Lessons Learned in Life: Keep Medical Info On Hand

[grizzlyzone]

I can be a real idiot at times. Case in point, last week I needed to get a hold of one of my doctors. I had the pharmacy fax the clinics where I see the doctor, and I called the clinics to leave messages for the doctors, but after that, I sat. Doctors often work out of several clinics. So, if you fax a clinic where your doctor only visits one day a week, guess what? The fax will wait. And, you run a good chance of the fax getting lost or misplaced. What I should've done, right from the gitgo, was to phone the doctor's office. I found the number right away by "googling" my doctor's name. DoH! Another mistake I made was assuming that doctors and their staffs had the numbers of every pharmacy readily available. Not so. Let's make that lesson number 2. "If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.". Here's how I fixed things. I created a list. I have the doctor's name and the number of his office. I, then, have the name of clinic where I see the doctor, their street address, their phone number and their fax. I also included the name, address and phone number of my preferred pharmacy. I already give my doctors a current, updated list on all the medications and supplements that I'm taking. The list includes the Brand Name of the medication, the generic name, the size of the pill or capsule, the number of pills you take at a time and when you take them, and lastly, the name of the heathcare provider who prescribed it. The staff can then include that information in with your medical records.