For years now, data-analytical agencies have been conducting surveys of insurance patients, self-pay patients, healthcare providers who accept insurance and who don’t, in order to get a better understanding of what it is that each wants and needs from the other.

Consumer concerns are fairly well represented, usually shared on every news website known to mankind and even written into laws like the Affordable Care Act.

But what does your doctor need from you in order to serve you better?

This question is rarely asked in a public forum and it is even less likely to include an answer. In order for you to take full advantage of your self-pay patients status and your time with your healthcare providers consider the following. 

Respect in the Doctor’s Office is a Three Way Street

The number one reason for the long waits in a doctor’s office is the patients themselves. Because of high deductibles, patients are much less likely to go to the doctor, so when they finally do visit, they often bring up complaints from weeks or months before or try to cover a month’s worth of chronic condition issues. 

Doctor’s will stay with their patients and help them any way they are able. That puts the doctor in the position of either shutting down one patient that might need treatment for a serious condition or being late to the rest of their appointments for the day. What is the doctor to do?

Patients need to be respectful of each other and the doctor, and try to be more understanding when the doctor is running a little behind. Self-pay patients, on the other hand, are choosing a different approach to their health by taking the cost-control in their own hands and visiting doctors in a timely manner, making it easy for the doctor’s office and patients.

Complete Honesty is a Must, On Everything

Everyone understands that some things are just plain embarrassing and you don’t want to talk about it or maybe sometimes you just forget to do something your doctor ordered. However, being completely honest with your doctor is the only way to ensure that you get the best care possible.

Be sure to tell your doctor everything, including not taking all your medication and even the most embarrassing little detail of your illness. You might be surprised to know that something that seems as minor as “a little gas” can completely change your diagnosis and treatment. Don’t forget to include anything you take over the counter, such as cold medicine.

Understand that Your Weight Does Matter Medically

Your doctor is not trying to define beauty for you when he asks or comments on your weight. Being too thin or too heavy puts you at much greater risk for issues, such as heart diseases, mental illness, organ failure, and even cancer.

When you are in the doctor’s office, the issues weight has nothing to do with body image, no one is trying to embarrass you or shame you about your weight. Your doctor really does have your best interests and your best health at heart.

Health Beyond Insurance is All About The Doctor-Patient Relationship

The relationship you have with your doctor is one of the most important ones you will ever have. You have to be able to trust the doctor and the care they give. HBI ensures that you can find the doctor you can feel that kind of trust with. Find the providers you need for all your health care.