Women's Health Benefits Patients often prefer leaving all decisions to their doctors. In managed care, however, you have to play an active role. Getting the most from managed care means more than just understanding your plan's rules and regulations, although that's important. It also means taking responsibility by working with your doctor in decisions about your health, following directions of health care professionals, and knowing when and how to seek medical care. In some managed care plans, you may have to be more assertive than you have been in the past.
Health care relies on a partnership.
An involved patient is more likely to get care before an emergency develops. Trust and open communication can be nearly as important in your health as the latest high-tech medical equipment. Know Your Medical History Doctors often learn as much from your medical history as from examining you. So, know your medical history, including what diseases you had as a child, when you were last immunized for tetanus and other infectious diseases, and dates of surgeries or hospitalizations. Family medical history also helps in diagnoses.