Prairie Doc Perspective Week of July 23rd, 2023
“ Part Two: Getting the Most Out of Your Healthcare”
By Samantha Darnall-Werlinger, MD

1. After your visit: Your physician may order blood work, x-rays or a scan of your body. If the concern is acute or potentially a threat to your immediate health, you may be asked to wait for your results in the clinic. Normally, patients may leave and await their results from home. If the physician has requested a follow-up appointment, please schedule prior to your departure. We highly encourage this step as the schedules fill up very quickly. 
2. Results: Nowadays, many health institutions offer an application for your phone or computer to track your information at the touch of a button. While this is incredibly convenient, it can also create anxiety. If an abnormal result occurs, please wait patiently to hear from the clinic. We are performing many tasks and seeing patients during the day. It may take time to hear from us. Depending on your preference, you will receive either a phone call or message from the doctor or nurse on your results along with what to do with the information. More serious results will likely come from the doctor themselves. The majority of the results and information will be relayed to you from the nursing staff. 
3. Messages/questions: With these new apps, many patients have the option to message their physician with questions/concerns. The questions go to a pool being covered by a litany of clinic staff. They will use their knowledge to help with the concern/question. When necessary, the staff will forward it to the physician. Depending on the institution, we may have 24-72 hours to respond. If your question involves symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath - DO NOT MESSAGE. Please call the clinic to speak with a nurse, call 911 or proceed to the Emergency Room.  
4. Medication refills: There’s nothing more frustrating than going to the pharmacy and find there are no refills available on medications. Most healthcare systems likely have a timeframe set for when medications are required to be sent, the average is about 24-48 hours. That being said, please watch your medication supply carefully. When you have about 5-7 days left, call your pharmacy and request a refill, send a request via your application or call the clinic. Please plan accordingly around vacations/travel and holidays. If available, sign up for your pharmacy’s notification system for your convenience. This will ensure timely refills so you do not go without your medications or make unnecessary trips to the pharmacy. 

In closing, the healthcare system is a very busy entity providing care to thousands of patients simultaneously through various avenues. I’m hoping this essay can give patients some insight and assistance on how to navigate the systems and get the most seamless care.


Dr. Samantha Darnall-Werlinger is a family medicine physician with a special interest in obstetrics. Dr. Darnall-Werlinger practices at the Sanford Health Watertown Clinic in Watertown, SD. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show based on science, built on trust for 21 seasons, streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.  
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Prairie Doc Perspective Week of July 16th, 2023
“Getting the Most Out of Your Healthcare”
By Samantha Darnall-Werlinger, MD


As a patient, it can be challenging to navigate the healthcare system. This can lead to frustration and disappointment in the system itself. My intent with this article is to be both informative and alleviate some angst associated with seeking medical care. 

1. Preparing for your appointment: This may be the most crucial step - whether the appointment is with your primary care physician or a specialist. As the patient, it is important to have the most important concern(s) prepared to address. As physicians, we are only allotted so many minutes to see each patient depending on the reason for the visit. Time ranges anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, the majority are on the shorter end of the range. It is possible that all your concerns may not be addressed in one visit. While this may be frustrating, we also want to devote enough time to each issue. If there are numerous concerns, you may need to schedule a follow up appointment. Rushing through may cause important information to be missed.
2. Arriving for your appointment: Many clinic goers believe the appointment time is when they should arrive at the clinic. During an ideal day, it is our goal to have your physician walking into your exam room at the time of your appointment. Arriving at least 15-20 minutes prior to your appointment time will give clinic staff more time to get you prepared for your visit. You will ultimately end up spending more time with your physician by arriving early. 
3. Running late: Tardiness is never anyone’s goal. Both parties may be the cause for appointments starting late, including late arrival times. There may also be life-threatening complications with the patient before you. We may be calling the Emergency Room or hospital to admit sick patients. Many physicians deliver babies. Little ones can arrive at any time, day or night. If the babies need help after birth, we stay and assist them. This only names a few reasons why we may run late. When your turn arrives, we will give you our undivided attention. As physicians, we very much appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate unforeseen situations that arise.
4. The appointment: As you now know, visits are short. Throughout the visit, we are collecting important information. This involves history taking, an examination and formulation of a plan based on our diagnosis. This all occurs in a very short timeframe. Have your medication list, any updates to your health along with information on other healthcare visits on hand. If an acute issue brings you to the clinic, a time frame of the concern, interventions you’ve tried, and what makes the issue better or worse can expedite the information collection process. This preparedness will ensure you get the most out of your visit.

This is just the beginning. Next week, I’ll go over what happens behind the scenes after your visit. 


Dr. Samantha Darnall-Werlinger is a family medicine physician with a special interest in obstetrics. Dr. Darnall-Werlinger practices at the Sanford Health Watertown Clinic in Watertown, SD. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show based on science, built on trust for 21 seasons, broadcast on SDPB and streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.  

Prairie Doc Perspective Week of  July 9th, 2023
“Paging Doctor Hollywood”
By Jill Kruse, DO


From Dr. Marcus Welby and Dr. Meredith Grey to “Hawkeye” Pierce and Doogie Howser, MD, there have been a multitude of television doctors.  You likely spend more time watching them than you do with your own physician.  Television shows the life of a doctor as exciting, dramatic and glamorous; however, real life is often much different.  
On television doctors can solve every medical mystery within the span of a single show.  Rare diseases or unusual presentations are no match for the intellect or dedication of the Hollywood doctor.  Experimental treatments or lifesaving surgeries are all done with minimal interference.  Television doctors rarely deal with hospital policies, evidence based medical care standards, or insurance companies. They also seem to have ample extra time between patients.
In the real world, things are not as simple and straightforward as they are on television.  Multiple diseases have similar symptoms and specialized lab tests can take days or weeks to get results. Unfortunately insurance companies often dictate what tests can be done, such as a CT or MRI.  They may also refuse to cover a hospital stay or a new medication, requiring older or cheaper options first.  Doctors are required to spend a significant amount of time charting to justify tests or treatments for insurance companies.  Unfortunately these activities do not make “must see TV” and take significantly more time than what is actually spent with patients.  
On television, almost everyone gets better.  A patient is just a problem that is solved and forgotten by the next episode, likely never seen again.  In real life, many people live with chronic conditions that cannot be fixed or resolved.  Real patients are not problems to be solved, but important partners with their doctors in order to live a healthier lifestyle.  This takes trust; something that is gained slowly over years, and can be broken faster than a commercial break.  
While not as dramatic as television’s life and death surgeries, routine health care in the clinic is just as important.  Television rarely shows a family medicine doctor doing a routine physical or a follow up visit for high blood pressure or diabetes.  There is very little drama in adjusting a medication dose in the clinic.  However, these visits will keep you from experiencing television worthy complications down the road.
You can look for a doctor as funny as Patch Adams, as smart as House, or as good looking as McDreamy.  However, what is important is that you find a doctor that you communicate well with and trust.  An annual physical and routine health care may seem boring and unnecessary, but it can help prevent some real life health care problems.  Save the drama for your television.