Advocating For Your Health Care
After Brain Injury
After a brain injury people often need health care. Whether the injury is from trauma, stroke, cerebral palsy or another cause, you may want medical care, therapy, or counseling. The healthcare system in the US is expensive, inefficient, and confusing. Providers often do not understand brain injury. Insurance companies may not cover some treatments.
So how can you get the help you need after a brain injury? After a brain injury, you may struggle with thinking difficulties. You and family members may be overwhelmed. So finding your way in the healthcare system may be even more difficult. As a rehabilitation doctor, I am an insider in the system. I have some suggestions to hopefully make things a little easier for you.
1. Get a 3-ring notebook to keep medical records organized. Divide records for easy location.
a. Keep a medical summary to take to appointments. Include the following:
· Diagnoses
· Medications
· Allergies
· Major illnesses
· Surgeries
· General description of any therapy you have attended with estimated dates.
· Providers
b. Have a note taking section with a form that will allow you to take notes in person or from a phone call. Include the following:
· Name and contact information of the person you are talking to
· Reason that you are contacting that person
· Important information from the call
· Recommendations and follow-up that needs to be done
2. Take a list of questions to your appointments. This helps you remember what to ask.
3. Be persistent in getting what you need. Also be polite. If you do not get a return call, call back. If a provider does not have an answer, ask them to help you find one. Politeness will help you get what you want.
4. If a major test or procedure is recommended, ask about the risks and benefits. Why do you need this? How will it help? What are the risks? What are the alternatives? Consider a second opinion for major procedures. Our healthcare system pays more for procedures than for talking to you. So there is incentive to recommend procedures.
5. For medications also ask about the risks and benefits. How will it help? What are the side effects?
6. Find someone in the system to help advocate for you. Perhaps this is a primary care physician, a therapist, a physiatrist.
7. Learn about your injury. The more you understand your injury and needs, the more you know how to ask for help.
8. If insurance does not pay for something, appeal it at least once. Often insurance companies deny treatments and then approve them with additional information. Doctors and therapists can help with these appeals.
9. Learn what you can do at home to help yourself. Brainstorm for Brain Injury has blogs to help with this. The YouTube channel Utah Neuro Rehabilitation has many videos for how to improve after brain injury, stroke, cerebral palsy. You can do much each day to improve.
