How to set helpful expectations for primary care visits

In today’s busy world, it’s easy to lose focus and to try to squeeze too much into a short amount of time. 

That might be fine for other areas in life. But with medical appointments, your health is too important to make one visit cover everything.

“It may be tempting to bring a laundry list of concerns to an appointment. That’s not usually the best approach,” says Meng Lee, MD, a PeaceHealth family medicine practitioner in Vancouver, Washington. “I suggest selecting 1 or 2 issues that are most pressing. That way, we can discuss each issue in detail instead of briefly touching on several.”

Having realistic expectations for a primary care visit can help you make it more effective.

What to do before a primary care visit 

These steps can help you prepare ahead of time for your visit:

• Be aware of the type of visit you’re making. 
  Clinics offer several different types of visits. Each type varies in length and procedure. Doublecheck to see that the type of visit you’re booking matches the reason you want to be seen. Learn more about visit types.
• Be clear about your reason for booking the visit.
  What one thing do you want to get out of your visit?  Let the clinic know when you make the appointment. It will help your doctor understand where to focus.
• If you have several concerns, book more than one appointment. 
  Occasionally, small issues can be discussed at an annual preventive exam, but there might be an added cost, depending on your insurance.
  
  “It is better to see your primary care doctor as problems come up rather than putting them off to discuss at a yearly checkup,” Dr. Lee says. 

• Update your records. 
  Has anything changed about your 

  • Health history
  • Allergies
  • Where you live
  • Insurance coverage, etc. 

  You can use My PeaceHealth to change your personal information at any time. Doing this ahead of an appointment gives your PCP’s office the most current information for your visit.

What to do during a primary care visit

Here’s what you can do to partner with your doctor at the visit: 

• Keep focused on why you’re seeing the doctor today. 
  Doing this helps both you and your doctor. It allows you to get a proper work-up for the issue. It also helps your doctor fully focus on what’s most important to you, he says. 
  
  ”If there is time left after the primary issues are discussed, I often ask my patients if they have other issues they would like to discuss,” says Dr. Lee. 
• Review medications. 
  Doctors usually give enough medication to last until you’ll be seen in the office again. Ask if you need a follow-up visit before you run out of medication.
• Let your doctor know if you don’t understand something. 
  Before the visit ends, let your PCP know you have questions about next steps. And confirm whether or how soon you need to be seen again for your health concern.

What to do after a primary care visit

Once a visit is over, it’s important to:

• Check over your after-visit summary (AVS).
  This is a printed document usually handed to you by your PCP or medical assistant. It will also be available electronically in your account on My PeaceHealth, our patient portal. The AVS typically shows:
  • Vital signs
  • Labs ordered/results (if any)
  • Imaging ordered/results (if any)
  • Orders
  • Medication list
  • Recommendations for the issues addressed
  • A return date (if any)
    
    You might check over the AVS while you’re still in the clinic. Or take a closer look at home after you’ve had time to think about the visit. 
• Follow up on lab or imaging tests. 
  If your PCP ordered lab or imaging tests, have those completed. Depending on what the test is, you might have it done then and there. Or you might need to go to a different location or have it done on another day. 
  
  Look for results of any completed tests on My PeaceHealth. Or you may hear from the clinic via phone or letter.
  
  “No news does not equal good news,” says Dr. Lee. If you haven’t heard or don’t see your results within 5-7 days, reach out to the office that ordered the test.

Setting realistic expectations for your PCP visits can help you have greater peace of mind and better health.