How to Be Your Own Best Advocate
By Ailene Gerhardt, MA, BCPA, CSA®, Founder, Beacon Patient Solutions LLC & Navigating Solo Network
Effectively navigating today’s healthcare system can be complicated, stressful, draining, and confusing. As healthcare consumers, we make choices about our health and health care every day. Here are some strategies for choosing the right provider’s office and effectively advocating for yourself:
REMEMBER: You Are The Most Important Member of Your Healthcare Team
While medical providers (doctors, nurses, therapists, other healthcare professionals) are knowledgeable about conditions, medications, treatments, approaches to good health and more, YOU are the ONLY expert about YOU! You live in your body 24 hours a day. You know when something doesn’t quite feel right and if something has changed. It is important to remember that when you speaking with a healthcare provider, there are 2 experts in the room and what you have to say matters.
To Be An Effective Advocate You Need to:
• Understand Who Your Are and What You’re Comfortable With; What You Can Do and What Is Needed
• Explore Barriers to Effective Advocacy
• Know How to Prepare For A Medical Appointment & How to Put Your Skills and Plan to Work
Consider What You Know About Yourself: Are You Comfortable Being:
• Open to new information and perspectives?
• Proactive? Accountable? Organized?
• Inquisitive? Assertive, but not Aggressive?
• Direct, Respectful, and Confident?
• Are you comfortable with using/learning current technologies?
• What is your confrontation style? Are you able to navigate bias and redirect the conversation?
Know yourself. Ask for what you need. Ask again.
What Do You Need To Consider When Choosing A Medical Provider’s Office?
Some Things to Consider Include: Is it a diverse and comfortable office? Does it have a friendly and accepting staff? Does it have attentive and informed practitioners?
Create your own list: Think about what’s most important to you in a health care provider. Make some notes of your vision of what a good health care practitioner is like.
What Do You Need To Consider When Choosing A Medical Provider?
Here are some things to think about as you’re looking for a provider:
Do you feel more comfortable talking with a male or female provider about sensitive health issues?
Do you prefer someone warm and casual or someone with a more business-like demeanor?
What qualifications are important to you?
Consider your first visit with a new doctor a trial visit. After your initial appointment, ask yourself these questions:
Did you feel at ease asking questions?
Did the doctor reply in a way that you could understand?
Did you feel like he or she really listened to your concerns and your feedback?
Did you feel respected? Did you feel rushed?
If you weren’t satisfied with the visit, try another provider. It will be worth it over the long run.
Tips for Preparing for Your Medical Appointment:
When Scheduling Your Appointment: Confirm Details About Your Health Insurance; If applicable, ask for an Interpreter; If you have an important question let the office know ahead of time
Before you go to your appointment: Create a plan: List and prioritize your concerns and goals, Note other health and life changes since your last visit
Gather information to take with you: Contact information for all of your doctors, Insurance cards, Medical history, Medications List (prescriptions, over-the-counter pills, vitamins, supplements, eye drops)
Bring: Writing Materials (pen, paper/notebook) reading glasses, hearing aids
What Is The Most Important Question A Patient Should Ask?
In the medical realm especially, it’s always important to reassess the why. The best way to get there and be the most empowered advocate for yourself or a loved one would be always question the why you are doing certain things, in particular the scenarios that seem so routine but the reasoning escapes you. This doesn’t mean being adversarial or exclusively looking for a wrong answer. It simply involves being engaged and curious.
It is Also Important to Make Sure You Avoid Barriers to Effective Healthcare Advocacy which include:
Being unprepared; Fearing retaliation; Being aggressive; Being unaware of your rights; Having unrealistic expectations; Being unwilling to listen to other people or to explore alternate solutions; Feeling inferior or less educated than those with whom you have to deal; Having English as your second language and not having an interpreter present; Not wearing your hearing aids or glasses.
Navigating healthcare effectively requires a commitment to preparation, seeking knowledge and support, and knowing how to access reliable resources. It is important that each patient view themselves as the most important member of their healthcare team. Knowing how to take control of healthcare decisions can significantly impact a patient’s medical/health outcome.
Connect With Us: When the complexity of your healthcare situation is too challenging to navigate on your own, working with an independent board certified patient advocate can help cut through the “red tape,” reduce complications, and offer peace of mind at an emotional time. Contact Ailene to learn more about the value of working with a private patient advocate.