Articles on understanding care team roles and contacts, handling handoffs and changes in care after hospital stays or between providers, and seeking and comparing second opinions. This page lists all 11 Connected Care Guide guides on the topic, each with its opening lines so you can pick the one that matches your question.
Connected Care Guide is an independent publication. These guides are for education and do not replace care from a qualified professional.
Guides in this section
Care Team Contact Maps: Who Handles Refills, Results, Scheduling, and Urgent Questions
Say a patient needs a prescription refill on Monday, is waiting on a lab result by Wednesday, wants to book a follow-up visit for next month, and on Friday develops a symptom that feels urgent but not clearly an emergency.
Hospital Discharge Follow-Up: Medicines, Pending Tests, Appointments, and Warning Instructions
Going home after a hospital stay involves more than a ride and a bag of paperwork. In the space of a short conversation, you're usually handed new or changed medicines, tests that haven't come back yet, follow-up appointments to schedule, and a list of symptoms that mean "call the doctor" or "go to…
Moving From Pediatric to Adult Specialty Care: A Transition-Questions Map
Your 19-year-old has seen the same pediatric specialist since elementary school. That office knows the history without being told. Then a birthday, an insurance rule, or a doctor's retirement forces a move to an adult practice that has never seen the chart.
Preparing for a Care Conference: Questions, Roles, and Notes for a Team Conversation
A care conference is a scheduled conversation that includes you and more than one person from your care team, sometimes together with family, all discussing the same situation at once. It differs from a routine appointment, where you typically speak with one clinician. Knowing this ahead of time changes how you prepare.
How to Identify Which Care Team Can Answer a Non-Urgent Question
This guide is for non-urgent questions only — things like a mild side effect, a scheduling mix-up, or a general "is this normal?" question that can wait for a callback.
Changing Specialists: A Records and Questions Checklist for a Clean Handoff
A clean handoff is when your new specialist has the records they need and you have a clear list of questions before your first visit. It means nothing important gets lost between offices — not your test results, not your medication list, not the reason your last clinician referred you.
Care Team Roles: Questions to Clarify What Primary Care, Specialists, and You Each Handle
Care team roles get confusing fast once a primary care office refers you to a specialist. Three parties end up sharing responsibility: primary care, the specialist's office, and you.
Care Transition Checklist: Preparing for a New Appointment After Hospital or Emergency Care
This checklist helps you prepare for a follow-up appointment after a hospital stay, an emergency department visit, or an urgent care visit.
Preparing for a Second Opinion: The Question, the Record, and the Decision Deadline
A second opinion is simply a request for another qualified clinician to review your situation and share their own assessment before you make a decision.
Comparing Recommendations After a Second Opinion: A Question Framework
When a second opinion gives a different answer than your first doctor did, the goal right now is not to pick a treatment. It's to compare each doctor's reasoning, evidence, and confidence so you know exactly what to ask next, using a simple five-part comparison framework.
How to Seek a Second Opinion: Records, Questions, Timing, and Follow-Up
Getting a second opinion means asking another doctor to review your diagnosis or treatment plan using your medical records.