Coordinating Healthcare When You Have Multiple Homes

If you call home more than one place, it’s wise to not only have an experienced medical team at each location, but to also make sure that all the healthcare providers who treat you have access to your complete, up-to-date medical records. This is also important if your children are away at school or split their time between different households.

This coordination of care and communication can help you avoid a range of issues, including:

• Medical errors and misdiagnosis: Without access to your complete medical record and family history, the risk of a provider misdiagnosing you increases. Healthcare providers, whether they’re providers you see regularly or ones you see once in an emergency department or at an urgent care clinic, need to know about all your current and past health issues, medications you take, surgeries and other treatments you’ve undergone, allergies and side effects from medications, and the results of screening and diagnostic tests you’ve had.
• Drug interactions and overprescribing: Every provider who treats you needs to know what prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements you take to reduce the risk of a serious drug interaction. There’s also the risk that you could be prescribed medications for the same condition by two different providers who are unaware of your current medications, increasing the risk for overdose and dangerous side effects. Another risk is being prescribed medications to treat a condition that’s a side effect of another medication you take. For example, a person who’s taking a medication that causes nausea may be prescribed another medication to treat the nausea if the provider is not aware of the first prescription.
• Overtreatment and inappropriate treatment: A comprehensive, accurate medical record can lower your risk of receiving inappropriate treatment. Inappropriate treatment can take several forms, including not receiving the gold standard of care backed by clinical evidence, receiving care that’s not supported by clinical evidence and may cause harm, and receiving unnecessary treatment for a condition that does not pose a threat to your health like an unnecessary cardiac stent or surgical treatment for low grade prostate cancer.
• Missed follow-up care and testing: When all your providers don’t have access to your complete medical record, you can miss getting recommended follow-up care or testing, especially if you’re receiving care from multiple providers in different states. That can delay an accurate diagnosis and the start of treatment.

Building your team

If you haven’t become an established patient with the healthcare providers you need to manage your primary and specialty care needs in all the locations where you spend a significant amount of time, this should be the first step. Your PinnacleCare Health Advisor is another reliable resource you can turn to. Your Advisor can connect you with experienced providers in the U.S. and internationally, expedite appointments, and share your secure electronic medical records, streamlining the often complex and challenging process of getting an appointment with a new provider, a process that’s often made more difficult by a shortage of specialists like cardiologists and psychiatrists or living in a rural or less developed area. In some cases, you may want to make an appointment and “interview” more than one provider to get the best sense of whether it’s a good fit for your healthcare needs. In addition, if you live or travel internationally on a regular basis, your Health Advisor can develop contingency and risk management plans to help ensure you have access to the care you need no matter where you are.

When choosing the members of your coordinated care team, consider these key factors:

• What kind of care do you and your family need? Are you healthy and primarily interested in preventive care to preserve your health and care when you get common illnesses like the flu or strep throat? If you’re living with one or more chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or respiratory disease, you’ll want a physician with experience managing these conditions who can refer you to experienced specialists if needed. If you’re older and living with multiple health issues, you may want to consider choosing a primary care provider who specializes in geriatric medicine. You may also need specialists on your team, like a cardiologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist, rheumatologist, or oncologist, depending on the health issues you and your family are living with.
• Beyond medical experience, what are you looking for? Of course, you want a provider who’s skilled and board certified, but there are other factors to consider. Do you prefer a male or female provider? How close is the provider to retirement? Do you feel comfortable with their bedside manner? If English is not your preferred language, do the provider and staff speak your language or offer simultaneous translation services? Good communication is also important. The provider should listen to you without interrupting, be willing to answer questions, and explain any diagnosis or treatment in plain English.
• How accessible is the provider? Find out how far in advance you need to schedule an appointment and whether same-day sick care appointments are available. Ask how you can communicate with the provider, for example via virtual visits, phone-in hours, or messaging. How long are the average appointments and will you have time to ask all your questions and discuss issues like strategies to lower your risk of health problems that run in your family? Does the provider have evening or weekend appointments? Discuss whether you’ll always be seen by a physician or if some of your care will be provided by other staff members like nurse practitioners or physician assistants. If it’s a group practice, find out who will provide your care when your provider is not available. If it’s not a group practice, ask who covers for the provider when he or she is not there.

The keys to a better healthcare experience: Access, communication, and support

Protecting your health and achieving your health and wellness goals is essential. Your PinnacleCare Health Advisor can work with you to build a strategy to help you achieve your goals and manage any health challenges you face. Your Advisor can also connect you with highly experienced providers in all fields, and provide evidence-based information about conditions, new diagnoses, and treatments to help you be a well-informed, active partner in your care.

Learn more about how a PinnacleCare Health Advisor can help you.