Building Your Own Personal Dream Team of Support
I am a woman with complex medical concerns, and for years, I worked with people navigating complex medical concerns. One of the biggest challenges after obtaining an accurate diagnosis is securing a partner in care. I began my healthcare career in a large, multi-specialty health system. That’s where I learned how complicated health insurance is. Then I worked as a health policy fellow for a nonprofit patient advocacy group. That’s where I learned how expensive medical care is and how hard it is to find quality care. Later, I worked as a patient advocate in the biotech industry, helping people living with rare, chronic, difficult-to-treat conditions navigate the healthcare system and access the treatments they needed. Part of that meant putting the right team in place to help maximize the individual’s health and wellbeing. So with the complexity of insurance, the cost of care, and the difficulty in accessing quality care, where in the world do you begin?
Step ONE
Assess Your Current Health
I am a woman with complex medical concerns, and for years, I worked with people navigating complex medical concerns. One of the biggest challenges after obtaining an accurate diagnosis is securing a partner in care. I began my healthcare career in a large, multi-specialty health system. That’s where I learned how complicated health insurance is. Then I worked as a health policy fellow for a nonprofit patient advocacy group. That’s where I learned how expensive medical care is and how hard it is to find quality care. Later, I worked as a patient advocate in the biotech industry, helping people living with rare, chronic, difficult-to-treat conditions navigate the healthcare system and access the treatments they needed. Part of that meant putting the right team in place to help maximize the individual’s health and wellbeing. So with the complexity of insurance, the cost of care, and the difficulty in accessing quality care, where in the world do you begin?
Step Two
Select the Provider
The second step is to choose the specific provider, and this can be a challenge. You must decide if you want to see a traditional primary care provider or a functional or integrative medicine provider. You must consider whether the provider accepts your insurance and how convenient their office is to your home. Ideally, they have a proactive, rather than reactive view of health. By this I mean, they go above and beyond to keep you well and protect your health by catching early signs and addressing root causes of disease, not just medicating symptoms. Bonus if your appointment with them is longer than 15 minutes, and they have a good bedside manner. Functional Medicine Providers are hands down my go-to for primary care. You can find one in your area by visiting the Institute for Functional Medicine and conducting a search.
A psychiatrist can assess, diagnose and prescribe medications. You’ll need one if you’re considering medication to treat chronic mental health symptoms. A therapist specializes in talk and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and can help people work through trauma, address difficult relationships, and build a tool kit for better managing stress. Finding someone qualified and empathetic who is the right fit is challenging, and many people give up. I did it many times over the years. But when you find the right person to hold space for you, someone who is a true partner in your care, it can make all the difference as life challenges are navigated.
Step Three
Make and Keep the Appointment
This can be tricky in mental health. We make appointments when we’re feeling poorly, then cancel because we’re feeling better, or worse, cancel because we’re having trouble with Activities of Daily Living and can’t muster the energy to keep it. Once you’ve committed to putting together your healthcare team, keep that promise to yourself and keep the appointment, no matter what!
Step Four
Prepare For the Appointment
Finally, time with HCPs is valuable and it’s important to maximize the facetime you have. Spend time in the days and weeks before your appointment making a note (an actual written or phone note) of symptoms you’d like to discuss, current medications and how they’re making you feel, labs you’d like drawn or interpreted, any reputable research you’ve done on your own, and questions you want to be sure are answered before you leave. Medical appointments can be nerve-wrecking and providers can talk and move fast, looking at their watches in attempts to rush you and stay on schedule. You made and waited for this appointment, traveled for it, and paid for their time. Prepare for the appointment so that you feel good about it when you leave.
One of the first steps in implementing the 5 Pillars of good Brain Health, is to find treatment providers to support you on your journey. Invest the time it takes to research your health condition and the providers who treat it, take the opportunity to consider what you are looking for in a provider. Do you want to lead your care team and weigh in on the approach and need her to provide expert guidance and coordination, or are you looking for someone to prescribe an action plan for you? Be clear on your goals and preferences, make the appointment even if you’re feeling well right now, prepare and keep the appointment …let me know how it goes!
