How To Get The Best Medical Care

The facts are alarming: Medical errors kill more people each year than AIDS, breast cancer, or car accidents. A doctor’s relationship with pharmaceutical companies may influence his choice of drugs for you. The wrong key word on an insurance claim can deny you coverage. Through real life stories, including her own, and shrewd advice, CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen shows you how to become your own advocate and navigate the minefield of today’s health-care system. But there’s good news. Discover how to • find a doctor who “gets” you and listens to you • ask the right questions for the best treatment • make the most out of a short office visit • cut out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs • harness the power of the Internet for medical issues • fight back when claims are denied Combining the personal stories of patients across America with crucial advice on receiving the best possible health care, this guide will enable you to confront an often confusing and perilous system—and come out ahead.

When We Fall Ill, Or Are Afflicted By A Serious Malady, We Expect Our Doctors To Perform Virtual Miracles In Order To Put An End To Our Misery. However, Our Expectations Are Not Always Fulfilled. Nowadays, Patients In India Are Getting Increasingly Dissatisfied With The Medical Care They Receive. Not Only Will This Book Help You To Select The Best Doctor For Your Medical Problem, But It Will Also Guide You As To How To Make The Most Of Your Doctor.

The preeminent doctor and bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel is repeatedly asked one question: Which country has the best healthcare? He set off to find an answer. The US spends more than any other nation, nearly $4 trillion, on healthcare. Yet, for all that expense, the US is not ranked #1 -- not even close. In Which Country Has the World's Best Healthcare? Ezekiel Emanuel profiles eleven of the world's healthcare systems in pursuit of the best or at least where excellence can be found. Using a unique comparative structure, the book allows healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers alike to know which systems perform well, and why, and which face endemic problems. From Taiwan to Germany, Australia to Switzerland, the most inventive healthcare providers tackle a global set of challenges -- in pursuit of the best healthcare in the world.

"I'd prescribe this book for every patient entering a hospital" Robert Galvin, M.D. Director of Global Healthcare General Electric "David Shulkin is a national role model for all hospital CEO's who want to walk the walk and talk the talk with real integrity, brutal honesty, and a total can do attitude,-- I hope other hospitals are listening" David B. Nash, M.D., MBA Founding Dean, the Jefferson School of Health, Policy and Population Health "Full of great, useful information, patients and families should read this book to be better informed and get better healthcare" Maulik S. Joshi, Dr.P.H. CEO, Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement "Just what the doctor ordered! This book, edited by one of the world's leaders in hospital quality, provides insights that every hospitalized patient needs to keep themselves safe. Read it and stay well." Robert Watcher, M.D. Professor and Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine UCSF Medical Center "An exceptionally valuable books that every patient, family member, and caregiver should read" Ken Raske President, Greater New York Hospital Association "Shulkin in this book has given patients an inside look at how to actively participate in helping even the best healthcare professionals improve their performance. Don't leave home without it" Larry Wellikson, M.D. CEO, Society for Hospital Medicine

The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide benefits based on disability: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This report analyzes health care utilizations as they relate to impairment severity and SSA's definition of disability. Health Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination identifies types of utilizations that might be good proxies for "listing-level" severity; that is, what represents an impairment, or combination of impairments, that are severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity, regardless of age, education, or work experience.

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

Helps those nearing retirement make the best decisions about their Social Security benefits by detailing techniques and options like “file and suspend” and “start stop start” to maximize their benefit income for a variety of different life situations.

The U.S. health care system is in crisis. At stake are the quality of care for millions of Americans and the financial well-being of individuals and employers squeezed by skyrocketing premiums—not to mention the stability of state and federal government budgets. In Redefining Health Care, internationally renowned strategy expert Michael Porter and innovation expert Elizabeth Teisberg reveal the underlying—and largely overlooked—causes of the problem, and provide a powerful prescription for change. The authors argue that competition currently takes place at the wrong level—among health plans, networks, and hospitals—rather than where it matters most, in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of specific health conditions. Participants in the system accumulate bargaining power and shift costs in a zero-sum competition, rather than creating value for patients. Based on an exhaustive study of the U.S. health care system, Redefining Health Care lays out a breakthrough framework for redefining the way competition in health care delivery takes place—and unleashing stunning improvements in quality and efficiency. With specific recommendations for hospitals, doctors, health plans, employers, and policy makers, this book shows how to move health care toward positive-sum competition that delivers lasting benefits for all.