Back to school also means back to the doctor. As you head into the new school year, it’s a convenient time to take your kids in for their yearly physicals. To get the most out of those appointments, be sure to be ready with the following information and questions:

  • Use the office visit to obtain medical eligibility for your child’s sports and activities. Contact your child’s school for the form they use and take it with you to the appointment. 
  • Provide your child’s doctor with any family medical history and your child’s medical records. 
  • Provide a list of any medications your child is currently using.
  • Show your child how to converse with the physician and encourage them to engage in the conversation. It’s important to model how to gather clarification on health questions and how to advocate for oneself in medical situations. This is a great opportunity to both example and include your child in these important skills. 
  • Talk about school successes and challenges with your child’s physician. This helps your child’s physician to learn more about your child and their personality and experiences. 
  • Ask your child’s physician for current recommendations on sleep for the age and stage of life of your child. 
  • Ask your child if they have any questions for the doctor. Again, it’s an important skill for kids to learn how to engage in a collaborative relationship with their doctor.

Several membership levels with Altrua HealthShare include office visits, which can make back to school checkups easier. Also, members of certain Altrua HealthShare memberships have six annual office visits per family member, and those office visits can be pooled to be shared by all the family members on the membership. So, for example, if there is a family member who needs more than six office visits over the course of a year due to, say, a broken arm, and there is another family member who only needs a couple of office visits, the family member who needs more visits because of their broken arm has access to those extra office visits. It’s an innovative, great way for family members to customize their allotted office visits.

If you would like to learn more about Altrua HealthShare and the pooled office visits feature, click here. If you are a current Altrua HealthShare member and would like to talk with someone about upgrading your membership to include the pooled office visits feature, you can call Member Services for more information.