While healthcare in the United States is often the topic of a heated political debate, there is one subject within it that irks patients and healthcare practitioners alike: time. One of the biggest problems with healthcare right now is the lack of time. Providers are finding their schedules limited while patients are having trouble booking…
While healthcare in the United States is often the topic of a heated political debate, there is one subject within it that irks patients and healthcare practitioners alike: time.
One of the biggest problems with healthcare right now is the lack of time. Providers are finding their schedules limited while patients are having trouble booking enough face-to-face time with their clinicians to help address their issues. Although the lack of time was a problem well before the covid-19 pandemic arrived, the issue in the healthcare industry has compounded since the onset of the pandemic.
No Time to Talk
A patient survey conducted by The Physicians Foundation in 2017, found that only 11% of patients and 14% of physicians felt they had enough time to meet the standards of care. Shortage of face-to-face time is an obvious issue in the industry and has been for years.
Dr. Michael Sprintz, Founder and CEO of the Sprintz Center for Pain and Recovery compounded on this issue, “The biggest problem that we have as providers is that we don’t have enough time. We don’t have enough time to spend with you the way that we want to in order to talk about what’s going on and get all the information that we need and really listen.”
Economically, providers are having to see more patients per day to make revenue and ensure their employees get paid. In order to do this, many clinics are shrinking the amount of time allotted per patient so that they can see more patients throughout the day. According to Dr. Sprintz, this is an unpopular outcome, “…I know that the vast majority of providers, we hate this. It’s the reality of the healthcare system right now.”
The current economics of the healthcare system is forcing providers to add onto their already packed schedules. To make the most of the limited time patients have with their provider, patients must do more to advocate for their own healthcare.
Patience and the Main Point
Dr. Sprintz said the best solution is to clearly and directly state the root issue and reason for the visit. This is key to not only helping the clinician understand but also improving your own health.
Informing the provider of the main problem first not only respects the provider’s time but also yours.
Additionally, it is vital for patients to ensure the provider clearly understands the exact issue, says Dr. Sprintz. Getting on the same page by pausing and re-explaining if necessary, helps the provider fully understand the scope of the issue. “That allows the provider to explain to you what they believe is the problem that you came there for,” explained Dr. Sprintz. And at the end, saying a thank you to the provider certainly won’t hurt.
Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy can be a game-changer in driving the healthcare industry forward. You are your best advocate. By clearly explaining and advocating for yourself within the short amount of time allotted, you can improve your relationship with your doctor and improve your health. While time is an obvious issue, self-advocacy can help alleviate it.
Video TranscriptExpand ↓
Hi, I'm Doctor. Michael Sprince and today I'm here to talk with you about something that's really important as it relates to medicine these days. So recently, my wife and I went and took a friend to the hospital to get some medical care. And what was amazing for me was seeing the trouble and the struggle that they had in getting the healthcare that they needed in a way of advocacy for themselves. What I wanted to talk about today was how to be your own advocate. And this is really, really important in today's healthcare world. The biggest problem that we have as providers is we don't have enough time. We don't have enough time to spend with you the way that we want to in order to talk about what's going on and get all the information that we need and really listen. And the biggest complaint I've always heard from patients is that, you know, my doctor doesn't listen to me. So what I want to talk about today is how to be your own advocate and how to help improve communication with your provider. In a separate video, I'll talk to providers on how we as providers can really show up for you as a patient and even though we may not have as much time as we'd like, these are advice and suggestions on how a provider would be able to, show up for you as a patient. So today, I'm going to talk for you as a patient on how to be the best advocate for your own health care. So the first thing really is about communication and because we know that a provider doesn't have enough time to spend in in the office visit with you. The reason is because of healthcare and the economics of it, reimbursement continues to go down, providers have to see more patients per day in order to make revenue and to make sure everyone gets paid, So they have to shrink the amount of time they can spend per patient. You have to see more patients, then you have to shrink the amount of time you spend with each patient and that cheats everyone. I as a provider, and I know that the vast majority of providers, we hate this. It's the reality of the healthcare system right now so we're trying to make the best of it. So what can you do as a patient when you're going in there and how can you advocate for yourself and give yourself the best support you can. So the first thing is communication. So when the doctor comes in, honor that you know that they don't have a lot of time. Hey look, I respect that you don't have a lot of time to spend with me so I'm going to get to the main point really quickly and if you'll just listen for a couple seconds or a couple minutes, let me tell you what's going on. And my suggestion at this point so what that does is honors so that the doctor or the healthcare provider feels heard. So they're going to pause for a moment and listen because no one's ever told them that before. And then when you go into it, talk about the real reason you're here. What's the number one thing of why you made that appointment with your provider? And that's really important because a lot of times there may be an issue that you're not comfortable with, you didn't really want to talk about it, So you talk about everything else, my kids, my family, this and that, blah blah blah. Got this little ache in pain here. I got the sniffles here. And then the doctor's hand is on the door ready to walk out, and you're like, but here's the real reason why I'm I'm here. You know? Here's that itch that I was talking about or, you know, that burning sensation that I didn't want to tell anyone. Tell that first. Okay? Even if it's uncomfortable, get the main problem out first, and that gives your provider the ability to help you in that time that they have. And then so after that the next thing is that if the provider missed it, they don't really hear you or they're not getting it yet, pause and let them know that. Hey look, you know, I'm not sure if you understand what I said. Could you say it back to me so we know that we're on the same page? And that that allows the provider to explain to you what they believe is the problem that you came there for. And then you can correct them if they're if they're right. Say, yep, that's exactly it. Awesome. And if they're not correct, can say, well, this is actually why I'm here. It wasn't because of that. It's this. And, you know, that's that those little pieces of communication tips help you be your own advocate. Because the worst thing is for you to be with a provider and you get the feeling that they don't hear you and then you don't trust them. And if you don't trust your provider and they're not listening to you then both of you lose. So hopefully, what will happen is just those a few little things and one last point. Making the assumption the provider listened, heard you, they paused for a moment and they listened and really heard you. Let them know that. Honor that they listened. Hey, thanks very much for listening and hearing me today. It really made a difference. What that will do is that forms a bond with you and your provider. And I promise you, they will continue to listen to you because you spoke up for yourself. You honored their challenges. You said what you needed, and then you thanked them for showing up for you in the way that you needed them to. And I think that is, in the grander scheme of things, if we all could do this, then we would have a much better interaction with our providers as patients. And in another video, I will talk about how providers can show up for you as patients because we have to show up as well and it's really important. So thanks very much for watching. I'm Doctor. Michael Sprince. You can find me on Instagram drsprince dot com and you can email me at MichaelDrSprints dot com and I also have a website of w w w dot sprintcenter dot com and w w w dot sprints dot com. Thanks very much.
