9. Show Them the Money
Illness and injury, on top of everything else, can be really expensive.
Even with good insurance, a health problem that requires surgery and/or hospitalization might cost thousands of dollars out of pocket. With mediocre insurance, it might be tens of thousands.
Sometimes, Dr. Frank said, it helps to remind patients of the price they paid for their treatment. “I’ll say, ‘Let’s get moving so you don’t have to pay for this again.’ ”
Protecting their investment can be a powerful motivation.
10. Make It a Team Effort
While the doctors we interviewed have a wide range of specialties — cardiology, sports medicine, psychiatry, endocrinology, orthopedics, and physical therapy — their patients have one thing in common.
They don’t want to be in a doctor’s office. It means they have something, need something, or broke something.
It might be a treatable condition that’s merely inconvenient or a life-threatening event that’s flat-out terrifying.
Whatever it is, it pulls them out of their normal world. It can be a lonely, disorienting experience.
Sometimes the best thing a doctor can do is stay connected with the patient. “This is like a team sport,” Dr. Frank tells her patients. “I’m going to be your coach, but you’re the captain of the team.”
In some cases, she’ll ask the patient to message her on the portal after completing the daily or weekly exercises. That alone might motivate the patient — especially when she responds to their messages.
After all, nobody wants to let the coach down.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.