Getting doctors to talk - They don't talk, they dictate

In addition to a movement disorders specialist, you may consult with a primary care physician, orthopedic surgeon, cardiologist, or other specialist. There are also some people with Parkinson's who live far from a movement disorders specialist. So, they may travel once per year to visit the movement disorders specialist, but they visit a local neurologist or primary care physician for most of their Parkinson's care.

The trick is to get them to communicate with each other. If a doctor sees 25 patients a day, it's not practical for them to call all your doctors. It's more practical for them to dictate a letter to the doctors. Then someone else types and sends the letter. I've worked with quite a few doctors who are so busy that they do not send letters unless a patient requests it. So, if you want to keep your doctors "talking," there are some tricks to use.

At the end of each appointment, it would be good to ask the doctor:

"Would you please dictate a short letter to Dr. '____' telling him about '____', and your concern about '______'?"

"Would you please dictate a short letter to Dr. '____' summarizing our visit today?"

The key word is "dictate." Make it easy for your doctor, and it is more likely to get done. To make it even easier, you could hand him the name(s) and address(es) of the doctor(s) you want the letter(s) to go to.

However, you should still keep notes of your visits with all of your doctors. Then you can take the notes to all of your appointments. That is part of owning life and the conditions that accompany it.