Healthy Living: Affordable Healthcare Act prompting changes

Times are changing, and so is health care. We have a whole new way of looking at your health and what it means to have a “Family Doctor” or a “Primary Care Provider.”

The new Affordable Healthcare Act is poised to add lots of folks looking to add to our roles once they have some reasonable health coverage– so what does that mean for all of us?

New guidelines are encouraging us to change the way we interact with you, our patient. We are giving you written summaries of your visit to help you understand what just happened in that visit you just had.

We are sending your prescriptions electronically to your pharmacy, gone are the old written prescriptions that may be hard to read and computers automatically check for interactions and allergies.

We are now allowing you to contact us via email to get your lab results, schedule an appointment, ask your provider a question. This “Portal” is supposed to be an improved way of contacting your PCP rather than the less reliable phone system (automated, push the button, wait on hold, not sure who you can talk to).

We are updating our website and working on a Facebook and Twitter presence so we can help keep you informed of health issues in our community.

The bottom line is – we are going to be here to help you take care of your health. Your PCP or medical home is a place for you to be established so you know us and we know you. If you have not had a check up in a while, make an appointment.

We can tell you your risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes – what screening tests are recommended and what you should do to be healthy. If you have a chronic condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, we can help you manage it by prescribing a proper diet, medications and follow up.

We can keep your meds refilled with electronic contact with your pharmacy, provided you keep up your end with proper follow up and labs. We can provide you with diabetes education, and talk to you when medication cost or side effects get you frustrated.

If you have a sudden illness, we can see you within a day or so in our office and save you a trip to the emergency room. No matter which provider you see, the Doc, PA, NP – we all work together under the direction of the physicians to give you the most comprehensive care we can.

You need to do your part, too. We will offer guidance based on the latest medical knowledge. If you smoke, you should stop. If you are overweight, you should diet.

All of us should eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts and greens and less fats and carbs. Together we can work on our health and offer you a place to call your medical home.

Visit Chickahominy Family Physicians at www.chickahominyfp.com (look for a major renovation soon) or follow us on twitter at ChickahominyFP.

Submitted by Chickahominy Family Physicians.