Making the Most Out of Your Doctor’s Appointment

The average American visits his or her doctor up to four times a year.  We are more prone to make appointments with our doctor when we are sick; and while your FMC Provider wants to care for you when you are ill, they also want to see you when you are well.  Well visits are times for your Provider to discuss preventative care like routine medical screenings, engage in proactive discussions about your aging health, and vaccinations. 

Making the most of your appointments is important and requires planning in advance. Many patients show up for their appointments believing they are ready to talk to their doctor, but get nervous and forget to ask questions or discuss key items they meant to when the Provider enters the room. There is actually a condition called “white coat syndrome” where patients experience a physical response causing blood pressure to rise while seeing a doctor, creating anxiety and fear and preventing meaningful discussions with the Provider.   Below are a few tips to ensure you make the most of your visits with your FMC Provider:

Make a list of all the things you want to talk about

Writing down all of your health concerns and questions is the best way to avoid letting anxiety cause you to forget things you wanted to ask your doctor.  You may have one specific concern, or multiple health issues. Have you had a change in your family history of a particular medical condition? Do you have a new pain in your stomach after eating? Have you been getting headaches more frequently? Do you feel dizzy, have back pain that is causing problems, or do you feel more tired than normal? Your symptoms may or may not be related, but giving the doctor all of your symptoms could be extremely helpful in approaching a diagnosis.  You may worry that your list is too short or too long; please don’t fret, your FMC Provider is here to listen.

Take notes during your appointment

During your visit with your FMC Provider, you may discuss many different items, especially if your list is lengthy.  Taking notes will help you remember what the doctor said during your visit.  Bringing a small notebook or taking notes on your smartphone is helpful. You can do this during the visit or immediately after the appointment ends.  You can also visit your Patient Portal (through the website) or Healow App on your smartphone to see a visit summary of every visit with your Provider. Your FMC Provider or Nurse may also provide supporting informational brochures or email virtual brochures per your request.  

Pro tip: Bring a trusted companion with you to your appointment to take notes for you. It not only helps to have someone else hear the conversation and interpret the details, but it also allows you to focus on the conversation with your doctor.     

Ask questions 

You have the right to ask all the questions on your list or ask for further clarification on anything the doctor says.  You may need to understand a medical term used by your FMC Provider about the diagnosis or treatment plan or you may need to ask for more information.  Patients are often hesitant to ask questions during a visit.  Your FMC Provider can always re-explain or provide more information.  There’s no reason to be embarrassed or worried if you need further explanation. Trust between patients and providers is of utmost importance to FMC.  We want your experience with us to be positive, transparent, and meaningful, every time.  

Follow-up items from your doctor

If your blood pressure was borderline high at the last visit, your doctor may have recommended ways to change your lifestyle to try to bring it down to normal.  Or maybe you had prediabetes at your last visit, or discussed your weight and the need to try to lose a few pounds.  If that’s the case, it’s good to follow up, even if you haven’t met your goals for lifestyle change. Maybe the first set of recommendations didn’t work for you, or maybe there are other specialists that you would benefit from seeing.  Your doctor can help you navigate these options.  And remember, your FMC Provider is a person, too! They are there to help guide you to be the healthiest you can be; they are not there to shame you or lecture you (although sometimes you may need tough love).   

If you have a chronic condition or ongoing medical issue

Whether you have a mild case of exercise-induced asthma, heart disease or diabetes, you may need regular check-in appointments.  If you have medical conditions that require medication or routine blood work, you may need to be seen more frequently.  The timing of how often you need to see your FMC Provider can vary depending on your condition and your treatment plan. At each visit, discuss how often you need to be seen; conditions can change over time and require more or less monitoring by your doctor.  Your FMC Provider may also suggest trackers that can be used at home and monitored on devices that automatically send updates to your Provider.  These trackers could help lower the amount of visits you need to make in person or could alert your Provider about an issue before you begin experiencing symptoms.  Remember, the final question during every doctor’s visit should be when to come back. 

A note about pre-visit prep

In addition to bringing your list of questions to your appointment, there are other ways to prepare for your visit that can help make your appointment smooth for both you and your FMC Provider.  Other things to bring include:

1. Insurance cards: Even though your new card may look exactly the same as the last one, it’s always a good idea to bring your newest insurance card to every appointment.  This will really help with referrals, prescriptions, screenings and billing.
2. Reports/results from specialists since your last visit: Although it’s likely that the specialist you saw since your last visit has already sent your FMC Provider a full report, it is still helpful to discuss the results, any new medications, or further action plans that were given to you by the specialist with your Provider.
3. List of medications: Your doctor will have a list of medications that have been prescribed to you.  But if you’ve had another Specialist or Practitioner prescribe or remove a medication, it’s a good idea to have a list with you.  You can also review your medication list on the Patient Portal or Healow App. A copy of your medications list will be provided to you at checkout during your next appointment.  
4. Your notes from your last visit:  This helps you remember what you discussed during your last visit and revisit conversations if needed.
5. Confirm your appointment time and arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.