7 Super Easy Ways How RVers Handle Health Care on the Road
If you are or plan to be an RV fulltimer or frequent traveler, you need to figure out how RVers handle health care on the road…
I learned that lesson well as you can see in the photo above, taken when I ended up in the Mayo Clinic hospital in Rochester, MN a few years back to have emergency surgery to have a gallbladder removed while I was passing through the area on an RV trip. Everything went fine and we resumed the trip after a couple of days
The year before that, Jennifer ended up in a tiny hospital in Red Lodge, MT when she came down with bacterial pneumonia while we were on a hiking trip in the Beartooth Mountains. She, too, had excellent care on the road.
Stuff happens.
So, how do you handle a health care issue and you are far from home in your RV, We'll share a helpful video on how we do it plus additional tips that will help you.
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How We Handle Health Care on the Road (Video)
You can do as we did, read a lot of online forums and Facebook groups, talk to a lot of other RVers, and practice a little trial and error. You'll figure it out. Eventually.
Or you can just read this post and the other resources I share and save a lot of time.
We've been doing the RV Lifestyle now for more than a decade, and worrying about what would happen if we got sick on trip or ran out of or prescription caused us way too much stress in those early days.
Eventually, we did get sick. We did get injured. We did run out of a prescription. But those bumps in the road all quickly smoothed themselves out, giving us some campfire stories to tell and the knowledge and experience of how RVers handle health care on the road.
We just made a video that shows a little of the tips we now follow, as we headed to Jacksonville, FL this past week to have some checkups done by the world-renowned Mayon Clinic there.
Why Jacksonville?
Well, it has a great park to camp in (see the video below) and some terrific beaches where dogs are welcome and since Jennifer and I are both patients of the Mayo Clinic, we were able to schedule a few days of tests and combine a great RV getaway as we were poked and prodded and checked out.
Here's our video on how RVers handle health care on the road:
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Why Mayo, you ask? Well, that leads me perfectly into what we think are the 7 best tips on how RVers handle health care on the road…
Tip #1 Use a Centralized Provider
Whether a national hospital system like Mayo or affiliation of local hospitals, having your records centralized makes your health care much more accessible and accurate. Because they are routinely rated one of the best diagnostic and research centers in the world, Jennifer and I selected Mayo.
There are three Mayo Clinics…in Rochester, MN, Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL.
Those areas—the Southwest, the upper Midwest, and Florida—just happen to be our favorite regions of the country. So, one of them is pretty much always a day's drive from us as we travel.
All our tests, prescriptions, physical exams, and treatment plans are coordinated through their system. No matter which hospital of theirs that we visit, it’s like being at home.
Other articles on how RVers handle health care on the road that I have written about this:
- Read Tips for Managing Health Care while RVing, an article I wrote a while back on this topic with lots of detailed info from experts.
- Read my article on Sitting Disease, a real illness that RVers are particularly susceptible to
- Want to know how we came to know Mayo? Read Emergencies are just a Bump in the Road that describes my first encounter with Mayo. (See the photo up top)
Tip #2 Embrace Electronic Medical Records
Pretty much every hospital and the vast majority of doctors now use electronic medical records. Get familiar with the online patient portals so you can schedule appointments, do telemedicine consultations and quickly access your health care records, which you can then share with health professionals as you travel.
Having all those records instantly available saves time. It allows other healthcare professionals who you may be seeing to quickly determine baselines for your health and be much more confident in how they treat you.
Your records mean you are not a stranger. You can access them via computer, smartphone or tablet from anywhere.
Tip #3 Just in Case, Carry a Hard Copy
Patient portals are wonderful, but sometimes, it's just easier to look at a sheet of paper. So print out and carry your latest medical tests with you.
If you need to quickly answer a question about previous tests or diagnoses while you're making an appointment or talking to a health professional on the phone, it's simply easier and more efficient to look at a printout than boot up a computer or fumble around to open an app on your smartphone.
Tip #4 Use a National Pharmacy Chain
Get your prescriptions with national pharmacy chains like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and others. That way you can pick up refills from outlets of those chain pharmacies in pretty much whatever state or city you visit.
This doesn't go for controlled substance prescriptions from one state being refilled in another.
And there are way too many complications and red tape issues involved in having Canadians getting a prescription written by a Canadian doctor refilled in the U.S. (and vice versa).
But in general, having your regular, non-controlled substance prescriptions filled at a national chain will usually get you a refill on the road. We've done so several times in different parts of the country.
Want more info about this tip? Check this story on the topic from our friends at RVTravel.com that exhaustively covers the question of getting drug refills while traveling.
Tip #5 Get 90-Day Prescriptions
Get your prescriptions in 90-day quantities. That way, you won't run out of an important medicine while traveling.
Getting your drugs in 90-day refills means you’re buying your meds in bulk—just like when you buy stapes at Costco or Sams Club instead of at your local grocery store. It saves you money.
We're talking regular medications you are pretty much on all the time, taken consistently at the same dose that typically treat chronic conditions
The big reason to get them written for 90-day refills is that instead of having to get refills 12 times a year with the standard 30-day supply of most maintenance models, you only have to be bothered with getting a refill four times a year.
Tip #6 Drink a lot – of water
Drink water all day long. You know this. But you need to be reminded.
Long hours driving and sitting in an RV can really dehydrate you. But there are many other reasons.
Water flushes toxins out of your system, helps prevent the buildup of minerals that can cause kidney stones, increases energy, relieves fatigue, and maintains regularity.
It promotes weight loss. Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus, and concentrate better, and you are more alert. It also improves your skin complexion.
If you tend to get a lot of leg cramps, you may not be drinking enough water. I could go on, but I'll go on to the final tip instead.
Tip #7 Practice Downtime
Practice downtime, Chillout regularly. Every day for as long as you can.
You will feel your soul drenched in this. Find a quiet place, a favorite place, like the mountains, a beach, or a forest. And just sit and look. Listen to nature. Clear your mind. Appreciate God's creation. Breathe deeply.
The best way we've found to do this is to practice our 330 Rule: Don't drive more than 330 miles or stop by 3:30 PM local time. That way, you'll get off the road, in camp, and maybe do a little exploring or sit and look at the scenery.
You are RVing because you want to decompress, right? So do it. Don't overdrive and chill out.
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We RVers may wander far and wide but it’s true for most of us that we end up with some favorite “Go-To” places – places that draw us back again and again.
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Very good article, Mike, but being a Type 1, insulin-dependent, diabetic is a whole new ballgame. It is a life and death situation since my body no longer produces insulin. My husband and I have full-timed three months short of five years and have continued to do so even after I was diagnosed 17 months ago with diabetic keto-acidosis. Being a Type 1 is a wild ride and requires monitoring blood sugar multiple times daily and constantly managing it according to what is happening at the time, and taking insulin multiple times (4 to 5 times) daily. We have decided to find a home base where we can travel to and from on shorter trips, so we are not giving up traveling altogether, but need to relook at what works best in our situation.
And for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are veterans, the VA’s medical system has vastly improved in the last three years now that political pressure is placed on the VA’s leadership. Veterans had pretty much been ignored the previous 8 years. Tha VA’s patient medical records are computerized and available at all times. I can get my meds refilled either by mail from my “home” facility or at almost any other one.
Thank you for the article. Had not thought of using Mayo as our PCP. Are there health insurances available for those of us who travel but not yet eligible for Medicare? Our current policy will cover Dr visits in our home state and only ER visits in all other states.
It’s obvious that Medicare Advantage plans are a great deal for the insurance companies. That’s all most of them want to sell.
As an RVer, don’t get sucked into them. Regular Medicare with a supplement will treat you better.
I am a Medicare agent with Senior Savingd Network and just got my first RV (Entegra Aspire 45′)
I have been helping other RV’ers with their Medicare insurance across the country to help make sure they are not limited to just specific networks. Medicare Supplements, as opposed to “Advantage plans” allow you to use ANY provider or hospital in the country, even the Mayo clinic.
If I can ever help, my number is 800-729-9590
Chris
I am a US citizen but have never lived or worked in the US. I have canadian health care and buy suplemental insurance when travelling in the US which is getting very expensive. Is there any way I can get US health care??
Become a us citizen then all us tax payers can help with that one ! Or do what most citizens here do pay out the back end or get very little coverage pay less.
Medical care an prescriptions cost us all out the tear or you can buy herbal meds an go natural Medici rd that are always better anyway try Cbd it really does better for your health anyway but it is pricey but use it every day 2-3xs a day for at least 6 months try this it works for me an I’m saving now 13,000$ a year! Do your own medical research on line learn biology the plants that heal you!
ASPRIN plane ol
ASPRIN is good daily too eat vegetables drink veggies an try avoiding the booze an fats an junk food all those additives bad for the body
Go in nature become nature