As her power of attorney for medical care, Mom requested I accompany her to her doctor’s visit so that I could hear details about her intended treatment plan. Mom was 74 years old with a lot of medical conditions that required constant monitoring. I anticipated there would be a lot of coordination between the multiple providers. When Mom came dressed stunningly in full regalia with necklace, earrings, perfume, and perfectly quaffed hair, I suspected this wasn’t going to be an average doctor’s visit. Never did I anticipate that most weeks she visited the doctor three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). There were no appointments – The office staff always fits in patients by the end of the of the day, which could span longer than 5 hours of sitting and waiting. The treatment plan focused on keeping Mom stabilized rather than making changes to her routine i.e., comfortable rather than precise. Most interesting was how socializing is a part of the overall visit. As I sat in her doctor’s waiting room, waiting forever, I reviewed my own goals for medical office visits, which were:
- Annual visits scheduled early in the morning or after hours to avoid cutting into my workday
- Little interest in socializing and chit chat
- Appreciating coffee when offered, but not a prerequisite to going to a certain location
- Obtaining a concise medical plan following my visit
- I prefer using on-line scheduling and telemedicine when offered
- Jeans and T-shirts are appropriate attire
- Philosophy on a successful medical plan was, “Get in/Get Prognosis/Get Treatment Plan/leave”