Archive: Insider Tips

A + Site for Checking Medication Information… Doctors and Nurses Use It
Cheree Cleghorn | June 23, 2009

Be sure to check out Epocrates.com, a professional site which enables consumers to check out medication information, too.
Everything you ever wanted to know about a medication lives here.
One of the best features is one which allows you to ID a pill you have but don’t know the name of.
In addition, you can read the same [...]

Topics: Insider Tips

The Rise of Cash-Only Medical Practices
Cheree Cleghorn | March 20, 2009

Cash-only practices have less overhead, particularly because there are no billing (or collection) fees since the payment is collected at the time of service. These physicians also tend to have lighter case loads, which can help them build strong partnerships with their patients.

Topics: Insider Tips

Negotiate Payments in Advance with Doctors and Hospitals When You Are in Need
Cheree Cleghorn | March 15, 2009

Headline News
(See Related Story about Hospitals’ Financial Woes)
(Update 7:51 a.m.: Newsday COBRA Information Under New Stimulus Plan: How Does It Work? Do You Qualify?)
The article below is packed with reliable information you can use if you should not delay a test, a hospital admission or procedure, but are unable to cover your portion of the [...]

Topics: Insider Tips

Most Medicare Beneficiaries Are Not Choosing One of Lowest-Cost Drug Plans
Cheree Cleghorn | March 10, 2009

A study finds that only 6% of Medicare Part D beneficiaries opted for the lowest-cost plan available.

Topics: Insider Tips

Pain Management Expert Comments On Increase In Pain-Killer Meds
Cheree Cleghorn | August 21, 2007

Read one expert’s explanation about why there has been an 88% increase in pain-killers between 1997-2005, the good and bad.

Topics: Insider Tips

Does Your Doctor Like You?
Cheree Cleghorn | August 7, 2007

In his book, How Doctors Think, author Jerome Groopman, M.D., says that he would not go to a doctor if he thought that the doctor didn’t like him. (See Books for summary)
This man is a distinguised researcher, clinician and professor, so he is about as numbers-savvy as it gets. Still, he places a lot of emphasis [...]

Topics: Insider Tips

How Do You Tell Your Doctor Something Embarrassing?
Cheree Cleghorn | August 7, 2007

As we learned when we were small, it’s better to get it over with.
When you have something to tell the doctor which makes your face red just thinking about it, what can you do?
Write it down. Hand it to the doctor and say, “This explains the problem. It’s hard for me to talk about without [...]

Topics: Insider Tips

A Doctor’s E-Mail Advice To The Wife Of A Friend, Who Has Had A Transplant
Cheree Cleghorn | June 6, 2007

Patients should not be left alone in the hospital even when they are not in immediate danger. A steady stream of research on errors in hospitals suggests that friends and families must play a more active role in the patient’s monitoring, care and do their own charting of who has done what, why and when.
Below [...]

Topics: Friends & Families, How To Speak Doctor, Insider Tips, Patient's Own Decision-Maker