Have you ever utilized an effective and relevant checklist for seeking and finding your ideal primary care provider?

Well, I've made a list (more than once) and checked it twice (many times), and I'm sharing it with you.

Change is challenging for most people, especially as it relates to changes in our healthcare providers.

Whether you've had the same provider for numerous years or you're in the market for a new one (healthcare is a marketplace), you're likely to experience a change in your provider(s) at some point.

I've had the same primary care provider for more than a decade, so when she recently decided to make a change for herself and leave the provider group for which she'd work for several years, I felt like a ship without a captain (or co-captain, since navigating healthcare is a team effort).

This checklist has proven affective when choosing both my primary and specialty care providers, so keep the checklist and this episode handy for when you or someone you know needs it in the future.

On this episode, we'll discuss:

• 1:51: choosing a provider who is accepting new patients
• 3:45: the checklist that meets our needs as a patient
• 5:40: an example of how to make contact with the potential provider's office (and what proves a good sign of a competent and helpful support staff)
• 8:25: making sure your needs are known (and met) from the start
• 9:58: the importance of being prepared with questions ahead of your appointment

The podcast is an extension of the Take Good Care community app and the Empathetic Healthcare Practices™ Course. Download the app at the Apple Store or the Google Play Store and learn more about the Course at www.lisa-bradshaw.com.