In last week’s post, I discussed how to decide where a patient should recover after a hospital stay. Often patients go home after discharge, but sometimes patients need to recover in skilled nursing facilities. Today’s post covers how to choose a skilled nursing facility so you, or your loved one, can get the best care […]
Where to Recover After the Hospital?
If you (or a loved one) are preparing for a discharge from the hospital, it’s not always obvious where to go to recover. Most of us prefer to go to our own homes, with our comfortable beds, our favorite foods, and with friends and family nearby. However, that is not always an option. If you […]
Does Medicare Cover Respite Care?
This is a guest post by Danielle Kunkle Roberts, the co-owner of Boomer Benefits and a Forbes.com Contributor. Her licensed insurance agency specializes in Medicare-insurance related products, helping tens of thousands of clients across 47 states. Many people, at one point or another, will be a caregiver to a family member. Currently, 40.4 million people are […]
Doctors Prescribe Too Many Medications
Medications save lives and make life more bearable for millions of people. No doubt about it. But medications can also cause harm. Logically, the more medications a patient takes, the higher the risk of side effects and dangerous interactions between medications. Did you know many patients take inappropriate or unnecessary medications? Unfortunately, over-prescribing is a […]
10 Tips to Communicate Better with Doctors
How you communicate with your doctor impacts your health. It can even make a difference between life and death. Research has found that patients who effectively communicate with their doctors make more appropriate medical decisions and have better health outcomes. Use these 10 tips to communicate better with doctors to help you get the best care and […]
How Can Patients Protect Themselves from Hospital Infections?
No one wants to go to the hospital, and certainly no one wants to get sicker while they are there. However, since there are germs lurking throughout hospitals, there is actually a pretty good chance a patient could acquire a serious hospital infection. How common are hospital-acquired infections? Common enough that you should care. How […]
Financial Conflicts of Interest in Medical Research
When considering possible treatments for a serious illness, more and more of us involve ourselves in the decision-making process. We’re asking other patients what treatments they use, we’re getting second opinions and we’re looking online for information. Doctors and patients alike rely on information they read in medical journals. Are there possible new treatments? How […]
NeedyMeds Helps Patients Save Money on Medications and Other Healthcare Expenses
This is a guest post written by NeedyMeds, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping patients save money on medications and other healthcare expenses. Every day more and more Americans are struggling to cover their medication costs. As a result, many must make difficult choices between paying for food, housing, or prescriptions. Certainly, uninsured Americans face […]
Four Patient Safety Hazards You Need to Know About
At one time or another, we all need medical care. Whether it’s for a sudden illness, a chronic condition or a serious illness or injury, we’ll need a doctor’s help. Of course, we expect the care we receive to help us, not harm us. But unfortunately, that is not always the case. Doctors, nurses and […]
Are Antibiotics Helpful or Harmful? What You Need to Know.
Antibiotics are the go-to treatment for many types of infections. Doctors prescribe them, and/or patients demand them, for a wide variety of ailments. However, antibiotics are a mixed blessing. Are antibiotics helpful or harmful? Sometimes they don’t help you recover, sometimes they can make you sicker, and collectively they are causing great harm. Doctors are […]