Free Primary Care 101 Event brings Oakwood experts to patients

Have questions about health insurance, or how to start managing your health? Oakwood Healthcare has the answers.  After hosting several sessions last year to help people navigate the health insurance marketplace and sign up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Oakwood is providing additional help to the community.

Oakwood is offering a new free informational class, Primary Care 101, to help people who are newly insured, looking for a new doctor or merely trying to maximize their health benefits. This free class is open to the general public and will offer expert advice from physicians and billing professionals. It takes place from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4 in the Kalman Auditorium at the Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn. Ten dollar gift cards will be given to every attendee. 

In addition to Oakwood physicians and billing professionals, health care navigators will be on hand at the event. Representatives will provide information on topics like:

·         How to choose a primary care physician

·         The importance of annual health screenings

·         The importance of benefits and billing

·         Where to go with questions on your health care

·         The 10 essential health benefits guaranteed under the ACA and how to take advantage of them

The class will stress the importance of being proactive with health maintenance and developing a good relationship with your health care provider.

“You want to make sure the patient feels comfortable with you and, as a patient, you want to make sure that you feel comfortable with the physician and that they really and truly support you and your health,” said Tiffany Sanford, MD, an Oakwood-affiliated internal medicine doctor who practices in Canton. “It’s a partnership.”

Primary Care 101 will also provide tips on how best to start a partnership with a new primary care physician, such as the questions to ask, the information to bring to your first appointment and the types of regular health screenings you will need.