Using your “outside voice”……. By Marge McCoy, R.Ph.

When our children Megan and Evan were little we tried to teach them that yelling in the house was not cool. There were “inside” voices that were calmer and quieter and there were “outside” voices that were suitable for hollering across the playground or explaining the error of their sibling’s ways.

Sometimes in healthcare we feel like we have to use our “outside” voices to get the job done. In dealing with insurance companies I particularly like to use a combination of my “outside voice” mixed in with my “I don’t believe it voice” and sprinkled with my “mom voice” for good measure. As a healthcare consumer you need to develop a “voice” that works for you. To get the most out of your healthcare dollars you should make sure that all your questions get answered. To this end it is always good to keep a notepad just for healthcare questions. Now I am not suggesting that you lug around a volume worthy of Hercules’ truss, but just a little notebook that fits in your pocket. When a question regarding your healthcare, or medication, or a particular symptom arises, jot it down. When you hear Aunt Tilly talk about a new medicine that worked for Uncle Fred and you should take it too…. Jot it down. You will find the next time you go in for your check up that all of your questions are already organized in one handy place.

Having your questions in a handy spot is only the first step. Next you have to get all those pesky questions answered. Personally I like to nonchalantly scoot my chair in front of the exam room door after Bob or Cathy makes an appearance. This way I can “forget” to move out of the way until all my questions are checked off. Truthfully speaking today’s insurance reimbursement rates are so low that physicians really do have to hustle their way through an ever-burgeoning schedule of appointments. This is why it is so important to be able to quickly and concisely get through your list of questions and concerns.

This method also works for keeping track of test results, reporting blood pressure readings, monitoring blood sugar readings, etc. You can be your own healthcare best friend. Your doctor will get better information about you and you will get better information from your doctor. You can even make notes about your doctor’s answers to your questions.

There is another place that you can tap into for healthcare information and it is near and dear to my heart: your pharmacist. When picking up your prescriptions be sure that you understand why you are taking a particular medication, how it should be taken, any special storage requirements, side effects to watch for, drug incompatibilities, etc. Take steps to inform your pharmacist of any other medications (both Rx and OTC) that you are taking so that he or she can monitor for potential drug interactions. Your pharmacist should be one of your most accessible health care providers.

Quite often dollars can be saved on your prescriptions in several ways. If a drug is available in a generic form the savings over a name brand can be huge. Additionally sometimes the drug you take may not be available generically but a similar drug in the same class may be available in a cost-saving generic. Of course your particular circumstances will dictate whether or not any changes might be appropriate, but it is always good to ask questions when you doctor is prescribing something for you. Keep in mind that if something is available in “samples” from the doctor it will be expensive. The drug manufacturers don’t give things away to be magnanimous; they are “fishing” for consumers. The same holds true for meds that you see advertised on TV and in magazines. Those ads don’t come cheap. You get to pay for them when you fill your prescription for their high priced product. If you have insurance coverage with a set co-pay, it might not make any difference to you, but if you are paying the whole enchilada yourself remember that a brand name drug almost always costs more. And here’s one more hint for those of us without the benefit of prescription insurance coverage – there is often a savings in buying larger quantities (e.g. a 3 month supply) of medications, especially generic medications.

Here’s another idea for your notebook. Keep a list of all the medications you are taking along with the strength and dose of each. In today’s medical world patients often see several specialists. Each should know what medications you are getting from other physicians. Medications don’t always mix well with each other. Of course your pharmacist should also be reviewing your matrix of medicines for possible interactions.

So the word of the day is “notes” – take notes, ask questions, be an informed medical consumer. I am sure that I have more to say on this subject, but I can’t seem to locate my notes. Now where did I put my notepad…….?

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Marge and Rick McCoy are the pharmacists who own and operate Lopez Island Pharmacy. They feel it is important for patients to have knowledge about their medications to get the most from their health care dollars. Between the two of them they have over 60 years of pharmacy experience.