Like too many questions in health care, the answer to why doctors won't help us coordinate our care is, "follow the money."
Doctors are paid by insurance and Medicare for every patient they see according to why they see the patient, and what procedures they perform for the patient, and (this is key) not by the amount of time they spend with the patient or working on the patient's case.
All their billing takes place through a series of codes called CPT codes or HCPCS codes. Each service, test, procedure or product is assigned one of those codes. And without a code, the doctor will not be paid for performing those services.
In a perfect world, we would be sent to all the doctors we would need to see. And at the end of that journey, one doctor, perhaps our primary care doctor, would put all the material together and make an assessment for us.
The reason that does not happen is because no code exists for care coordination. It's that simple. Doctors can't take their time to help us sort out all the reports and results because they can't bill for it. Their time is their income, the service they have to offer, and they can't spend it on activities that don't produce income.
How Can You Get Someone to Help You Coordinate Your Care?
- Find someone who understands health care to help you sort through your medical records and reports yourself. Since you are a wise patient, and know how to obtain your medical records, you'll have them all in one place. A friend or relative who is a nurse or works in some other health-knowledge profession may be able to help you.
- Offer to pay cash to your doctor for reviewing your materials.
- Make an appointment with your primary care doctor for a check-up or some other time-intensive review, then show up with the records from the other doctors.
- Try to decipher your records yourself to figure out your next steps.
- Return to the doctor you established the best rapport with, or who you respected the most to see if he or she can help you.
- Establish a relationship with a concierge (boutique) doctors' practice. This is expensive, but usually worth the cost.
Learn why "follow the money" is the answer to more doctors' appointments mysteries:
- Why do I wait so long to see the doctor during an appointment?
- Why does my doctor always seem to be in such a hurry? or Why won't my doctor spend more time explaining things to me?
- Why can't I find a doctor who will help me coordinate my care?
- Why does my doctor send me for so many tests?
- Why don't some doctors accept my insurance?
- What is a concierge practice or boutique medicine?
