Product Description
Consumer demand, new drugs and medical technologies, litigation, higher insurance premiums, and other factors have all been fueling rising healthcare costs. At the same time, many patients justifiably feel that medical services have become increasingly impersonal. Too often, quality attention from the proverbial family doctor has been replaced by the “assembly line” approach of faceless bureaucracies. How is a patient to successfully navigate this modern maze of providers, specialists, insurers, and so forth and at the same time get the attention they need to maintain personal (not to mention financial) health? In "Patient Handbook to Medical Care," J. L. Richardson, M.D., offers an overview of the healthcare system from an insider’s perspective and advises patients on how they can take their health into their own hands by becoming both informed and proactive. As Dr. Richardson eloquently puts it: "In our society we are accustomed to taking a doctor’s word on the state of our medical condition and treatment whether or not we understand it and either without asking any questions or without getting adequate answers to the questions we might pose. Today that might not be a healthy situation. It is necessary to be informed to get the most from your health plan and to get the best medical care from the medical resources available in the healthcare system. By reading this book, you will find out how to take charge of your most important asset—you." This philosophical perspective—that the patient, insofar as it is possible, needs to take charge of his or her healthcare—informs the discussions and overall design of "Patient Handbook to Medical Care." The book is structured in a logical, reader-friendly manner, providing overviews of all the major topics related to healthcare, from effective record keeping to obtaining quality health coverage. Richardson shows how the first step toward taking charge of your health is keeping accurate medical records and a medical diary. By exercising control over the flow of information, a patient will be much less at the mercy of the system. Next, Richardson offers a detailed overview of an ideal doctor visit, which educates readers about all the various aspects of a routine physical or checkup. That way, readers will recognize whether they are receiving quality, comprehensive care or not. If not, patients will know what to demand—or that they need to look elsewhere for the medical attention they require. Again, the core philosophy is that knowledge is power. Subsequent chapters educate patients about the importance of preventive checkups, common medical tests, the various kinds of doctors and specialists, and how to negotiate the managed healthcare system. "Patient Handbook to Medical Care" empowers ordinary citizens by providing them with essential knowledge in an easy-to-assimilate format. Readers will walk away from the book with a much clearer idea of what to expect from the healthcare system and what to do to ensure the preservation of their own health.
About the Author
J. L. Richardson, M.D., has 25 years of experience in the medical field as a family practice and primary care physician and as a healthcare consultant. She received her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed her residency training at Georgetown University. Richardson has published articles on the healthcare system and a "Physicians Employee Manual."
