If you feel like doctor visits are consuming your life, you’re not alone. Those on Medicare who have two chronic conditions come in contact with the health care system an average of 33 days per year, according to the Dartmouth Atlas Project, an initiative that has been tracking Medicare data for more than 20 years. That means some seniors spend more than one month annually managing their health care in some capacity.
Julie Bynum, associate professor of medicine at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and a doctor herself, says there are vast differences nationwide in how many days people spend managing their care. “It can go as high as 45 [days],” she says. “If you think about it as business days, that’s nine weeks.”
She argues all that time in the system might not be necessary. “What’s the difference in places that are using a lot more [days]?” she asks. In some cases, the answer may be institutional, and reducing days in the system may require health care providers and facilities to make changes. However, patients aren’t helpless in the face of mounting medical needs.
[Read: 8 Ways to Get Help Paying (or Cutting) Medical Bills and Drug Costs.]
Here are six ways people can save both time and money when it comes to managing their health care.
Have a main medical point of contact. The biggest challenge facing patients today may be the number of providers managing their care. On average, the Dartmouth Atlas Project found Medicare beneficiaries saw 3.4 different clinicians in 2012. What’s more, those clinicians, which could include both primary care workers and specialists, may not be communicating with one another.
“It’s a very fragmented system,” says John Park, chief strategy officer for consumer-directed health care solutions provider Alegeus. As a result, it may be up to the patient to ensure physicians are kept in the loop.
Bynum recommends patients have one physician who serves as a central hub for all their care. “Who is the quarterback?” she says. This doctor should receive copies of all care reports from other doctor’s offices. Typically, a primary care physician will serve in this capacity, but it could also be a specialist, depending on a person’s health conditions.
To learn which doctor is the logical choice to serve as that medical quarterback, Bynum suggests that patients ask their physicians this question: “If I get pneumonia, do I call you, or do I call someone else?” The answer will help direct you to your primary provider.
Then, make sure that doctor knows you are using them as such. Specialists, in particular, are used to dealing with only specific aspects of care, so it’s crucial a doctor knows and consents to being your main care coordinator if he or she is to be effective in that role.
Try to consolidate visits. People with chronic conditions may have to see various specialists, and there may be no way around making separate visits. However, it could be possible to consolidate appointments to the same day if offices are nearby. Not only could that limit the number of days a patient needs to set aside for their care, but it also ensures information is fresh in a person’s mind in case he or she needs to share details with other providers.
Another way to consolidate care is to ask whether one test or lab procedure can be used by multiple physicians. For example, if a person knows his or her primary care physician orders regular blood draws to monitor thyroid function and the cardiologist requests an annual check of cholesterol, it may be possible to fill those two requests with only one visit to a lab.
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Use providers within the same network. Although every health care system is different, using providers within the same network may allow for easier and greater sharing of medical data. Doctors and specialists affiliated with the same hospital or physician group may be able to pull up records and notes from visits at other facilities. This may result in fewer duplicated services between providers.
Carry your medical records. If it’s not possible or preferable to use doctors within the same network, patients can make information sharing easier by carrying their medical information with them to visits.
“They can come to their visit with a list of their doctors,” Bynum says. Then each doctor will know what other conditions are being treated. Even better, patients could bring copies of their medical records or reports from recent visits to other providers.
Bynum says expecting patients — particularly older ones — to maintain and carry a large number of records could be unrealistic. However, technology may be making that easier. The Medicare Blue Button, for example, allows beneficiaries to easily download and save all their claims data.
Shop for the best value. People haven’t traditionally treated health care the same as other consumer products, Park says. Research from Alegeus shows that only 54 percent of people in 2016 approach health care with the same mindset they use when buying a car or a TV. Those who fail to shop around may pay more for services or receive subpar care.
Mitch Rothschild, chairman of Vitals.com, says health insurance websites are a “spectacularly underused” source of information for health plan members. “Our estimate is only 8 to 9 percent of Americans use them,” he says. Health plan websites can be useful for determining out-of-pocket costs and finding in-network specialists.
[Read: Should Health Care Work Like Priceline?]
When it comes to saving time, patients may need to use a third-party website to find the information they need. A number of companies, including Vitals.com, are vying to become the health care version of the popular rating site Yelp. Visitors can leave ratings and reviews of providers, which can help others pinpoint which doctors are efficient and which are known for long wait times and a poor bedside manner.
Enlist an advocate. “Most patients operate in a passive mode,” Rothschild says. They don’t ask questions or take an active role in managing their care. Often, this may be because the health care system can be overwhelming, especially if a person is also dealing with the emotional and physical effects of chronic conditions.
In that case, having an advocate can simplify the process of getting care as efficiently as possible. An advocate could be a trusted friend or relative who is familiar with the health care system or a professional assigned by a provider or insurance company.
Some medical facilities will assign care navigators to patients who require complex care, such as those diagnosed with cancer. Meanwhile, some health plans have care coordinators available to those with multiple chronic conditions. These workers are tasked with ensuring patients receive appropriate care as efficiently as possible to prevent small conditions from ballooning into larger, more costly ones.
Saving time and money managing medical expenses requires effort on the part of patients, but it can be worthwhile on many fronts. “What we’ve found is when people are more engaged in the process, it creates efficiencies as well as a better experience,” Park says.
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How to Save Time and Money Managing Multiple Doctor Visits originally appeared on usnews.com
