Health Care Choices for Today's Consumer

Description

"Admirable . . . clearly written, well organized . . . easy and helpful." --Washington Post

"This is the surefire guide to making critical decisions about your family's health." --Dr. J. Larry Brown, Professor of Nutrition and Health Policy School of Nutrition, Tufts University

"The array of choices and decisions facing consumers in health care today is incredibly complicated. Families USA has taken on the challenge of making this complex world accessible to the most important person in the process: the consumer. They've succeeded brilliantly!" --Dick Davidson, President, American Hospital Association.

Now completely revised and expanded, this indispensable reference provides in-depth, up-to-the-minute coverage of major health care issues to help you make crucial choices for you and your family. Packed with vital facts and figures, illuminating advice, and invaluable tips, Health Care Choices for Today's Consumer includes:
* New chapters on men's health as well as prescription and over-the-counter drugs
* The latest on health care finance, managed care, alternative medicine, and wellness programs
* Updated financial, legal, and insurance information
* Important details on such topics as consumer rights, primary care, mental health, medications, hospitals, and physicians.
Partial table of contents:

GETTING STARTED.

Healthy Living (R. Convissor & A. Chang).

Consumer Rights (G. Annas) THE HEART OF THE MATTER.

Health Insurance: Managing Managed Care (N. Turnbull).

Primary Care (H. Tolpin).

Medications (J. Graedon & T. Graedon).

FOCUSING ON YOU.

Parents as Health Care Consumers (N. Wells).

Men as Health Care Consumers (J. Kellogg).

Elders as Health Care Consumers (L. Glasse & M. Schechter).

THE COMPLETE PACKAGE.

Physician Specialists (J. Mendelson).

Long Term Care (P. Denker).

Caring for Your Teeth (R. Krughoff).

Buying Eyeglasses and Contact Lenses (R. Krughoff).

Alternative Health Care (N. Carballeira).

FOR EVERYONE'S HEALTH.

Helping Yourself: A Guide to Self-Help Groups, Going Online, and General Resources for Health Care Consumers (M. Grover).

Appendices.

Glossary.

Index.

Sujets

• Health Care Issues
• Families USA
• Robert L. Bernstein
• Health
• Fitness

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 21 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780470304754
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer
Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer is a comprehensive guide to help you and your family ensure that you receive the best and most affordable health care. It comes to you from Families USA, an organization that is a thoughtful and effective advocate for the American health care consumer.
-Hillary Rodham Clinton
Parents, as consumers, deserve to have information available to them to make informed decisions about the medical treatment of their children. Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer provides an excellent resource of information for parents.
-Joe M. Sanders Jr. Executive Director, American Academy of Pediatrics
Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer provides readers with a wealth of information about the various aspects of making health care choices. It will be a valuable resource for consumers with questions about how to make the best decisions about their health care and how to be in control of their choices.
-Arthur S. Flemming Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under President Eisenhower
With great clarity, Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer helps to demystify a health care system that can be utterly confusing. Families USA has come to our aid by showing us what to look for-and what to look out for-in a health care provider.
-Ben Cohen Founder and Chairman, Ben Jerry s Homemade, Inc .
Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer is a remarkable book that serves as a detailed road map-helping the consumer navigate in today s complex health care system-and an encyclopedia of useful information about specific health issues. For those moving into a new community or a new stage of life, for those facing unfamiliar health-related problems, or for those simply seeking to reevaluate the treatment they have been getting, it will be a very valuable resource.
-Jean A. Dowdall President, Simmons College
This book is a veritable treasure of essential, user-friendly information for the health care consumer. I enthusiastically recommend it as an important part of the education of those who are or will be faced with health care decisions-which includes us all. Elders and families-professionals and nonprofessionals alike-should get and read a copy now.
-John R. Delfs, M.D. Associate Medical Director for Medicare Programs Harvard/Pilgrim Health Care
There is a need for sensible manuals for patients, guides to choosing and using medical care in this complicated new world. This new book is an admirable contributor, clearly written, well organized, superbly printed to make reading easy and helpful.
- Washington Post
If ever there was a time when guidance [to health care options] was needed, that time is now, and if ever there was a book that provided such guidance, that book is Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer . While other books have covered some of these topics none has come close to this one in terms of clarity of purpose and style. Essential for every library serving health care consumers and indeed for every consumer.
- Library Journal
Here s a candidate for a permanent position on your medical reference shelf. This no-nonsense guide covers topics ranging from women s health issues to choosing health insurance, selecting and working with doctors, and learning about alternative medicine. The book tells you what the medical establishment, insurance companies, and hospitals probably won t: What are your rights? What are the most important questions to ask before making decisions? How can you control costs? Where can you get more information?
- Fitness Magazine
For soup-to-nuts advice on a wide range of health topics, pick up a copy of Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer . The book s strong consumer-advocacy slant emphasizes how you can take charge of your health care-and its costs.
- Kiplinger s Personal Finance Magazine

To S. P., A. L., W. G., and K. P.,
for keeping me healthy through the years.

This text is printed on acid-free paper.
First published in the United States by Living Planet Press
First John Wiley Sons, Inc., paperback edition 1997
Copyright 1997 by Families USA Foundation, Inc.
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published simultaneously in Canada.
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc.
The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice or professional psychological counseling. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader s discretion. The publisher specifically disclaims any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. The appropriate professional should be consulted regarding your specific condition.
Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to use the following material:
Home Care, copyright 1994 by United Seniors Health Cooperative.
Environmental Causes of Medical Problems, copyright 1981 by American Medical Association Center for the Study of Services for materials on eye and dental care.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Health care choices for today s consumer: Families USA guide to
quality and cost / Marc S. Miller, editor.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-30475-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Medical care. 2. Consumer education. I. Miller, Marc S.
II. Families United for Senior Action Foundation.
RA410.5.H396 1997
362.1-dc20
96-35919
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Foreword: A Message from Families USA by Philippe Villers, President
Acknowledgments

Part One: Getting Started

1. A User s Guide to Health Care Choices for Today s Consumer
Marc S. Miller, Ph.D .
Partnerships and Good Health
A Look Ahead

2. Healthy Living
Rena Convissor and Audrey Chang
Practicing Good Health
Prevention Principles
Challenges across the Life Span
Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Old Age
Chronic Conditions
Changing Behavior
Taking Charge of Your Health
Managing Your Own Care

3. Consumer Rights
George J. Annas
Informed Consent
Consent Must Be Competent and Voluntary
The Consent Form
Your Right to Emergency Treatment
The Hospital Emergency Department
Your Right to Your Medical Records
What Your Record Shouldn t Contain
Why Read Your Medical Record?
The (Limited) Right to Privacy
Enforcing Your Rights
The Patient-Rights Advocate
Complaining to the Licensing Board
Medical Malpractice and Informed Consent
Proving Malpractice

Part Two: The Heart of the Matter

4. Health Insurance: Managing Managed Care
Nancy Turnbull
This Thing Called Managed Care
Traditional Insurance vs. Managed Care
The Varieties of Managed Care
Other Options for Medical Insurance
Choosing a Health Plan
Cost + Coverage = Your Choice
What Else Does the Plan Cover?
Your Choice of Providers
How Does the Plan Pay Primary Care Physicians?
What If You Leave Your Job or Move Away?
The Quality Question
Report Cards
When It s Time to Complain
File a Complaint or Grievance with the Health Plan
Talk to Your Employer or Benefits Department
Other Options for Complaints

5. Primary Care
Harriet Tolpin
What a Good Primary Care Provider Does
Life Work: Promoting Health and Preventing Disease
Who Provides Primary Care?
Physicians
Physician Assistants
Advanced Practice Nurses
Finding Primary Care
Private Practices
Community Health Centers
Managed Care and Primary Care
Choosing Your Primary Care Provider
Getting Started
The Try-Out
Forging the Partnership
Money Matters
Primary Care and Insurance
The Smart Consumer

6. Hospitals
Joseph Restuccia, Alan Labonte, and Jeffrey Gelb
The Varieties of Hospitals
Teaching and Nonteaching Hospitals
Specialty and General Hospitals
For-Profit and Nonprofit Hospitals
Hospitals for Veterans and Their Families
Outpatient Care
The Emergency Room
Testing and Treatment: Hospital Clinics
Searching for Quality
Accreditation and Quality
Services, Staffing, and Quality
Patient-Centered Care: A Quality Perspective
Making a Choice
Check the Services: High-Quality Care
Check the Services: The Caring Hospital
Getting Recommendations
Building a Health Care Partnership
Your Role in the Partnership
Your Hospital Record
When Problems Arise
Money Matters
Price Questions
The Hospital Bill

7. Medications
Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon
Working with Health Care Providers
Understanding Your Medicine
The Types of Medications
Prescription Drugs
Over-the-Counter Medications
Herbal Remedies
Avoiding Drug Dangers
Interactions between Drugs
Drug and Food Interactions
Psychological Side Effects
Money Matters
Drug Plans
Lower-Cost Prescriptions
Mail-Order Pharmacies
More Money-Saving Options

Part Three: Focusing on You

8. Parents as Health Care Consumers
Nora Wells
Primary Care for Children
Providers of Primary Care for Children
Choosing a Provider for Primary Care
The Factors to Consider
Your Role in the Partnership
Keep Records
Priority One: Immunizations
Children and Rights
Specialists for Children
The Specialists
Specialists and Hospitalization
Birthing Options
Cesarean Sections
Money Matters
Picking a Plan
Your Teenagers and Health Insurance

9. Women as Health Care Consumers
Martha Snyder Taggart
Building the Health Care Relationship
Continuity of Care
Counseling and Prevention
The Field of Providers Caring for Women
Family Physicians
Obstetricians and Gynecologists ( Ob-Gyns )
Internists
Advanced Practice Nurses
Making Your Choice