Beware! This year’s Medicare Open Enrollment period runs from October 15 – December 7. I call it “MediScare” season because private Medicare Advantage insurers try to scare consumers into signing up for their plans. These Advantage plans often over-promise and under-deliver, putting patients at risk. During Open Enrollment, current and future Medicare recipients are bombarded…
When I tell people that I am a patient advocate and my job is to help patients and families navigate through our healthcare system, they often respond “I wish I had known you when ….” They tell me stories about when they were overwhelmed, confused, afraid, or unsatisfied by our complicated, expensive, and often inefficient…
A recent article in the Washington Post caught my attention and reminded me how important it is for anyone on Medicare to keep up with rule changes. This article is especially timely for any patient scheduled for a surgery because of some drastic changes to the list of surgeries that can be performed as a…
Patient advocacy, or patient navigation, is gaining attention as an emerging profession, both in the media and in the popular lexicon, because it fills so many gaps in the current American health care system. This is especially true today as we continue implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is changing the landscape for consumers in how health care is delivered and paid for in this country.
Americans pay more for most medications than most countries. The power of the pharmaceutical lobbies is a topic for another day. But the consequences are real for every American, whether using private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, other insurance or paying out-of-pocket. A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with a type of adult-onset asthma. After three…
According to an analysis by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, about 1% of the privately insured population drives about 25% of overall health costs.
Why do long-term care insurance providers make it so difficult to collect the benefits for which consumers have already paid thousands of dollars?
Approximately 17 percent (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss. Yet audiological services and hearing aids are rarely covered by insurance.
When choosing a health insurance plan, it’s just as important to make sure the medicines you take regularly are covered as it is to know that your doctor is covered. Selecting the right prescription coverage for you and your family is important to maintaining and restoring your health while managing costs. For those without drug insurance, there are many organizations that can help.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
You have stacks of medical reports, bills, insurance statements, claim forms, and payment records piling up and causing you stress. Piles of disorganized paper (and electronic records) can surely intimidate any patient. If you ignore the paper, you might not take necessary medical actions or you could fail to maximize your insurance benefits. This roadmap will help you must organize these important documents into a user-friendly system.
This Roadmap is divided into four sections: Finding Assistance for Medicine and Treatment; Finding Assistance for Practical Needs; Finding Assistance with Benefits or Entitlements; Websites We Like.
It’s not uncommon to assume that your physician’s recommended cancer treatment must begin immediately. You’re probably feeling anxious and want treatment to start right away. You want to rid your body of this cancer as soon as possible. However, it is important to know that in most cases, there is time to research the treatment options available to you.
Undergoing treatment for a serious illness is emotionally draining, expensive, uncertain, and it will almost surely turn your life upside down. Chances are that you will face obstacles and need assistance. Whether that help comes in the form of finding medical information, financial assistance, or emotional support, it’s important to know where you can receive trusted information and guidance.
Every person has the right to fully participate in decisions regarding his or her own health care. This legal doctrine is called the right to informed consent. As a patient or caregiver, you have the right and responsibility to obtain as much information as you need to be able to commit to a course of treatment or testing process.
Patient Navigator LLC highlighted in National Comprehensive Cancer Center article on cancer navigation.
Joan’s problems got worse after surgery. We were contacted by a patient who sustained a complication from a neurological surgery. Patient Navigator’s Medical Director consulted various specialists on her behalf by phone and email after the patient’s doctors refused to listen to her concerns. We directed her to the specialists who would be able to…
I’ve said in previous posts that we must move to digital records. In the past weeks, I’ve heard horror stories about the inability of medical providers to communicate with each other. I personally know that to be true. I recently asked a doctor treating my daughter if he was planning to inform another specialist (separately…
The March 29, 2009 edition of Parade magazine featured an article about the new specialty of patient navigation. The article highlights some of what navigators can do. For now, the National Cancer Institute has undertaken several pilot projects to train and deploy navigators in medically underserved areas. But as the article also correctly points out, patient navigators…