Making the Most Out of Doctor Visits

An effective relationship with a healthcare provider not only quickly treats your illnesses and injuries but also mitigates excess medical care costs. Let’s make the most out of our doctor visits to receive the proper medical care when absolutely necessary.

1. Visit your family physician first.	A visit to your family physician first is the smart move. A family physician can treat small issues as well as other doctors and write a referral to another physician when necessary for extensive medical treatments. Major hospitals do not add any special surcharges to patients who come with a referral from their family physician.
2. Undergo an examination during office hours	Healthcare providers add surcharges for examinations outside office hours, such as late at night and on holidays. Do your best to visit your doctor during office hours, unless you fall suddenly ill or face other unavoidable circumstances.
3. Receive a comprehensive billing statement.	Always receive a comprehensive billing statement or receipt when you visit a hospital. This billing statement or receipt is necessary to deduct medical care costs and will help you become more aware of your medical expenses.
4. Do not doctor shop	Some patients become worried and shop for doctors when treatments do not go as planned. Doctor shopping not only drives up medical costs 200% to 300% but can also exacerbate an illness with duplicate testing and medications. Communication with your current physician also helps with diagnosis and prevents needless medical transfers.
5. Take advantage of generic medications	A generic medication is a cheaper pharmaceutical product that comes to market after the patent expires on the original medication. Please consult with your doctor because a physician may not be able to provide a prescription for generic medicine depending on the illness or stance on generic medicines.
6. Manage and better your health!	Lifestyle diseases become difficult-to-treat chronic illnesses and require long-term medical care, which also drives up medical costs. Take care to better your health by living a life balancing a nutritious diet, rest, and exercise on a daily basis.

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