|
kayjay
|
Print When looking for care providers!
A check list is a MUST! Often times when looking for primary care physician's (PCP's), paediatrician's or specialists we make appointments for consultations, arrive and find ourselves struggling with all the questions we wanted to ask, or worse to find out that our insurance coverage is not accepted, after waiting 3 months to get an appointment. To avoid wasting energy and time, I have found that the initial phone call to the office to schedule an appointment is a wonderful time to gather information and become organized and ask the following 10 strong questions in a check list format while remembering to check them off as you ask them, this has helped me immensely.
Here are my suggestions as to the first ten questions to ask:
When calling to set up a consultation, the FIRST question should be: Does your office accept my insurance, and will there be a co-payment for my visit?
Do you have satellite offices, which may be closer to my home?
What days and hours do you have appointments available?
What is your office policy on cancellations within 24 hours, and if there is a fee, would you be willing to waive it in the event that due to the variability of my children's diagnosis of Mitochondrial Disease I/we may have to cancel repetitively due to unexpected moment to moment fast onset illness?
Do you or does your office have an email address for "non" medical/emergency questions?
What is your office's scheduling policy when (the dr. you have chosen), is unavailable to see you, due to it not being his/her "weekend on", or a rotating schedule, and who are his/her back up physicians?
What is your prescription policy for refills?
Are there any particular records which you would like me to bring?
On average how much time does your office allot for visits?
What is your policy if a "late" (more than 15 minutes) arrival occurs?
It is fascinating how much you can learn about a care provider and his/her office, and staff before even leaving your home. Occasionally at times if I feel that my answers gathered leave me feeling uneasy, I will continue my search, as the criteria I have set forth for scheduling 2 children with Mito and care providers is really important to me, and I don't want to waste energy and time, nor do I want to waste the time or energies of the care providers. Give it a shot! It works for us! |
