The Importance Of Asking Questions

In addition to knowing and understanding your rights as a patient, and knowing and understanding the Health Insurance Portability Act or HIPAA, it is also important to understand your role in healthcare. As a patient you have to be an active partner in your health care. This meaning that you cannot expect to receive the care you want unless you talk to your health care team. In order to receive proper care you must talk to your health care team. They cannot read minds, and are unable to understand what is going on unless you talk to them. You also need to ask questions. Asking questions is the best way to learn. In many situations asking questions will bring up other options for your care, and will also bring up information that your healthcare team had otherwise forgotten about. You should never leave with unanswered questions about your care, and should never be scared to ask questions. Part of your right as a patient is authentic personalized relationships. Having an open relationship with your healthcare team will limit the amount of unanswered questions, and will establish an understanding between you and your team. As a patient you also have the responsibility to keep your appointments, and cancel and reschedule them ahead of time. You cannot expect to receive adequate care, if you are always cancelling appointments. In most situations there is a charge for not cancelling appointment within twenty-four hours of the scheduled appointment. So in the end you are only hurting yourself with a …show more content…
If you do not know and understand your rights, there is no way to be sure that you are receiving adequate care. The Patient Bill of Rights consist of: quality of care, safety, voice and choice, affordability, authentic personalized relationships, and easy for me. Understanding these can help you in many situations involving your care, and it can ensure you that you are receiving the adequate care that you