The following document speaks for itself. Hopefully, you have already covered items 1-27. If not, it is time to become a responsible patient so, sign up and get started.
I AM A RESPONSIBLE PATIENT
I, ______________, am a responsible patient. As such, I take full responsibility for my health and my healthcare. My responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Learning how to promote my own health and wellness.
- Learning how to deal with illness, both acute and chronic.
- Actively working to eliminate those unhealthy habits I have acquired over my lifetime.
- Eating properly, exercising, and striving to eliminate those stressors within my control.
- Seeking medical advice when appropriate.
- Understanding the medical advice I receive.
- Asking questions when I do not understand the advice offered.
- Following the medical advice when mutually agreed upon by my doctor and me.
- Taking my medications as prescribed.
- Notifying my doctor prior to stopping my medication.
- Notifying my doctor should I have any adverse reaction from my prescribed treatments.
- Keeping a list of all medications, both prescription and non-prescription (including herbals, homeopathic, and nutraceuticals), that I take and who prescribed them.
- Bringing my medication list to the office at every visit.
- Knowing when I will need refills and not running out of pills.
- Completing diagnostic tests (lab, x-ray, EKG, etc.) in a timely fashion.
- Keeping my follow up appointments.
- Seeing consultants when necessary.
- Understanding my diagnosis, learning about its effects on my body and how I can help manage it.
- Studying and learning about my diagnosis.
- Being an active partner in my medical care.
- Notifying my doctor when I have added other professionals to my healthcare team.
- Being honest about what I am doing, taking, and who I am seeing.
- Paying the bill on time.
- Setting up a payment schedule when I cannot pay the bill and following that schedule.
- Know the rules of my insurance policy, what benefits are covered and what are not.
- Notifying the office if any contact information changes occur.
- Having an emergency contact listed should critical information need to be relayed to me.
My health is important to me, my family, and loved ones. I will work hard to care for myself. I understand that my doctor cannot help me if I will not help myself. I expect my doctor to offer me his/her best advice based on his/her medical training. I understand that, without my active participation, my doctor’s ability to help me is limited. I understand that my doctor is the consulting partner, I am the working partner. Working together, we can accomplish great things.
Signature____________________ Date___________
Here’s your joke for the day:
Arthur Davidson, of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Corporation, died and went to heaven.
At the gates, St. Peter told Arthur, “Since you’ve been such a good man and your motorcycles have changed the world, your reward is, you can hang out with anyone you want in Heaven.”
Arthur thought about it for a minute and then said, “I want to hang out with God.”
St. Peter took Arthur to the Throne and introduced him to God.
Arthur then asked God, “Hey, aren’t you the inventor of women?”
God said, “Ah, yes.”
“Well,” said Arthur, “professional to professional, you have some major design flaws in your invention.”
1. There’s too much inconsistency in the front-end protrusions.
2. It chatters constantly at high speeds.
3. Most of the rear ends are too soft and wobble too much.
4. The intake is placed way too close to the exhaust.
and finally,
5. Maintenance costs are outrageous.
“Hmmmm, you may have some good points there,” replied God, “hold on.”
God went to his Celestial supercomputer, typed in a few words and waited for the results. The computer printed out a slip of paper and God read it.
“Well, it may be true that my invention is flawed,” God said to Arthur, “but according to these numbers, more men are riding my invention than yours.”
