How to Make the Most out of Your Doctor Visit

Medical visits are often rushed and inefficient. To make the most of your medical visits, I have 25 recommendations for you. As a medical provider, these are things that I wish everyone knew. In fact, they are what I tell most of my patients.

There are a number of things you can do to make the most of your clinic visit.

1. Please bring in your bag of medicines on most visits or an updated list, especially if you see more than one doctor. Drug reactions and interactions are very common. This includes over the counter and herbal remedies too.

2. Please get to your visit on time, but bring a good book or magazine. We do our best to be on time but with one 30 minute emergency, we are late for the whole day!

3. Please fill out any forms in entirety. Do not make your provider write your name, address, birth day, social security number, etc. It will take longer for them to do it and to make time for it. It will look less overwhelming if most of it is filled out and we will feel like we can do it quicker and easier.

4. Please schedule appointment instead of walking in for routine visits. You need to be specific with reason for appointment. If it is something that embarrasses you then make some thing up. When the doc comes in the room and says “So you are coughing”, just fess up and say "I am really here for something else". Believe me, we understand. If you have a one hour agenda but a 15 minute visit, then your visit will not be to your pleasing. Or worse, if your provider rushes and tries to accommodate you with multiple issues, they may make a mistake and at the least may delay later visits that day for others. If you have chest pain, do not finish a full visit for something else and then at end of visit say “What about my chest pain?” We can not ignore that complaint and for all involved, we should deal with it earlier as the prioritized problem. Another tip with appointments is to make an appointment as the first patient of morning or afternoon, then you will not have to wait much.