Help employers find more medical ‘tools’ for their workers

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- A patient doesn't feel good. They visit their doctor, describe their symptoms, the doctor orders some tests and reaches the conclusion - there's nothing wrong; "you're fine."

Meanwhile, the patient still doesn't feel good. They return to the doctor, only to be told to lose weight, eat healthier, and reduce their stress.

Efrat LaMandre, also known as "Dr. E," is the CEO of EG Healthcare and a clinician and nurse practitioner. She described the reasons for what she called "medical gaslighting" and what health insurance brokers can do about it during the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals Annual Convention in Atlantic City, N.J.

LaMandre said she has seen countless patients - including her wife - experiencing medical gaslighting when physicians are unable to find a reason for the symptoms that bring a patient into the doctor's office.

She doesn't blame the medical profession for medical gaslighting, but rather the "toolbox" of evidence-based medicine that most physicians practice. A physician is trained to use only the tools of evidence in the form of test results or scans. Sometimes the patient's problem requires additional "toolboxes" to find a solution.

Nothing to lose

LaMandre used her wife's experience as an example. Her wife had an extreme sensitivity to sunlight and later developed severe psoriasis.

When LaMandre mentioned this to doctors who worked in her office, they suggested that there might be a reason behind her wife's afflictions, but nothing in the medical journals said anything could be done about them.

"I thought, 'What do we have to lose?' so we went to another doctor. He ran some tests, changed her diet, put her on some supplements. Her psoriasis cleared up and she is back in the sun."

LaMandre said this was a turning point in her own approach to caring for patients. She continued to use the evidence-based toolbox, but used other toolboxes she called "gut feeling" and "listen to the XXXX patient."

By asking deeper questions about things such as diet and environment, she was able to help patients change their lives by getting to the root causes of their illnesses.

"When we expand our horizons, when we increase our toolboxes, we improve patients' lives," she said.

She told the health insurance brokers that they are in a unique position to help because they often hear their clients' stories about how they have sought medical help, only to be told nothing can be done for them.

"And sometimes, you are in a unique position to tell your employer clients, 'Let's look at your plans.' Plans that cover things like functional medicine consultations, medicine that includes more toolboxes. You can intervene in the land of predisease and save the company money."

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Susan Rupe is editor in chief, magazine, for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected].