S1 Ep 6 - Taking to the Streets of Portland to Ask People About Their Experience with Doctors and Healthcare

In the season 1 finale of Third Opinion MD podcast, I’m taking to the streets of Portland, Oregon with my friend and colleague, Alisha Harrington, to speak to real people about their experiences with the healthcare system. You see, I strongly believe that true healing comes from real listening, and I wanted to hear the unfiltered stories of people in everyday settings. Alisha and I visited food carts and a local park and interviewed people about their experiences with doctors and healthcare.

I know that many of their stories will sound familiar to you, and you may have experienced something similar in interacting with the healthcare system. In this episode, I’m also sharing 8 “dos and don’ts” for you to use on your own healthcare journey, so you can get the best results possible. You can find these listed below, as well.

Read the full show notes, and transcript on my website.

Some of my pearls of wisdom around how to best interact with your healthcare system:

• Write down the specific department, and the direct phone number for the doctor you are working with, or have been referred to. It’s easy to get lost in a phone tree or get bounced around in referrals.
• Request and keep a copy of your health records, preferably every year or six months. Read through them. Ask questions or ask for revisions if something is incorrect or no longer accurate about your current health status. Maintain your records because you will likely change doctors. In being your own best advocate, it’s important that you also keep the records and understand your own health history.
• Remain calm and in control of your emotions when you are working with people in healthcare. It’s reasonable to be frustrated and feel overwhelmed. For the best care, keep to the golden rule of “treat others as you’d like to be treated.” It goes a long way with doctors who are limited by time to engage with you..
• Don't let insurance coverage dictate what you should do for your health. Self care is the key to supplementing what insurance won't.
• Use the Patient Elevator Speech to use your time at your doctor’s appointment wisely and efficiently. You’ll want to consider 10 points, some of which include:

1. When your symptoms started, and where they are located (pain, nausea, anxiety, etc).
2. The quality and intensity of a symptom, especially regarding pain.
3. What you were doing when the symptoms started.
4. If there is anything that makes the symptoms better or worse.
5. If you’ve had the symptoms before (a prior episode).

Resources

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Download the full Patient Elevator Speech