Take-Charge Patient: How You Can Get the Best Medical Care
320
Take-Charge Patient: How You Can Get the Best Medical Care
320Paperback
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Overview
The Take-Charge Patient Puts the Expertise of 200 Medical Professionals in Your Hands.
Frustrated or confused about how to get good medical care? In her newest book, The Take-Charge Patient: How You Can Get The Best Medical Care, (winner of 18 book awards) author and patient advocate, Martine Ehrenclou, empowers patients to become proactive, well informed participants in their own care. With advice and personal stories from over 200 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health psychologists, patients and more, The Take-Charge Patient reveals insider information on how to cut through the red tape and navigate today's complex health care system with confidence.
Ehrenclou empowers readers with vital information on how to find the right doctor, how to communicate effectively with doctors, how to prepare for medical appointments, prevent medical errors and medication mistakes, obtain discounted medication, manage your health insurance, and much more. The Take-Charge Patient will forever change how you act as a patient and thereby vastly improve the quality of the medical care you receive.
Six months into her research for The Take-Charge Patient, Martine Ehrenclou developed debilitating, chronic pain and used every strategy in her new book. She went from author and advocate for others to an advocate for herself and became a take-charge patient. After eleven doctors failed to diagnose her correctly, Martine found her own diagnosis and the correct surgeon to treat her. She is now pain free.
According to Ehrenclou, your health care is a team sport. The Take-Charge Patient shows you how to take charge of what you can and become an effective player. Martine Ehrenclou has also written the 16 award-winning Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital. Guide to Get Your Loved One Out Alive (Lemon Grove Press). Ehrenclou writes monthly articles for several health websites, national magazines, and is interviewed regularly on national TV and radio such as ABC News, ABC World News, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Publishers Weekly, and many more. She frequently lectures on how to be an advocate for yourself and your loved ones at universities, hospitals and various organizations.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780981524030 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Lemon Grove Press |
| Publication date: | 01/09/2019 |
| Pages: | 320 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d) |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Martine regularly publishes articles on topics of patient empowerment, patient advocacy, patient engagement, patient safety, the partnership between physicians and patients, and other health/medical related issues. She has been interviewed on national TV and radio, for magazines, newspapers and websites, including NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, NPR, Prevention Magazine, Woman's Day, MORE Magazine, Family Circle, and many more. Martine lectures at universities, health organizations, disease organizations, and hospitals.
She is also the author of Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive, which won 16 book awards. She received her Masters degree with honors in psychology from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles and earned a certificate in patient advocacy from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Introduction xi
1 How I Became a Take-Charge Patient 1
2 How You Become a Take-Charge Patient 13
3 The Take-Charge Patients Toolkit 27
4 How to Choose the Best Doctor for You 45
5 Your Relationship with Your Doctor 57
6 Your Relationship with the Doctor's Staff 73
7 Scheduling Tips to Get in to See the Doctor 77
8 Prepare for Your Doctor Visit 83
9 The Doctor Will See You Now 91
10 Specialists 103
11 How to Prevent Medication Errors and Manage Your Medications 119
12 How to Manage Medical Errors (Misdiagnosis, Missed Diagnosis and No Diagnosis) 137
13 How to Research Your Medical Conditions, Medications and Treatments 149
14 How to Get Discounted Medical Care and Discounted Medications 155
15 Your Health Insurance 163
16 Serious Illnesses and Chronic Medical Conditions 175
17 Tests, Procedures and Surgeries 195
18 The Hospital .207
19 Urgent Care Centers, Retail Medical Clinics and the Emergency Room 217
20 Prevention-Your Health 223
21 Religious Institutions and How They Can Help You 231
22 Patient Advocacy. 241
23 Concierge Doctors and Patient-Centered Care 247
24 Telemedicine and Telehealth 251
25 Why It Is Essential to Create Your Legal Health Documents Now 257
Definitions 261
Resources 265
Recommended Books 270
References 271
Acknowledgments 277
Patient Safety Checklists and Sample Questions for Yourself and Your Doctor 279
Index 299
About the Author 305
What People are Saying About This
Well done! It's time the medical system worked for YOU! Health advocate, Martine Ehrenclou, comes to the rescue, showing you how to go from being a "medical victim" to a "take-charge patient.
-- Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, best-selling author, Beat Sugar Addiction Now!, From Fatigued to Fantastic, Real Cause Real Cure and Pain Free 1-2-3
The Take-Charge Patient is an excellent resource for patients. Comprehensive and thorough, it provides patients with informed checklists to ensure they get the best care possible. Patients who are actively involved in their healthcare realize better outcomes.
-- Peter J. Pronovost, MD, PhD, Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Bloomberg School of Public Health; Director, The Armstrong Institute of Safety and Quality, author of Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals
Martine Ehrenclou has produced the best practical step-by-step guide for patients and caregivers ever written. In 30 years of dealing with people of all ages suffering from injury and illnesses I have witnessed thousands of poor history taking, misdiagnosis, wrong treatment and lack of follow-thru and follow-up. The Take-Charge Patient not only explains the medical treatment landscape but, in simple language, explains exactly what the patient must do to navigate the health care system. The Take-Charge Patient is probably the most important book you will ever add to your library.
-- Wayne Parsons, Plaintiffs Trial Attorney, Board of Governors American Association for Justice
Consider this book your healthcare GPS — an essential reference and toolkit filled with practical advice on navigating this country's complex medical system. Put this at the top of your reading list!
-- Zouhdi Hajjaj, MD
Martine Ehrenclou has created the definitive guide to personalized medical care. The book encourages patients and medical providers to become advocates so together they can improve medical outcomes.
-- Jack C. Rosenfeld, MD
The Take-Charge Patient should be considered the Bible of the participatory medicine movement. Ms. Ehrenclou's book is written for easy understanding, with every topic a patient, caregiver, or advocate could think of. There are checklists which make organization of thoughts more simplified. Regardless of one's educational or medical experiences, this book will serve to assist anyone going to an initial doctor visit or facing a complex medical diagnosis. She has a rare empathetic view encompassing patients, caregivers, and health care providers. I recommend that the government and every health insurance company give this book to their consumer/patients.
-- David Lee Scher, MD, FACP, FACC, FHRS
Martine's book helped me take action for my son's illness. By following her guidelines and creating a patient summary of all symptoms and medications he had taken to chart the course of his illness, I was able to assert myself in getting him seen more quickly and being taken more seriously. Martine's book was a godsend. Following her lead has helped me feel more in control in dealing with the medical world.
-- Marlu Harris
This book is the encyclopedia for ensuring the best medical care and the how to accomplish it for all non-medical people. It is exceptional and invaluable, the essential tool for obtaining and coordinating your care needs and making sure they are met. Every family needs this book for helping aging parents, ill children and yourself.
-- Jackie Koob, BSN, RN
This useful book provides a roadmap to help patients to navigate the health care system and regain control. Martine Ehrenclou provides a balanced set of suggestions for things to do — and not to do — all organized into common-sense categories and simple checklists. And she has road-tested virtually all of it herself in the course of her own medical encounters. This book explains how you can become your own best advocate, and improve your chances to benefit from the care you receive.
-- Albert W. Wu, MD, MPH, Professor/Director, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
This new book from an established author, and recently a successfully treated complex patient, is an important contribution from the enlarging community of patient advocates and provides everyone with core information on how to become a successful patient in today's complicated health care environment. The Take-Charge Patient is refreshing in how it advocates the establishment of strong interpersonal communication and relationship building as the essence for successful health care. Patients and health care providers all want the best of outcomes — this books helps everyone to learn how to make that happen by focusing on people-to-people interactions.
-- Peter B. Angood, MD, CEO, American College of Physician Executives
What role can patients play if they want to get the best medical care? The answers are in this excellent book. Martine Ehrenclou has provided very useful recommendations for people to maximize their chances of getting the best medical care they can. She bravely describes her own ordeal with a chronic pain condition that lead to a successful treatment only because she continued to search for answers. Utilizing the recommendations and patient safety checklists in this book is the best way to influence your doctor to treat you in the most appropriate way possible. You need to influence your doctor to make the effort to give you the best care he can.
-- Larry Miller, MD, FACP, Clinical Professor, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
“Ehrenclou sets a proactive tone for this empowering and refreshing roadmap to navigating the torturous healthcare system, outlining everything from how to manage health information to finding lower-cost/free healthcare. Each chapter has a patient checklist that is encouraging and practical. Full of cogent information, this exhaustive guide functions best as reference material for patients who want to take on their own case.” (Publishers Weekly)
“A brilliant and powerful roadmap for your success. The Take-Charge Patient masterfully assists us in knowing how to take care of ourselves medically in this very challenging world.” (Huffington Post)
“…a roadmap to help patients navigate the health care system and regain control. The book explains how to become your own best advocate, and improve your chances to benefit from care. Martine Ehrenclou provides a balanced set of suggestions organized into common-sense categories and simple checklists. And she has road-tested virtually all of it herself...” (Albert W. Wu, MD, MPH, Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
“For anyone facing a complex diagnosis or condition in today’s increasingly complicated health world, The Take-Charge Patient is a valuable tool and guide with sound advice that won’t soon be outdated. Ehrenclou covers everything with the kind of authority and know-how only someone who has experienced these challenges first-hand can achieve. The information is thorough, the tone comforting, and straightforward suggestions make even the most daunting tasks seem doable.” (ForeWord Reviews)
“Every American family should read and keep a copy of the excellent The Take-Charge Patient, the well researched, fantastically organized book by Martine Ehrenclou. A definite keeper, it is not boring or overwhelming, all of the information is very practical and explained in an approachable, easy-to-follow and understand way. It offers credible information, necessary for a solid foundation on which to make better healthcare decisions for ourselves and those we care about.” (Reader Views Reviews)
“An extremely well-written, well thought out and well put together book. Ehrenclou takes the reader by the hand and provides him/her with step-by-step instruction on how to become that so important “Take-Charge” patient – rather than having her readers become medical victims due to lack of knowledge and resources needed to take charge of their medical situations. Ehrenclou seems to have a true calling as a patient advocate for herself and those in the world around her... (Rebecca’s Reads)
“…a treasure trove of useful information. Hailed by many in the medical community, this is an inside look at the way the medical system works and how to get the best medical care.” (BookViews)
“Ehrenclou has done a masterful job in thoroughly packing her book with extremely persuasive and useful advice about what it means to take a proactive stance when it comes to your health. The text is precise, well-researched, reader friendly, enriched with compelling examples and anecdotes. Without doubt, this book will bring attention to the need to change our mindsets from being reactive to becoming proactive concerning our health care, which has never been more important than it is today.” (Book Pleasures)
“The Take-Charge Patient should be considered the Bible of the ‘participatory medicine movement.’ It is written for easy understanding, with every topic a patient, caregiver, or advocate could think of. Checklists which make organization simplified to assist anyone going to a doctor or facing a complex diagnosis. The government and every health insurance company should give this book to their consumer/patients.” (David Lee Scher, MD, FACP, FACC, FHRS)
This book is exactly what I would expect such a work to be. It is well written, informative, full of surprises and specific recommendations on how to deal with them. The language is simple enough that any high school graduate can understand it, but has enough depth to satisfy the most educated non-medical reader. I would give it a ten if the scale went that high. However, since the scale only goes to five, I will have to settle for that. I was half way through this book when I had a relatively minor medical emergency. I had not even finished the books’ recommendations and I started using them. They worked. I am not recommending that you ignore half the book, but my personal experience is that if you take the book’s recommendations and use them, you will get better care. That is the intent of this book. In my personal case, I can verify that it succeeded. Much of the advice is obvious once you read it, but often ignored and not acted upon. Each chapter ends with a list of specific action items in textbook fashion. This is a brilliant presentation. At the end of each chapter, the reader is given a specific list of tasks to accomplish for themselves and their loved ones. These lists, based on the chapters that precede them, set this book apart. While most of the advice is obvious, some of it is less so. One example that jumped out at me comes near the end of the book. In today’s often agnostic society, we tend to forget the power of the clergy. Even those who have distanced themselves from religious institutions can benefit from the presence of a representative of “the cloth” to help them through the medical morass. If you do not have a preexisting relationship with a religious professional, you can call on the hospital chaplain. Chaplains offer emotional and spiritual support regardless of your denomination. They provide comfort for patients and offer a compassionate ear. Chaplains pray with patients and assist them and their families in making difficult decisions about end-of-life care. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, hospital chaplains are taking on bigger roles in patient care and are now being integrated into medical teams. Interest in the links between religion, spirituality and health, has given rise to research on how spiritual guidance and discussion can help improve a patient’s medical outcome. I worked in the chapel when I was in the Air Force. This advice is obvious to me, but like much of the advice in this book would not be obvious to everyone. Read this book. Take its advice. It may save your life. (Robert H.; Goodreads)
Entering today's medical system can be life-saving but also bewildering and dangerous. Take the guesswork out of your experience by letting Martine Ehrenclou be your guide. You will not find a better ally.
-- Larry Dossey, MD, best-selling author, Healing Words, Reinventing Medicine, and The Power of Premonitions
Martine's insights in this book are invaluable. The strategies and recommendations provided are presented in an easy-to-assimilate style. This book should be mandatory reading for all patients, particularly those searching for a new physician, or facing the prospect of a major procedure or surgery.
-- Daniel Wohlgelernter, MD
The Take-Charge Patient is the second book in Martine Ehrenclou's incredible body of work. It masterfully assists us, once again, in knowing how to take care of ourselves medically in this very challenging world. Martine has written such a brilliant and powerful roadmap for our success.
-- Debbie Robins, M.A., best—selling author and Huffington Post blogger.