Five Ways to Make the Most of Any Physician Visit Presented by - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Five Ways to Make the Most of Any Physician Visit Presented by Jacquelyn L. Allen, DO

Basics • Arrive on Time • Have insurance card and provider updated if needed • Schedule with your primary care physician (PCP) if at all possible

#1 - What type of visit was scheduled? • Annual wellness/preventative visit • Follow up visit and medication check • Sick visit • Medicare annual wellness visit

Why does this matter? • All providers have different templates • Different time allotment based on type of visit • Varying expectations and coverage • Limited access for certain types of visits in order to make the day manageable for both patient and provider

Annual Wellness/Preventative Visit • Full physical exam including pap smear for women if needed • Review of recommended screening tests including pap smear, mammogram, colonoscopy, bone density and blood work • Review and update of immunizations • Medication review • Review of STABLE chronic medical conditions

Follow up and Medication Check • Review of chronic medical conditions • Update medication list • Discuss stability of medical conditions • Make changes necessary with medications and/or follow up testing • Order/review laboratory results

Sick Visit • Evaluation of an ACUTE problem or illness • Most of the time this will not include evaluation of chronic conditions or chronic medications • If this visit is not with your PCP it is difficult to appropriately review and manage chronic conditions

Medicare Annual Wellness • Medicare (not replacement plans) • Survey and health questionnaire • Review of appropriate recommended screening tests • Review and update immunizations • This does NOT include management/follow up of chronic conditions and medications

Medicare Replacement Plans • Survey and health questionnaire • Full physical exam • Review of appropriate recommended screening tests • Update to immunizations • Review of STABLE chronic conditions and medications

Do I have a co-pay? • The annual wellness visit or annual physical is considered a preventative visit • If there are new conditions or concerns at the time of the visit there may be an additional visit billed which can result in a copay • Medicare Annual wellness visit is often done at the time of a follow up visit for chronic conditions and they are billed separately (except those with replacement plans)

#2 – Come Prepared What to bring • Updated list of medications to include all medications AND • supplements/vitamins that you are taking List of any new diagnoses or changes in your health • List of specialists that you see and what conditions they are managing • List of concerns that you would like to have addressed •

#3 – Limit Concerns • Too many concerns will limit the amount of time that a provider can commit to each one • This can result in the patient feeling like we are not adequately addressing your concerns • Both providers and patients want to have things addressed thoroughly and don’t want to feel rushed

#4 – Ask Questions • Voice any concerns or questions you have • Take notes or ask the provider to write things down • SIGN UP FOR THE PATIENT PORTAL!

#5 – Follow up • Schedule recommended follow up appointments • Most chronic conditions should have follow up at least every 6 months • Wellness visits are once per year – check with insurance to determine if it is once per calendar year or if it has to be at least 365 days later than the last

Follow up • New diagnoses and medications will often require follow up sooner than more stable conditions • When in doubt…..make an appointment

Contact Information: Jacquelyn Allen, DO Advent Health Primary Care 913-789-1980