Schedule a Day to See the Doctor
The typical American does not know how to take leave and see the doctor as often as it should. Many people have structural reasons for this, of course, but as the year draws to a close, consider combining the two, provided you have stability and means: take a day off from work to avoid all your medical visits. path.
Lifehacker suggests taking a day off to check off items on your to-do list – a kind of productivity break. It looks like it, but instead of cleaning your toilets and renewing your driver’s license, you are taking care of your health so that you can be in your best position in 2019.
Here’s how to do it. When referring to your insurance policy, make sure you take advantage of “free” preventive health care services throughout the year, including physical cleaning, tooth brushing, and anything else you save up for. “Health professionals say that two appointments a day makes sense, maybe three at most, so you have to choose what to schedule,” says AARP , which talks about physical appointments, teeth cleaning, mammography, dermatologist appointments. or Gynecological visit, among other things, are good options. (Colonoscopy, on the other hand, requires anesthesia, so it’s best to set aside a day for this.) You can use the US Department of Health’s My Health Finder to find preventive services.
If you have an FSA , it’s even more beneficial to schedule appointments before the end of the year so you can spend your money on worthwhile services rather than hoarding bottles of sunscreen. If you still have funds, remember that you can buy a ton of healthy over-the-counter items like aspirin and patches.
Call your doctors’ offices to find out when they will be available. Schedule appointments for that day, leaving plenty of room for unavoidable delays in your doctor / dentist visit. Call the office and ask where they are most busy, suggests AARP, and do not make an appointment during this time when waiting times may be longer.
If you don’t already have doctors, you can use a service like ZocDoc, which allows users to search for doctors and dentists online. It also makes it easy to see when appointments are available, read reviews, and schedule through the app.
Remember, bring your insurance card, ID, and FSA / HSA card when you go to the appointment. AARP suggests that you bring a list of all medications you are taking, plus doses (paper copy or logging into your phone), as well as a list of any questions you have or concerns you would like to talk about so you can refer to him when you see your doctor.
And while you’re there, schedule a follow-up appointment or visit next year. It’s easy to forget to see your doctor for preventive measures or just put them off, but it can harm your health and cost you a lot more than a future day off.