Asthma and Allergy To-dos

The new year is here! Everyone is preparing for a great year. Many people are hitting the gym and eating better to lose weight and become healthier. Other people are making new years resolutions to better themselves and others have things to accomplish to prepare for the coming year. If you have asthma and allergies, there are a few to dos that you should make sure you complete to get ready for the year. Let’s take a look at some of these things.

1. Ensure your health care provider office has a copy of your new insurance information. Each year, most doctor’s offices update their insurance records for patients to make sure they have the latest information. You can contact your doctor’s office to share your new insurance information for the year. Doing this will save you time at your future doctor’s appointments in the coming year.
2. Update your new insurance information at your pharmacy. Not only does your doctor’s office need your updated insurance information, but your pharmacy does as well. The new insurance information is needed to submit your prescription claims for coverage of your prescriptions for the year.
3. Determine if your prescription medications are still covered on your prescription plan. Doing this will help ensure that you do not run to any issues when you are at the pharmacy trying to fill your prescriptions. Each year, health insurance providers usually update the list of medicines, or formulary, that are covered. If you find out that your medication is not covered, then let your doctor know as soon as you can. Letting your provider know that your prescription medicine is no longer covered will allow them to change your medicine to something that is covered by your health plan.
4. Continue to prepare yourself for the winter weather. The cold temperatures typically continue into the early months of the next year in the United States. Take steps to keep yourself warm by wearing a coat and scarf when you go outside.
5. Make sure you always have your emergency medicines with you at all times. If you have asthma, make sure you have your rescue inhaler with you. If you have allergies, make sure you have your epinephrine on hand. It’s also a good idea to check the expiration dates on your emergency medicines to see if they are not expired.
6. Monitor and check your indoor air quality. The cold weather means that you are staying indoors more often. Staying closed up more may worsen the air quality inside. Be mindful of the different indoor allergens that can build up and trigger your allergies and asthma.

If you have any more questions on steps to make your new year easier with asthma and allergies, let us know. Give our Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group team a call at 805-658-9500 to set up an appointment with us. We will be glad to help you with managing your asthma and allergies.