Oftentimes, I will ask people how they like their doctor, their chiropractor or their physical therapist and how they found that person in the first place. More often than not the answer is underwhelming. They didn't do a great deal of research finding this person. It wasn't a strong recommendation from a friend or family member. It was that this person was listed in their insurance brochure as an “in-network provider” or this person was closest to their office or they were simply assigned to this person when they called the clinic. 

Think about how crazy that sounds for someone as important as your healthcare professional. There aren't too many other scenarios where this would be an acceptable method of acquiring a professional relationship. Think back to finding your current hair stylist. Did you simply get on Google maps, pick out the salon that was the closest and call to have them schedule with whoever had an opening that day? Highly unlikely. And that is just your hair!

So here are 3 signs that you may have the wrong medical provider:

1) You don't feel heard. 

You may have the best doctor in the world, but if it took you 3 months to schedule a visit with them and when they sat down with you, you only had 7 minutes to express your concerns, did you really get all of you questions answered?

Probably not. 

Most physicians would love to sit down with you and have a thorough conversation, but they are very limited by their patient volume and the amount of documentation they are required to provide to the insurance companies. 

On average, medical visits range between 13 and 17 minutes. That's approximately 8 minutes for you to speak and 8 minutes for them to speak. That's not good enough. Your doctor should really listen to all of your concerns. You should be able to share your goals and why those goals are important to you. If you feel rushed by this whole process or you walk out of the office with a number of questions, you are at the wrong provider.

2). Your provider is pushing a product, medication or treatment on you that you're not that interested in. Medical providers should be educators and teachers first. If you walk out of the clinic with a prescription for medication that you didn't want, or an injection that you didn't feel you needed, or some kind of supplement and you don't know what it does, you're at the wrong medical provider. There should be plenty of time at every visit to discuss why you are doing each therapeutic procedure.

3). There is no end in sight to your treatment. I’ve spoken with a number of clients and patients who tell me that they've been going to the chiropractor every week for years. I often squirm and think to myself, “How's that working out for ya?” If you aren’t discussing your exit strategy or discharge criteria on the 1st visit, you're at the wrong provider. Every visit should be a discussion on how you are getting better, why you're not getting better or what you're going to do between now and the next visit to get better.

To sum it all up, find a provider that shares your goals. If you have one that tells you to stop doing what you love to do, find a new provider. If you love running and your doctor tells you to stop because you are 50 and 50 year olds shouldn’t be running, promptly turn around and never go back. Find a provider that helps you achieve your goals, not keep you from them.