You Need a Medical Quarterback
One of the things I'm looking forward to most with Proactive Path Medicine is being truly plugged into everything happening with each patient's specialist team. This is difficult in the traditional primary care world.
Here's a scenario that probably sounds familiar. You see your cardiologist, endocrinologist, and rheumatologist in the months leading up to your primary care appointment. You arrive at your PCP visit and spend the first 10 minutes relaying all the interim updates. Things get missed. Details get left out. It's like a game of telephone. You're almost out of time (it's only 15 minutes after all), and you barely have a chance to talk about the issue that's really bothering you.
Coordinating care between physicians feels pretty much impossible when it's done with a combination of notes in the chart, paper faxes, and 15-minute appointments. Here's how I'm doing it differently.
We're going to spend 30 to 60 minutes together at our appointments. This gives us much more time to go into detail and review what has been going on since your last visit.
I will have time in between our visits to stay up to date with your specialists. I plan to build a network of specialists I know and trust and communicate with regularly. I can join your specialist appointment by phone if it helps.
