“I’m here because my father got cancer,” I said to the doctor at my first annual check up in almost four years. She was running about 40 minutes behind.
“He didn’t get his regular check ups, so they caught his cancer at an advanced stage,” I continued with some conviction. She nodded and told me to come back the next day at 8 a.m. — after fasting — to get blood drawn.
What? Why not right now? Didn’t she know how hard it was to get time off work plus a babysitter so I could get to this appointment? Does it surprise you to know that — two years later — I’m still thinking about the lab work I need to do?
Clearly, a teachable moment like my own father’s diagnosis propelled me into the doctor office. Your employees are having similar ah-ha moments. But, no one was helping me make it priority. I just had my first child. I was renovating a house. My list goes on, just as your employees’ does.
It’s true that under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, most employer-sponsored plans will be offering network preventive care free of charge. That’s one less barrier to completing the recommended screenings. Here are a few ideas:
