs to be seen
for, this automatically puts you into a category with corresponding pre-set
appointment times frames. For example, a simple medication check or vaccine for
your child might only need a 15-minute appointment, whereas a well-check or
full physical may require a much longer appointment. So, I say all of this to
encourage you to communicate upfront all of the issues you wish to discuss with
your child’s doctor WHEN you are making the appointment. Don’t be afraid to ask
how long you will have with the doctor and certainly don’t hesitate to request
a longer appointment (which might mean you have to be a bit more flexible on
days and times) if you find it necessary. Meaning, don’t make an appointment
for something like your child pulling on their ear indicating a possible ear
infection and then be upset when your doctor doesn’t have time to discuss his eating
habits, developmental milestones, or any other more complex issue. Remember, they
were only prepared to look at their ears! But, if you’ve tried all of the above
and still feel like you aren’t receiving adequate time with your doctor, then
TALK to your doctor about your concerns. Going further into this, be respectful
of their time and be aware if you are scheduled for a simple medicine check or
the like, but decide to bring up other concerns, you might feel a bit rushed.
They do have other patients scheduled and most doctors run tight schedules in
order to give everyone the best care they can. If you are respectful of their
time things will run much smoother for everyone. That said, if you are one of
many that repeatedly has to deal with long waiting room times (we, fortunately,
do not usually have to deal with this), talk to you doctor. They need to know!
Don’t be afraid to
ask for a second opinion:
Even if you trust your doctor whole heartedly, don’t
hesitate to respectfully ask for a second opinion. Sometimes hearing more than
one confident opinion, can help you process and understand a particular
diagnosis and can be tremendously beneficial when forming a plan of care that you
are comfortable with. Many times, your child’s doctor may offer this before you
even have to ask. Remember, doctors are human too and sometimes, as the old
saying goes, sometimes “two heads are better than one”. Taking this step
further, it’s really important that all of your child’s health care providers
communicate openly with each other. One
of the most comforting things about our various hospital admissions is that we
knew all of the various teams were communicating and deciding TOGETHER what
needed to be done. Your child’s primary care physician should be aware of all
medical care you are receiving.
Know the names of your
child’s nurses, PCA’s, administrative staff and get to know them:
Chances are you are communicating with these people, whether
in your child’s doctor’s office, a specialist’s office or even the hospital,
more than you do with their actual doctor. Get to know them! Trust me, we
remember the names of each and every person that we came in contact with and
who cared for both myself and Dayton during his delivery and NICU stay. Even
the front desk staff (love them!). During
all of Dayton’s 7 hospital admissions we have seen familiar faces and
many times have had the same nurses! One in particular has cared for Dayton
during every stay at our local hospital and we absolutely adore her! At our
doctor’s office, we know that these people are an important part of the
operation, so we always make an effort to get to know them. Using their names
and treating them well goes a long way. Remember, they are usually your direct
line to your doctor and they play a very intricate part of your child’s overall
care. Don’t forget about them!
Complete those annoying surveys
& be honest:
You may notice that most health care providers and hospitals
have started sending post visit/admission surveys. Yes, it seems like a bunch
of junk mail and wasted time…I mean who has time for anything extra these days,
but ya’ll, take the time to fill them out! They usually only take a few minutes
too complete. These types of surveys are imperative for improvements at
facilities & physician’s offices and gives you a chance to really express
any concerns in a confidential manner. You never know who might benefit from
your honest feedback.
Ask for copies of
your child's medical records:
We’ve learned that it is far more reliable for you to make
sure your child's medical records get from one doctor to another than it is to rely on
someone else making it happen. Yes, sometimes they will charge you a minimal fee for this but
nothing is more frustrating than expecting your doctor to have your records, test results,
etc. only to find out they don’t. Plus, having a copy for yourself allows you
to fully understand your child’s health care history, allows you to reference
back to them over the years and can be highly useful when dealing with or
auditing your medical bills. I can't tell you how many times I have pulled them out to get the answer to something.
Ask for itemized
bills:
Speaking of medical bills….I can’t stress this enough!
Always, always, always ask for an itemized bill, especially when you’ve been in
the hospital or had any surgical procedure and actually look at it. I can’t
tell you how many billing errors we have found by doing this. Taking the time
to go through each bill and compare to your notes & medical records has
literally saved us (and our insurance company) thousands and thousands of
dollars. I get it can be overwhelming
and most think “oh my insurance company is paying anyway so it doesn’t really matter”…well
it DOES matter and YOU do pay for it. Errors & mistakes do happen!
Really understand your insurance
policy:
And speaking of insurance policies, take the time, BEFORE it’s
needed, to understand your insurance coverage. Also, make sure you know how to
get answers from your insurance company (what departments to call, their hours,
etc.). You should always have your insurance card with you and make sure your
doctor’s office is billing your insurance correctly – yes, you CAN ask to see
the diagnosis codes they are using! Most insurance companies offer advocacy
programs for their members, so make sure you take advantage of that resource.
They really can make all the difference in how your insurance is utilized and
how effectively claims are processed – they can also help you navigate and
understand large claims. Personally, I make a point to check our insurance deductibles
before every doctor’s appointment. It’s simple to log in form my smartphone and
see where we stand. For three years in a row now, we have hit our max
out of pocket, yet continue to be asked by doctor’s offices to pay
co-pays and various other costs, only to have them refunded weeks or months
later. You have the ability to check your up to the minute status, whereas some
doctor’s offices do not…or simply don’t. This will save you time and money!
You are your child's best and more important advocate:
I can’t tell you enough how important it is to be involved
in your child’s care. YOU know your child better than anyone else and since
they can’t advocate for themselves, it’s your job to do so! Be respectful, be
smart and go with your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, sound right or you
simply disagree with something, speak up, do your own research, ask questions
and remember to keep your child’s best interest in mind! You will always be your
child’s best advocate!
No comments