headache doctor

28 May 2018

Migraine Headache Treatment Centers

This is just a brief article for those trying to find information and contacts for migraine headache treatment centers. What are they, and how can I find a place that will really help me?

It can be difficult to find migraine headache treatment centers, because most are not that focused. There are many centres that focus on headaches in general, chronic pain conditions in general, or even migraine in general. Remember, migraine headache is only one possible symptom of migraine, although it is the most well known symptom.

Still looking for the right migraine headache treatment centers? A centre focused on headache, pain, or migraine can be helpful for a migraine patient, if it’s a quality clinic.

First, some background information:

Finding the Right Pain Clinic (4 things to look for): Some key things to look for when you’re trying to choose a treatment center.
Should I try a Multidisciplinary Pain clinic? (Guest Post): More things to think about before you decide on a clinic.

Often, finding migraine headache treatment centers starts with finding a qualified doctor. As mentioned above, it is very important to have someone in the clinic who does have experience and training in treating headache disorders, especially migraine. This person will most likely be a neurologist.

Here are some links to specific recommended doctors in several countries:

Finding a Good Migraine Specialist
Is Your Doctor a Certified Headache Specialist?: How to find a certified specialist – more links to information.
Specific locations: San Francisco Migraines Clinic
Specific locations: Migraine: Chicago Treatment Options
Specific locations: Houston Migraine Help

It can be hard to make an upgrade in your treatment. But there are times when it has to be done if you’re going to find help – Make the call – find a new doctor.

A final note: We support the Migraine Research Foundation, and they have a list of migraine headache treatment centers here.

25 September 2017

More Ways to be a Better Doctor

James Uncategorized 0

Doctor, are your patients staying away from you because of your “bedside manner”, or because of something that doesn’t happen in your conversation at all?

We want patients to get the best care possible, and so if good doctors are losing patients because of small things that can be improved – they should know about it.

An interesting little analysis of data was recently done by Zocdoc, a platform designed to help patients find good doctors and make appointments. After every appointment, patients are asked for a review. What do those reviews tell us?

This was one of those simple reviews of words and numbers, which admittedly can only tell us so much. However, there are some clues here that might help doctors improve their ratings.

First, which words are common in positive reviews? Here are some examples: More Ways to be a Better Doctor

Friendly – that’s the top one. Ok, pretty obvious.
Thorough – of course, we don’t want the doctor to rush us out with a prescription of 2 aspirin before she really took the time to understand our symptoms.
Questions – interesting. This might relate to the one above. Taking time to answer? Asking good questions?
Knowledgeable – Yes, that’s a biggie. How many hours did your doctor spend studying headache conditions? Certification helps here.
Appointment – Was it easy to get one?
Concerns – I can make a good guess here. Did the doctor actually listen to your concerns? There are many other related words down the list… caring, explained, answered, informative, attentive, listens…

Of course, sometimes the negative reviews tell us more than the positive ones. So, let’s head over to that side. What did the bad reviews have to say?

Appointment – Yes, you saw this on the other list. Can you believe it, this was #1! Why? Were there mix-ups? Were appointments delayed? The research suggests that long wait-times, both before the appointment and in the waiting room were to blame. With a little organization, many of these complaints could have been avoided. Time to brainstorm in your office for some solutions!
Insurance – Again, easily making it in the top 2. Although the doctor only has so much control here, the office could make things go as smoothly as possible. Wouldn’t you like to be known as the doctor and team that does everything to help patients get coverage? That would be such a help.
Waiting/Waited – Already talked about this.
Questions – Another one high on both lists. Did the doctor not take the time to answer, or even listen? Rushed also made it high on the list.
Rude – That one should be obvious. But notice it’s a ways down the list!
Unprofessional – That can be improved, surely.

Another interesting thing to note about the negative reviews in particular. Words like “nurse” and “receptionist” were pretty significant. Meaning that the rest of the staff can make a huge difference. And, by the way, how does the doctor treat the staff? Just askin’.

I don’t want to see bad doctors thrown out of the business – I would like to see them become good doctors. But perhaps even more important, I don’t want good doctors to be avoided just because they don’t know how to talk to their staff, or because their receptionist made a mistake in scheduling, or because they haven’t found someone to help them administrate well. There are not enough good headache doctors as it is. Maybe a little feedback, positive and negative, can help make good doctors great.

To see the stats in more detail, check out What Really Motivates Positive and Negative Patient Reviews?. See also How to be a better Headache or Migraine Doctor

17 November 2016

Is Your Doctor a Certified Headache Specialist?

James Information, Tips 0

Wouldn’t it be nice to know that your doctor has at least a little advanced and current training in headache disorders? It would be nice, but it’s actually something that’s very hard to implement.

Would you want a standardized worldwide or countrywide standard, enforced by local governments? Who would decide on the qualifications? Or a standard from a group you trust? That wouldn’t be nearly as widespread, and many excellent specialists would be left out.

Certified Headache Doctor There are those who are trying to fill the gap. Here are a couple of examples from the United States.

One is the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS). The UCNS is a non-profit organization that awards certification to doctors who meet certain current requirements. Headache medicine is one of their specific subspecialties. You can actually get an idea what their requirements look like by visiting their Headache Medicine Certification page.

The Migraine Research Foundation maintains a list of UCNS certified doctors in the USA, showing who specialized in which age group. Just visit Doctors Certified in Headache Medicine.

The National Headache Foundation also provides certification, called the Certificate in Added Qualification (CAQ) in Headache Medicine. This certification is also based on current knowledge, and is open not only to medical doctors but also advanced practice nurses, dentists, D.O.s, psychologists, and physician’s assistants.

If you fall into any of these categories, you can read more about CAQ here.

The National Headache Foundation has a list that includes both CAQ and UCNS certification. There are some doctors who even have both certifications. The list is maintained here: Healthcare Provider Finder.

Certification is knowledge based, and does not guarantee that you will like the doctor, or even that they will be a good doctor. However, it does help to demonstrate a basic knowledge that, unfortunately, many doctors and even specialists do not have.

Also remember, this type of certification isn’t even available everywhere. There are many excellent doctors who are not, for whatever reason, board certified in this way.

29 June 2009

How to be a better Headache or Migraine Doctor

James Tips, Website news 2

Some people love their doctors. Others … well … feel they could be getting better treatment elsewhere. What makes the difference? What makes a good migraine doctor?

In our last poll, we asked our visitors about their migraine doctors and specialists. The question was, I would be happier with my doctor/specialist more if he/she … what?

Here are the answers, starting with the one with the most votes:

"I would be happier with my doctor/specialist more if he/she …"

showed more concern/took me seriously. Doctors tend to be rushed, is that the reason why they sometimes brush off patients? I think there’s something more here though. There are some doctors who still assume that almost every headache is minor, and they aren’t aware of the impact some of these disorders have on their patients lives. Sometimes that’s because patients don’t explain the life impact fully. But other times doctors make assumptions that they shouldn’t. I think this is changing, but there’s still work to be done. This was easily the top answer, chosen by 18.5%, or almost 1 in 5 patients.
was more knowledgeable about my condition. I think more knowledge would help with the first issue as well. Let’s be fair here though. Our understanding of neurology and the brain has exploded in the last 20 years. It’s not possible for every doctor to keep up, and very difficult for a specialist to keep up. You should expect your doctor to be aware of the basics of major conditions such as migraine, but you can’t expect her to know all the latest research and treatments. Patients need to find someone who specializes in their condition if at all possible, and doctors need to be willing to admit their limitations and make referrals.
thought more creatively about issues related to my treatment. This was almost tied with the last one, with about 1 in 8 patients with these concerns. This is a tricky one, but it does point to the fact that medicine is an art as well as a science. There are doctors who just keep going over the same ground again and again, but could get to a better treatment with a little creative thinking, a few creative questions, a little digging. It’s easy to start thinking you’ve seen it all before, but in the world of headache every patient really is unique. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
was open to a wider variety of treatments. The next two are tied, with about 1 in 9 patients answering this way. This may have a lot to do with alternative treatments. Doctors are becoming more and more open to alternative treatments. One reason is that the research is starting to prove that many alternative treatments have real value. On the other hand, some have very little evidence to back them up. Find a doctor who will look at the evidence, and at the very least listen to what treatments you’re considering and offer suggestions or warnings.
explained to me what she/he’s thinking. It’s not only condescending, it’s very frustrating when a doctor won’t work together with her patients. It is essential in today’s world for doctors and patients to work together to find treatments that work. If your doctor won’t take the time to explain to you why she is recommending a treatment or drug, consider looking for another doctor.
listened more. More than 1 in 10 answering the poll put this in their top 3. Let’s put it this way. With all the frustration, misdiagnoses, and patients who go years without proper treatment, something is not being done right. I’m convinced this is part of it. I’m also convinced it’s a two way street. Doctors need to learn to listen, question, and pay attention. Patients also need to learn to come prepared, question, and explain things clearly and succinctly. We all have to do better in this area to fight headache and migraine effectively. Tips for talking with your doctor here and here.
was more up to date on current treatments/issues. These last few were mentioned less, so I’m just going to include this one in the list and then mention the others briefly. About 1 in 13 patients mentioned this one, and it’s certainly related to some of the other points above, so still important. Being knowledgeable, up to date, and open to a wider variety of treatments all go together. Migraine and headache are major issues in today’s society, and doctors need to stay abreast of the issues or send their patients to someone who is.

There were three more that were still important concerns but only mentioned by a few patients. Some said that they wished their doctors trusted them more, which I think goes along with working together. Quite a few also said they wished their doctor wouldn’t give up so easily. Though only a few mentioned it in this poll, this is not the first time I’ve heard this, and it is an important issue. In this day and age, no one is going to live long enough to try every available migraine treatment, for example. No doctor should throw up her hands and say,"Well, we’ve tried it all!"

Some people said none of the above of course, so I’ll leave that up to your imagination (or your comments!). Finally, a few simply wished their doctor was more competent. Thankfully, that was a very small minority.

Most doctors do seem to be working hard, working with their patients and trying to help. I have a lot of respect for the many doctors and specialists who have helped so many.

Still, I know that doctors can do better. I hope those of you reading this will simply take it as data to use to make your practice even better, because I know that the vast majority of you want to help your patients find the answers.

Let’s work together. It’s time to fight back.