How to Take Care of Your Health As an Adult
The first time you need to make an appointment with a doctor, you may want those days – perhaps not too long ago – when Mom or Dad did it all for you. And if you are a parent in this scenario, it can be difficult to step back. This is a guide to help young people take care of their health.
Get out those Trapper Keepers and sharpen your # 2 pencils – it’s a week back to school ! Going far beyond the classroom, Lifehacker offers you ingenious tricks and ideas on how to start a routine, brush up on old skills, or learn something new this fall.
Note to Parents: Ease of Responsibility
If you are already one, skip this section. Okay, parents, it’s just us here. Before your child grows up and leaves, you can and should encourage him to be independent with a doctor. You should always give your child some time alone with your caregiver so that he can talk about things that might be awkward, but also so that he can learn to carry on those conversations on his own and not expect mom or dad to sort things out.
So, when planning your visit, invite your teen to think about the questions they would like to ask. Let them fill out their own paperwork when they arrive at the office. And when talking to the provider, let your child speak first. You can be in reserve.
Obviously, this is all for older teens. You can make it easier for your child to fulfill these responsibilities over the years, such as filling out forms together when they are younger, but giving older children a tablet and not prying unless they ask for help.
Do your homework before your visit
Before you sign up for your first appointment, you’ll want to know what kind of insurance you have. This is not just so you can hand over the card when the administrator asks: your insurance may only cover a fraction of the cost of the visit, and it may only cover you from certain (“on-chain”) providers. So you will need to plan for this.
So find out what insurance you have and make sure you have a copy of your insurance card. Find out how to enter your insurance company website. This will allow you to:
- Find hospitals, doctors, and other health care providers that are covered by your insurance.
- Find out what services and drugs are covered
- Find out how much you are paying out of pocket: your co-pay for each visit or prescription, and the deductible you must fulfill (if any) before insurance is triggered.
Fortunately, most routine preventative care is free, without touching a deduction, under the Affordable Care Act (which, yes, is still in effect for the foreseeable future.) Your physicals, birth control prescriptions and recommended tests and screenings will all fall into this is a category . As always, check with your insurance company for details.
How to find a doctor
Finding doctors on your insurance company’s website is a great starting point, and if you’re in a hurry, you can simply pick someone from this list.
But ideally, you will find a doctor you love and trust. Start by asking. Your friends and colleagues will have their own doctors, and hopefully at least one of them will like their doctor and tell you why.
Rating sites such as ZocDoc and Healthgrades can provide more information about what the provider does and what patients think of them. Yelp also has doctor reviews.
If you already have a healthcare professional you are seeing, ask if they can recommend someone. For example, I found a pediatric pediatrician on the recommendation of a midwife.
How to make an appointment
Even in 2017, you still have to make phone calls if you want to make an appointment. (However, large hospital systems often have handy online tools, so it’s worth checking if you can make an appointment without talking to the person if that’s your preference.)
When you call, start the conversation with a simple “I want to make an appointment”. Or, if you want to make it clear that you are new to this, you can say, “Are you accepting new patients?”
After that, be prepared to describe in one sentence why you want to see a doctor. Don’t name the rare conditions you’ve read about on Google and don’t go on to detail the symptoms for several weeks. Just put the most important part of your problem in simple terms: “I’ve been coughing for the last week and I think it’s getting worse.” Or, “My period was very hard and painful, and I am worried something is wrong.” Or “I have to get tested.”
After that, you will need to answer the questions (have your insurance card handy) and choose a time to make an appointment. Plan to arrive early, even if you suspect you will have to wait; in many offices, if you are late, you will have to reschedule another time.
Before heading to the office, take a moment to gather some information. Do you know your family’s health history? What is your personal history of operations and conditions that have been delivered to you? What are the names of any medications you are taking (including over-the-counter drugs and “natural” supplements)? If not, take a moment to figure it out. Call Mom if this is what you need to do for history questions. Call your previous doctor’s office if there is a record they need to send on your new document. Then write it down on paper or on your phone so you don’t forget.
When visiting, ask questions
Your job as a patient is not to succumb to questioning and then just sit and absorb the doctor’s wisdom. Plan ahead of time what information you want your provider to know and what questions you need answers to.
For example, it is fair to explain that you are worried that your condition may be serious because you have a family history of this serious condition. (You will complete the questionnaire, but there is no guarantee that your doctor will go over it in detail before meeting with you.) And perhaps your questions include things like “Should I stay home after the trip I have planned for next week? ” or “I live with young children, is my infection a danger to them?” Your document won’t necessarily guess that you have these questions, so be sure to speak up.
Be honest with any questions they ask, even if it means admitting that you smoke weed, sometimes have unprotected sex, or have a really bad memory of taking your medication. All of these have a bearing on your health and your conversation is confidential.
It’s okay to take notes, although you’ll usually receive a few notes and reminders before you leave. When talking with your doctor, make sure you fully understand what he is talking about and what this means for your health. All of the questions below are fair game and your doctor will not think you are a strange or difficult question:
- What are the risks and benefits of this treatment / medicine that you recommend?
- What will we do differently if we get a positive or negative result on this test?
- (If they say you need more tests before making a diagnosis) What do you think this might be and what are we trying to rule out?
If they use a word you don’t know, ask for clarification. And at the end of the conversation, repeat what you understand in the situation and your next steps. Better to clear up the misunderstanding now so that at 8 p.m. you don’t wonder if you should start taking your medicine today or tomorrow.
Working with the medical system can be confusing, but it helps to be prepared and never be afraid to ask questions. You will get used to it over time, but the first step is to make that call (or online appointment recording) that you put off, so feel free to start.