You’re the CEO of your own body. If you feel your healthcare is not what you’d like it to be, you need to find a new doctor. The following guide will help you interview a new doctor or other healthcare staff members.
Why You Must Interview Your Next Doctor
Interviewing your next doctor is not something you might consider. It’s something you need to do. Although your health insurance concierge or coworker might mean well, they don’t need to live with the long and short-term consequences of your choice of a medical professional. Another reason to interview your doctor is that you need to have a solid working relationship with them.
It doesn’t bode well for a long-term partnership if you can’t carry on an introductory-level conversation with them. It would be best if you had someone you can be honest with and who will be honest with you in a communication style you easily understand.
Why a Competent Doctor Won’t Be Offended
Doctors are used to answering questions. At Integrative Chiropractic, we anticipate new patient’s needs by scheduling them for a consultation. You need to know that not every doctor will be right for you. Please use your consultation time to ask questions. A competent doctor won’t be offended. All of the Drs. Russell will be pleased to answer your questions.
Learning About a Prospective Doctor’s Background
While every doctor has completed some form of chiropractic or medical school, there are huge variations in terms of the quality of their preparation. At a minimum, you need to ask what degree they have and how long they have been practicing. Many doctors also have additional post-graduate credentials. These include specialties such as the:
- Graston Technique
- Sports Injury Correction and Prevention
- Applied Kinesiology
- Toggle Technique
Asking About Treatment Philosophy
Every doctor will have their own treatment philosophy. At Integrative Chiropractic, for example, we have a holistic approach. When you visit our office, we see you as a dynamic individual, not just a diagnostic code or a particular spinal misalignment.
The Integrative Chiropractic Approach
When you’re at our Hoover, AL office, any assessment we perform or education we provide is only the beginning of your care. Since everyday choices shape your health, you’ll need to make better choices each day to improve it. Whether you need to perform prescribed exercises or stick to a recommended eating plan, lifestyle change is at the heart of your health change.
Other doctors may uphold a more traditional approach to healthcare. While diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices are still important, holistic health doesn’t have the same level of focus. Historically, doctors have been for sick people. Many doctors still follow this model and prescribe medications to mask symptoms instead of finding the underlying cause of an ailment.
Finding Out About Treatment Failures
Everyone loves to celebrate success, but most people learn more from failure. If you’re interviewing a prospective doctor, you can learn a lot about their character, treatment philosophy, and approach by finding out about their treatment failures. Chiropractic medicine is based on science, but not every approach works well for every person. If the doctor you’re interviewing has been practicing for more than a year or two, they probably have at least one instance in which treatment didn’t work as they had hoped. While confidentiality laws might bar them from sharing many details, you can still ask how they have handled treatment failure in the past.
Getting an Estimated Timeframe
Once you’ve found a doctor that you can work with, you need to ask what to expect from treatment. While everyone’s body will respond to therapy differently, you are still human, and a competent doctor will be able to tell you an average timeframe for treatment. The detail of this estimate will vary depending on their experience and the complexity of your issue.
Learning if They’re Willing to Work With Your Existing Team
If you have an occupational therapist you enjoy working with for your adult autism spectrum disorder, you have every right to know if a potential doctor will work with your preferred specialist. Remember, you’re in charge of your healthcare, and you need everyone on your healthcare team to work together. If you live in the greater Birmingham area, call us at 205-637-1363. We’d love to schedule a consultation to get to know you better.
