PROACTIVE VS. REACTIVE MEDICAL CARE

Taking care of your health before something goes wrong—just like routine car maintenance—can save you pain, time, and money in the long run.

For generations and even now, we go see the doctor mostly when something is wrong. An ache or pain, fever, or fatigue are a few of many symptoms that we seek out help for. What if I told you that we aren’t using our doctors in the best way?

When I speak to patients about their health and wellness, I often use the analogy of owning a car. As Americans, owning and caring for a car has been a rite of passage

for generations and now families often own multiple automobiles. We take care of our cars, by consistently going for oil filter changes, swapping out summer tires for winter ones, and getting a new registration license plate sticker each year. We don’t wait for the engine light to go on for these preventative measures. Why not let the motor blow up and replace that instead of the oil change? How about risk driving in snow with summer tread tires? Or just pay expensive tickets instead of registering the license plate? It seems we do that with our bodies and health more than we think and should.

In 2022, there were approximately 155 million Emergency Department (ED) visits and around 20 percent of adults had one or more urgent care visits. Health statistical studies show 32.1 percent of ED visits are non-urgent and avoidable. One commercial health insurance company found 18 million out of 27 million visits were avoidable.

This brings me to how I advise my patients to be proactive versus reactive. See the doctor when nothing is wrong, discuss a preventative care plan, to avoid health issues and reduce the chance of ED visits or urgent care utilization. Depending on your health insurance there could be co-pays and other costs associated with seeing the doctor, but that will dwarf an ER visit or hospitalization out-of-pocket expense.

Common topics to discuss with your doctor depend on your health, current medications, and prior history of medical problems. For some patients I recommend monthly checks, while others may be more or less frequent. Mammograms, gynecological exams, a prostate check, and colonoscopies are all preventative recommendations. However, checking blood pressure, sugar or glucose, heart rate, pulse, and pulse oximeter, and a heart and lung exam are also key indicators to keep track of.

Back to my car comparison, the recommendation and visit frequency depend on the type of car (male or female), how long you have had it (age), and driving history (clinical history).

So, ask your physician about a preventative care plan and invest in your health early and often. If the doctor is not really interested in prevention, perhaps obtain a second opinion or maybe a change is due.

The bottom-line is don’t let your motor blow up and get regular check-ups when nothing feels wrong or there is no engine light on— you will feel better, stay healthier, and avoid the mechanic or doctor for expensive avoidable repairs.

Hansa Medical Groupe has ojfices at 5250 Old Orchard Road, Suite 300, in Skokie, and in Chicago, 847-920-0902, hansamedicalgroupe.com.