Most people unintentionally create a healthcare team for themselves. A primary care doctor, a specialist, maybe a therapist along the way, and before you know it, you have four or five different healthcare professionals who take care of separate pieces of you. The problem? They never speak. No one has the whole picture; everyone is an isolated piece of a puzzle.
But that’s not a team. That’s just a bunch of appointments.
A team communicates; a team collaborates. A team understands that your anxiety is making your heart race, complicating blood pressure, making mental health worse; your chronic pain makes you unable to sleep which makes you groggy at work which makes your boss mad about your productivity. What’s going on in your life is just as important as what’s going on in your body.
But that does not happen by chance. That happens with intentional design, and let’s be honest; most people don’t even know where to begin making one.
Why You Don’t Just Need Doctors to Meet Your Healthcare Needs
The way it works for most people is their primary care doctor gets them their blood work, recommends a prescription; if things get complicated with more specific needs, they recommend a specialist; each specialist has their focus (cardiologist, orthopedist, endocrinologist) – they do it well – but they do not have the time to account for everything.
The bad side effect? You’re the one who ends up with five prescriptions from three doctors who function autonomously under the assumption that you’re not coming to them with issues for anything else. But if there was a holistic overview, you’d be like, “Hi! That medication for my heart is keeping me up at night and that insomnia is making my depression worse.”
But unless there’s specific training, how are you supposed to know how to impress that upon your other treatment teams? You can’t. Therefore, even if you try to let everyone know how everything else is impacting you through treatment, more times than not, there’s insufficient time in a 15-minute appointment for someone to really pay attention and assess how recommendations work together – or don’t.
Which is why the idea of a coordinated healthcare team becomes even more important (less of an optional bonus in the world of healthcare) especially for complicated matters or those whose mental health and physical health intersect.
What This Team Looks Like
Just because it’s a functioning team doesn’t mean everyone is in one office – or even in one healthcare network. It means professionals are aware of each other’s existences and, where necessary, communicate and assess how their recommendations would impact any other professional undertaking with someone like you who otherwise suffered in a siloed environment.
For example, at a minimum, you want your primary care doctor to act as a quarterback for sorts. They need to know about others and largely what everyone else is treating – and why – so they can formulate a cohesive plan across the specialization spectrum. And then specialists along the way can be brought in as needed (and have the ability to communicate).
But more often than not, good teams utilize non-doctor professionals as well – a good therapist or counselor; if that’s complicated a care coordinator is good; mental health advocates are also useful because they help connect the dots since they’re privy to emotional well-being just as much as physical wellness.
But usually, the mental health component falls through the cracks or considered a separate enterprise which isn’t legitimate treatment – and that’s untrue. Because any condition no matter how complicated its nuance informs how effectively you manage chronic conditions (or not), how much pain (and concern) you have, if you’re taking prescriptions – basically everything.
Getting Everyone On The Same Page
The hard part is not necessarily finding quality providers; it’s getting them to act as a team. Most healthcare networks are not conducive to this – doctors won’t have time between patients to hop on the phone with your other specialists unless it’s imperative – but instead, YOU must make the connections when you’re attempting to create this team – at least for now.
For example, one of the first things your primary care doctor should do is note who else you’re seeing – for what – to best service you. This includes specialists within their network and outside networks – therapists, psychiatrists, holistic health practitioners – anyone who’s involved in the minutiae of your life beyond basic recommended health offerings.
Then every office will probably have a form of release for other offices to learn what’s going on so communication is more streamlined. It’s an additional annoying aspect of paperwork but worth it – some will take charge and some you’ll have to say, “Can you please send a note to my primary care doctor about this?”
It’s also good to keep your own records – no need for charts but document what’s on file per each doctor’s office with current medications, major diagnoses and contact information – it’s helpful for other doctors when you see new ones or end up in urgent care.
When You Need Someone Else To Help
Sometimes building this team feels more like work than like an added job – getting appointments, hoping test results are sent between offices.
That’s why it’s best to have someone help facilitate who’s trained in complex care. Some insurance provides care managers if it’s complicated enough (multiple issues) so they can schedule appointments and make sure things are sent and you’re aware of various recommendations.
Care managers are useful because they note advocacy for mental health concerns because they know when an advocate learns from both sides (clinical and insurance), problems are avoided – the best therapists who are taking patients; if coverage requests are denied they know how to appeal; if medication side effects complicate everything they know what to do.
The goal isn’t to delegate all responsibility onto someone else – but you’re still at the center of this care team. They help facilitate general team dynamics so there can be effective paths toward getting better.
How This Works In Reality
Building this type of team takes time. Don’t expect cohesion overnight; the world of healthcare has its own messiness – systems that don’t talk; doctors who leave practices or move states; insurances change.
But small wins will benefit along the way. Getting your primary care doctor and your therapist on the same page about the anxiety medication is better than leaving them in silos. Finding specialists who acknowledge how their treatment will make quality of life better goes a long way.
Therefore, pay attention to who provides you with the best information as a whole person versus who just wants you there for their specific limited specialty area. Treat the former well; don’t treat the latter well at all.
And don’t be afraid to switch! If someone’s practice consistently dismisses alternatives or refuses to communicate even after you’ve had proper documentation compiled – find someone else! This only works if people appreciate your input!
What You Get Out Of It!
If it works? Everything will be easier than you’d ever expect or thought along the way. You won’t have to repeat your life story at every appointment; there will be few medication conflicts because someone is overseeing the big picture; it’s collaboratively suggested instead of all working against one another.
Not only that, but you feel less alone in this process! There are others with invested time into your welfare from multiple perspectives – not singular – and they’re able to talk about what they think is best without merely relying on what you told them last time while struggling in silence.
