The Rise In Second Opinions

The Wall Street Journal ran a recent article about second opinions. In interviews about my book, Patient Confidential, Tips and Advice To Keep You Safe As You Navigate the Healthcare System, the thing I am most often asked about is a second opinion. I say in my book, " . . . I believe most doctors think that [second opinions] are a good idea in the right circumstances." The article points out that second opinions may in many cases now be done on-line. This service is being offered by such well-known institutions as Massachusetts General Hospital and Cleveland Clinic, as well as stand alone businesses. The patient pays a fee and sends his medical records to the second opinion provider who then renders a second opinion. As the article acknowledges, this is especially valuable for patients who do not live close to major medical centers. I think that a face-to-face second opinion is better, but do not diminish the usefulness of the on-line second opinion when necessary.  However obtained, it is obvious that second opinions are being sought in increasing numbers. George Pauly of Massachusetts General estimated that its "online second-opinion service, which started about eight years ago, handled about 10,000 cases last year compared with fewer than 1,000 five years ago . . . ."

Richard on the Radio

 

 

I will be interviewed for a Bloomberg radio program which will air at 12 noon ET on Saturday, August 29, on 970WFLA Tampa.  There is also a live video stream at the same time.  The program can be accessed by going to: http://webeamtv.com/ and clicking on the American Medicine Today link.

Article Stresses the Importance of Being a Proactive Patient

An excellent article in The Wall Street Journal stresses the importance of managing one's own health care, which I stress in Patient Confidential, Tips and Advice To Keep You Safe As You Navigate the Healthcare System. The article contains many good tips and discusses programs being developed by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help patients in this endeavor.

The article states, "'Conflicts between medications, and doctors that don’t talk to one another, is a big and common problem,” said John Piette, director of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. 'People have difficulty managing both symptoms and side effects of multiple medications,' he added." It goes on to say, "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in July issued a free curriculum for training health-care professionals and others in how to care for patients with multiple chronic conditions.

In Patient Confidential, I repeat many times that the patient needs to be educated and ask questions, and cannot be a passive object of medical care. The article quotes Dr. Victor Montori, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, "Patients must also educate themselves about the health care they need, said Dr. Montori."

In the Afterword to Patient Confidential, I say, "If you learned nothing else, I hope you learned how critical it is that you be proactive in your healthcare. If you don't understand something or it doesn't sound right, ask, ask and ask some more."

Recent Review of Patient Confidential

I was very happy to receive this favorable review of my book, Patient Confidential, Tips and Advice To Keep You Safe As You Navigate the Healthcare System, from Matt Cavallo, the prestigious author of 7 Steps to Living Well with a Chronic Illness and The Dog Story: A Journey into a New Life with Multiple Sclerosis. 

"I found the information in “Patient Confidential” to be a succinct, easy to read, invaluable resource of how to navigate the healthcare system. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking education on the healthcare system."

Take Charge of Your Medical Records

"It's your health. So it's time you took control of all the information about it." That is the opening sentence in an excellent recent article in The Wall Street Journal, titled "How To Take Charge of Your Medical Records." It goes on to say, "Studies show that 400,000 Americans die every year because of medical errors, including 80,000 because doctors don’t have in hand the information they need."

The article is an excellent guide to obtaining, managing, correcting and protecting your medical records. It lists five important steps: (1) demand your data, (2) organize it, (3) share it, (4) generate it yourself (measuring your own blood pressure, exercise data, etc.), and (5) protect it. It contains detailed advice on managing records, including computer and smart phone programs and applications, as well as discussing the privacy risks of using those.

In almost every facet of life, knowledge is power, and it is no different in healthcare, except that some of the healthcare knowledge a person acquires might save his or her life.

Communication Critical to Patient Care

 

 

 

A recent article in the New York Times, stressed the dangers of lack of communication. This article focused on lack of communication among a patient's physicians, but the lesson I stress in Patient Confidential, Tips and Advice To Keep You Safe As You Navigate the Healthcare System, about patient involvement, understanding and empowerment is a part of the solution. For example, if patients or their caregivers are constantly asking questions of every physician, nurse or technician who comes into their hospital room to do something, and not letting anything be done without an explanation, the effect of lack of communication among the doctors would be blunted.

 

Of course, asking questions and understanding what is being done and why before it is done, is important in all other medical encounters too, like office visits, tests, medications, physical therapy sessions and so on.

Richard's Interview On Cancer SOS Radio Program





I recently appeared on Joni Aldrich's iHeart radio show, Cancer SOS.  Joni is very experienced in dealing with medical issues, and her show is very helpful to patients, as I hope my book, Patient Confidential, Tips and Advice To Keep You Safe As You Navigate the Healthcare System, is. I think Joni and I, and co-host Chris Jerry, had a very lively discussion, which we hope is beneficial to patients and their caregivers. Much of the credit goes to Joni and Chris, who are deeply committed to helping patients and are skilled interviewers.  The link to the show is below.  One must "join" iHeart to listen, but it is easy and free.

 

http://www.iheart.com/show/Joni-Aldrich-SOS-Supporter-of/?episode_id=27259555