A Leap of Faith: Doctor Shopping
by Ginger Savely, DNP
Looking for a health care provider to treat your tick-borne diseases or other chronic illnesses can be challenging and daunting. There are many factors to consider in choosing the health care provider who is right for you - be it a physician, naturopathic doctor, osteopathic doctor, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant.
Some patients prefer the medical model of health care, a hierarchical approach in which the patient follows the orders of the all-knowing health care provider. Others are more comfortable with a patient-focused, holistic approach, where patient and clinician form a team to explore how to achieve optimum health. Education, experience, bedside manner, patience, organization and efficiency of office staff are a few of the things to consider when choosing the health care provider who is right for you.
When looking for a provider to treat illnesses as complex as Lyme disease, it is tempting to want to prolong the search, hoping that around the corner is the elusive dream-come-true clinician who will steer you to wellness with little effort and expense on your part and an abundance of charisma and expertise on his. In the world of health care we refer to patients who won't commit to one clinician as "doctor shoppers". These patients are seen as never satisfied, always convinced they may be missing the elusive key to recovery by not visiting one more clinician to see what is in his bag of tricks.
Although doctor shopping may seem like a valid way to proceed for many, there are detrimental aspects to this sort of unrest. Every Lyme literate practitioner (LLP) has a slightly different approach, based on his or her style, background, training and experience with the disease. To see many LLPs at once leads to stress and confusion for the patient who is paralyzed by not knowing which LLP to believe. It is also awkward for the LLP who is put in an embarrassing position when asked to defend his approach over another's.
Ultimately you will need to follow your gut and take a leap of faith. The patients who are the most satisfied with their care and who seem to improve the fastest are those who stick with one LLP and one approach to care and do not waver. Admittedly, this requires a leap of faith on the part of the patient who puts himself in the hands of the LLP and trusts that all of the LLP's choices will be in his best interest.
I am always moved and impressed with the faith that my patients place in me to make the correct choices for their care. I am awed by the responsibility that this implies and the confidence my patients have in me. All of us who treat tick-borne diseases spend much time reading, learning and trying to incorporate research, the experience of other clinicians and our own personal findings into the care we give. There is no "right" way - unfortunately treating tick-borne diseases does not lend itself to a cookbook approach. So, for the best care, let your goal be to pick one LLP whom you trust implicitly. Jumping around from one LLP to another or trying to see several at once does not prove to be beneficial in the long run. Moreover "doctor shopping" is expensive as patients incur numerous pricey first consult fees and the costs of redundant lab testing.
What is the most important factor to consider when choosing an LLP? You must have the utmost confidence in his or her abilities. Because there isn't a specific, correct way to treat tick-borne diseases, confidence in your provider is paramount so that you will not constantly question and worry about his decisions. Listen to what others report about the LLP and read what he has written. Then follow your instinct and take a leap of faith. Your commitment to your LLP will enable him to learn more about you and allow the two of you to develop a health care relationship based on continuity of care, trust and mutual respect.
Ginger Savely, DNP is a nurse practitioner who treats tick-borne diseases in San Francisco.
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