O P I N I O N
Do you ever feel like the Pied Piper of healthcare professionals? It’s a beautiful day and you’re skipping along the path of life playing your magic flute as all your healthcare providers join the line behind you?
Now that I have joined the Medicare masses, I find more and more of these professional folks joining me along my path, bringing me deeper into the – oh no! – the “medical bureaucracy.”
The reason this all came up is that I had to fill out a form listing all the healthcare professionals I see, with their names, addresses, phone numbers. Not having written them down, I scrambled with my cell phone to uncover as many as I could, but probably forgot a few.
Just thinking about the healthcare professional I see regularly gives me a headache, even if it’s only yearly, for, say, a mammogram. In addition to the PCP that most insurance companies require you to choose, take a look at the following list to see how many healthcare professionals are on your “team.”
There are typical healthcare team members that we use (and often talk about with each other to see how they differ, who may be better, etc.): our PCP, physical therapist, chiropractor, podiatrist, dermatologist, dentist, audiologist, gynecologist, surgeon (orthopedic, vascular, neuro, oral, thoracic, plastic), pharmacist, ophthalmologist.
And there are those whom we add to our team as we move along life’s road (“Put me in coach!”): a pain management professional, a cardiologist team, nutritionist/dietician, endodontist, registered massage therapist, otolaryngologist (ENT), psychiatrist, psychopharmacologist, urologist, neurologist, oncologist, hematologist, nephrologist, gastroenterologist, pulmonologist, endodontist, periodontist, rheumatologist, occupational specialist, allergist, endocrinologist, geriatrician, sleep disorders specialist, cupping therapist, physiatrist, hepatologist, homeopathic doctor, or acupressurist.
And don’t forget those specialized folks we occasionally access: trichologist (hair and scalp issues), reiki practitioner, sports medicine specialist, kinesiologist, hydrotherapist, biofeedback therapist, aromatherapist, physiotherapist, myofascial release therapist, lymphatic drainage therapist, and applied kinesiology practitioner — all happy to bring you into the office to meet your individual needs through their specific specialties.
I wish I could come up with something that would tell us how we’re doing health-wise if we had, say, 10, 20, or 30 healthcare providers. It wouldn’t be based on anything scientific but could be fun. Say, if you had under 10 providers, hey, you’re doing great (or you could possibly be a male who doesn’t go to the doctor)! 10-20 providers, you’re taking good care of yourself. Thirty or more, you are certainly taking good care of yourself and your providers are very happy.
Sometimes I wish I could kick a provider or two off my team. But what would happen should I need them!!! Breathe in, breathe out. Their office is sure to welcome back a former patient.
