Social Security Disability Benefits and Doctor-Patient Dialogue

 Posted on November 11, 2012 in Social Security Disability

Social Security Disability Benefits and Doctor-Patient Dialogue

If you are applying for Social Security disability benefits, one of the most important things that you can do is seek out proper medical treatment and be on good terms with your doctor. The Social Security Administration will review medical evidence and determine whether you are capable of working. Continued treatment with your doctor will insure that there is more evidence to go off of during the process and allow for the government to get a better picture of your physical or mental limitations. To that end, understanding what your doctor is writing about you in his or her notes will not only help you become more familiar with your medical condition, but will also help you know where you stand for your disability benefits claim. The Open Notes Project is an excellent example of a concerned effort to build on those ideas.

The Open Notes Project is one example of a collaborative effort between patients and doctors to build communication and understanding in the medical field. The study involved over 100 doctors from multiple major health centers and over 19,000 patients invited to review office visit notes and comments to create open dialogue for the improvement of treatment and overall patient health and the results were quite shocking. The Open Notes Project would have patients review doctors' notes about their visits to promote understanding and better communication. Of the patients who reviewed the doctor's notes:

• Approximately 80% had a better understanding of their medical condition
• Approximately 80% felt they had more control over their healthcare
• 99% wanted the project to continue

What does this mean? The results of the project were relatively clear, more communication between patients and doctors typically improves health and understanding. The same is true for claimants applying for disability benefits, even if the claim has already been denied. Understanding what your doctor is saying about you and your resulting limitations will paint a clearer picture of where you are at with your disability claim. It will also insure that the doctor is made aware of symptoms that were either looked over or not properly recorded during office visits.