You and your doctor are a team, working closely together —asking questions, listening carefully and following doctor’s advice—for your health.
Q: What should I do before my visit to the doctor’s office?
- Make a list of your questions and concerns.
- Make a list of all the medications you are taking including prescription and non-prescription drugs, vitamins, and other natural remedies.
- Ask a friend or family member to come with you, if you think it will be helpful.
Q: What should I do During my visit to the doctor’s office?
- Go over your list of questions or concerns with your doctor or nurse, asking your most important questions first.
- Discuss your symptoms if you have a health problem, and any recent changes you may have noticed.
- Describe any allergies to medications, foods, pollen or other things.
- Talk to your doctor about your family’s health history.
- Tell your doctor if you are being treated by other doctors.
- Ask questions about prescriptions, treatments and test results.
- Take notes to help you remember everything your doctor says and any instructions.
Q: What should I do after my visit to the doctor’s office?
- Follow up to get your test results by calling and asking for your results if you do not hear from your doctor.
Q: Who pays for my care?
Sometimes, when you go to the doctor you may be told that you have to submit your own insurance claim form.
This means that the doctor does not ask the health insurance company to pay for your bill and you must do so. If you have to file your own health insurance claim here are the steps you will need to take along with some helpful tips on submitting your insurance claim form:
Q: I need help filling my health insurance form, can you assist me?
1. Obtain Itemized Receipts: You will need to ask your doctor for an itemized bill.
2. Get Your Claim Form: You will need to contact your insurance company to obtain a health insurance claim form. The claim form should be fairly self-explanatory to fill out
3. Make Copies: Once you have your claim form filled out and your itemized bills from your doctor, don’t forget to make copies of everything. This will eliminate any errors that may be made in the claim process and make it easier for you to re-file your health insurance claim if it gets lost.
4. Review then Send: To make sure everything is completely accurate, call your health insurance company and tell them you are about to send in your health insurance claim form. Review with them all the paperwork you have and ask them if there is anything else you need. Also, ask your insurance company how long should you expect to wait for your claim to be paid and mark that date on your calendar.