As with so many things, a little bit of planning and know-how will help you take better care of yourself.  Here are some ways to get organized to get better healthcare.  Use all or some of these strategies to help you get organized and take better care of yourse

Find out what your routine and preventative care needs for the year. – Ask and do some research to find out what preventative and routine exams, tests, vaccinations and/or procedures are recommended for you this year.  Put these tasks on your to-do list so you don’t forget and so that you can get them scheduled.

Plan to take care of yourself. – Use your to-do list and calendar to remind you to schedule appointments or to go in for lab tests and vaccinations.

Get organized to have better appointments and save time:

• Consider the location of your healthcare providers. – Depending on your location and needs consider the impact of commuting to a healthcare provide whose office is far from your home or work.  Many healthcare providers cluster offices near hospitals or healthcare parks.  Can you use providers that are geographically close in order to minimize travel time?
• Know the best times to schedule. – A recent study found Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays to be some of the busiest days for doctor’s offices.  Popular appointment times are 10am an d 2pm.  Know your doctor’s schedule.  Minimize waiting by trying for early morning appointments or the first appointment after the office reopens following lunch.  Avoid waiting until the end of the calendar year to schedule annual visits and procedures as healthcare providers are often more busy with people trying to fit in appointments to use up their annual health benefits and flex spending accounts.
• Reduce the time you spend on hold. – Phone wait times will be longest Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.  If the call isn’t urgent, avoid calling during these times.  If you have to leave a message, be specific about what you need and provide a number and times when you are most likely to be able to take a return call.  If you haven’t already, give your healthcare provider’s office permission to leave a voicemail with personal information.
• Cluster appointments. – When possible try to cluster annual tests and doctor’s visits into one day or week.  This can reduce the amount of time you miss work or the number of interruptions to your regular schedule.  You will be more successful with this if you schedule your appointments well in advance.
• Schedule in advance. – When you schedule in advance you will have more appointment options.  Ask how far out your provider’s office typically schedules and plan to make your appointment as soon as you can so you can have the most choice.  If your doctor’s schedule opens 3 months out, mark your calendar to make that appointment the week appointments become available for the time you need in order to have the most options or simply to get an appointment when you need it.
• Get the time you need. – In an effort to see as many patients as possible, many healthcare providers allot appointment time based on the reason for the visit.  You will have a better experience with your doctor if you make sure they schedule enough time for your appointment.  To do this make sure to tell the scheduler all of the reasons for your visit.  Many patients schedule a check up and then wait until the appointment to try to bring up another issue (“Oh by the way…”).  Few providers have extra time in their schedules to adequately cover these surprises and will often ask you to schedule a separate appointment.  When you’re scheduling the appointment tell the scheduler everything you want to be seen for or discuss during the appointment.  This will help assure you and the healthcare provider will have enough time to discuss these issues.  A little planning on your part prior to scheduling will result in a more productive doctor’s visit.  Know how to use the scheduler to get what you need.

Get the most out of your insurance, health savings account or flex spending account benefits. – Consider your health insurance benefits in context of the calendar year in order to get the most out of your insurance, health savings account and healthcare flex spending accounts.  No one can predict the future and when they’ll get sick or need unexpected care.  However, when it comes to preventative care and events you can predict, try to maximize your benefits and reduce your costs by planning out your healthcare.  Preventative visits early in the calendar year may reveal tests or procedures that you then have the rest of the year to budget for and schedule.  If it applies to you and when possible, consider when and if you might meet your health insurance deductible and factor that in to when you schedule anticipated doctor’s appointments, tests and procedures.  Don’t wait to use your benefits.  Doctor’s offices and surgery centers are often busiest in Nov. and Dec. with patients trying to use up their benefits before they expire.

Get organized to maximize your health savings account or healthcare flex spending. – Make better predictions by tracking your healthcare costs.  Keep receipts or take advantage of annual credit card reports to get sense of your annual costs.  Take advantage of HSA or FSA issued debit cards to make reimbursements easier.  Still hold on to your receipts.  Use it or lose it for FSAs.  You have until the end of the calendar year to spend and several months into the new year to submit claims.  Mark your calendar or task list to remind you to check your FSA balance and to make sure to spend the money.

Organize health records for tax time. – Explanation of benefits statements from your health insurance company show your medical spending history.  Most insurance companies and FSA and HSA administrators provide online access to EOB’s and sometimes compile end of year statements.  File these with your tax prep paperwork for use at tax time and to help plan for the next year’s healthcare spending.