Normally you make an appointment. You sit in the waiting room. A nurse calls your name and takes your blood pressure, weight and temperature. Then the doctor comes in and you chat for a few minutes. You doctor asks you to make a follow-up appointment or gives you a referral to a specialist.
This is typically how an appointment goes for people with high blood pressure, but there is a new trend that is breaking with tradition. Welcome to the world of shared medical appointments.
Shared medical appointments
“What we are doing is bringing people together who have a similar condition and creating an environment where we can see them together but still treat each one as an individual,” says Brady Foss, the internal medicine clinical manager at Sanford Bismarck in North Dakota.
Starting with high blood pressure
“We are introducing shared medical appointments for high blood pressure to the Bismarck community first,” explains Khalin Dendy, M.D., an internal medicine physician at Sanford Bismarck. “Many people have high blood pressure, and through lifestyle fixes and one of several medications, you can get it under control. This gives people who come to these shared medical appointments a lot of common ground to talk about.”
Group discussion and education
During these appointments, patients are seen together in a group setting that encourages asking questions, discussing concerns and sharing experiences.
“What makes shared medical appointments so unique is the fact that you get to share from your own life and get to know people going through the same things as you are,” Foss says. “This gives everyone a new perspective on living with high blood pressure.”
“During these shared appointments, everything said is kept confidential between the participants,” Dr. Dendy says. “You can share as much or as little as you want. If you aren’t comfortable talking, you are welcome to just come, sit and listen. No matter your personality type, this is something everyone can benefit from.”
Adding more time and more value
Shared medical appointments also allow you to have more time with your health care team. These group visits last between 60 and 90 minutes with your team versus 15 to 30 minutes in a traditional clinic appointment.
All specialists in one place
And while an individual clinic appointment is between you and one provider, a shared medical appointment gives you access to a team of experts ready to listen and help you with your needs. This team may be comprised of:
- Nurse practitioner
- Registered nurse health coach
- Registered dietitian
- Pharmacist
- Integrated health therapist
- Personal trainer
“This really is complete care in one visit,” says Foss. “You get to see all of these different providers all at once. This limits the number of trips you have to make to the clinic.”
Changing expectations
“I think most patients are looking for a change,” says Dr. Dendy. “Technology and medicine itself has progressed in the last 100 years but the way we see patients hasn’t. This is a new way for patients to receive the care they need in an engaging and personable way.”
Shared medical appointments may include discussion on healthy choices, goal setting, stress reduction strategies and options for physical activity.
Sanford Bismarck is currently holding shared medical appointments for high blood pressure the last Thursday of the month. Talk to your doctor to see if a shared medical appointment is right for you, or call the Sanford Bismarck Clinic at (701) 323-5600 with any questions.
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Posted In Family Medicine, Healthy Living
