Depending on the diagnosis, your doctor may send your loved one to a specialist for further evaluation, or you may request to see a specialist yourself. It's likely that your insurance plan will require you to have a referral from your primary doctor.
A visit to the specialist may be short. Often, the specialist already has seen your parent's medical records or test results and is familiar with your case. If you are unclear about what the specialist tells you, ask the doctor questions.
For example, if the specialist says that your parent has a medical condition that you aren't familiar with, you may want to say something like: "I don't know very much about that condition. Could you explain what it is and how it might affect Mom?" or "I've heard that is a painful problem. What can be done to prevent or manage the pain?"
You also may ask for written materials to read, or you can call your primary doctor to clarify anything you haven't understood.
Ask the specialist to send information about any further diagnosis or treatment to your primary doctor. This allows your primary doctor to keep track of your parent's medical care. You also should let your primary doctor know at your next visit how well any treatments or medications the specialist recommended are working.
Questions to ask your specialist:
- What is your diagnosis?
- What treatment do you recommend?
- How soon does Mom/Dad need to begin the new treatment?
- Will you discuss the care plan with my primary doctor?