Book your appointment early in the morning when the office is most likely to still be on schedule; discuss your insurance benefits and ask about your estimated portion of the charges and when you’ll be expected to pay.

Marshall your lists of health concerns and questions, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, supplements and herb therapies, as well as any known allergies or existing health conditions.

Remember your history, know the major health issues on both sides of your family and be prepared to report out.

Talk to the whole team, from the person who checks your vitals and charts your concerns to the provider who gives you recommendations; the more people who know your concerns the better your care is likely to be.

Bring a friend to help remember the discussion and the recommendations from your healthcare provider; leave the visit with notes taken by you or your buddy or a recorded session of the visit.

Top 10 questions for your provider

• What exactly is the test or treatment you’re recommending for the concerns I’ve expressed today?
• When will I get the results?
• Why do I need this treatment, drug or surgery?
• How do you spell the generic and brand names of the drug you’re recommending for me?
• How often do you recommend this treatment or have you done this procedure or surgery?
• What are the alternatives that I could consider to treatment or surgery? Are there clinical trials I could participate in?
• Based on my health, what are the risks I face and the possible side effects or complications from this?
• If I’m going to go into a hospital, which one treats this condition the most often or the best?
• Will this medicine interact with medicines that I’m already taking?
• When should I start to feel better and when should I call you if I don’t?

• Once you’re back home, reread your notes from the visit and any additional materials your provider gave you.
• Take your medications exactly as prescribed—the full course—even if you start to feel better soon.
• Call for your test results when you were told they would be ready; don’t wait for the office or hospital to follow up with you.
• Ask what your results mean and schedule an appointment to discuss them as needed.
• Let your provider know of any changes in your symptoms or health that are causing complications as you progress through treatment.
• Keep a notebook or journal of your ongoing visits; jot down the outcomes and your test results to get a picture of your health over time.