Category Archives: Healthcare

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4 Questions to Ask Your Doctor When You Are In the Hospital

DoctorWhile in the hospital, you may see a number of different doctors, and not all doctors are the same. Understanding who your doctor is may be one of the most important questions you can ask to improve your care.

When I was taking care of my dad in the hospital, I often became confused about which doctor I was talking to.  

I learned that when a doctor walked into my dad’s room that asking who the doctor was is always the best place to start.

I always asked these 4 questions:

  1. What is your name? If you don’t understand them, ask them to spell it or write it down for you.
  2. Who are you? They should tell you whether they are the resident or fellow or the primary doctor.  If they don’t, ask them.
  3. When is the attending doctor going to see me?
  4. Will my primary care doctor be making the decisions or a specialist?  If it’s a specialist, who is it?

These questions helped me be clear about my dad’s care while in the hospital.

Have you ever been confused about the doctors in charge of your care when you were in the hospital? I’d love to hear from you!

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

Learn more about what to do when things don’t go as planned with my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. You can get it FREE right now by subscribing to our blog.

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Divorced? Get your child’s health records. Here’s how.

Child With Clothes Of Doctor Playing Toy

How do you get your child’s health records after a divorce?

This is a question I get asked quite often. The answer is that both parents have access to their child’s health records–no matter what.

Many parents are surprised by this. One of our readers, Sally, assumed that because she had sole custody of her daughter, her ex-husband had no visitation and Sally pays for all of her daughter’s health costs including insurance that she could exclude her husband from getting a copy of her daughter’s health records. This is almost never the case. Unless one of the parents has lost all parental rights – which is rare – they have a right to their child’s health record.

This is important for you to know since some doctor’s offices get confused about this. They might ask for a copy of the Judgement of Divorce to put in your child’s medical record. No matter what the Judgment of Divorce says about custody, it is very rare that both parents will not have equal access to the records.

It is also important to know that health issues generally must be discussed with both parents. For example, in Michigan, both parents must discuss:

  1. health issues
  2. religious issues, and
  3. schooling.

If you fail to inform your spouse of these issues, you could be in trouble with the courts. Although it may be difficult to discuss, it is important for both parents to be aware of these matters. This is especially true if the parents share custody. The child should never be used as the “go-between” to communicate the issues that are important. Both parents, whenever possible, need to find a way to talk about health issues so the child can receive proper care wherever he or she is. I know from experience that this is often “easier said, than done,” however, everyone should try their hardest to put their children first before themselves.

Tell us whether you have had any problems getting your children’s health records after a divorce? We’d love to hear from you!

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

You’ll find more information on insurance in my ebook, Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance.

Also, for a limited time, get my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay for free by subscribing to our blog.

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How to Check a Hospital’s References

problems with computer virusThe most important thing about choosing a hospital is the quality of the doctors and nurses who work there. Did you know you can check a hospital’s references? You can! Start by checking the doctors’ credentials first.

Here is what to look for:

1. Where did the doctor receive his or her training?
Some medical schools are better than others. Follow up with an online search for school ratings and reviews.

2. Is your doctor “board certified?”
Doctors graduate from medical school and go on to do a residency, fellowship or other training. When they finish their training, they can choose to take a test called the “boards.” A doctor who is “board certified,” must take a regularly scheduled test to stay up-to-date with his or her skills.

3. How often does your doctor perform the surgery or procedure you are getting?
How many times have they successfully performed this procedure? How frequently? Be sure to consider the patient’s age when asking. For example, if your 2-year-old child is getting an operation, find out how often your doctor operates on 2-year-olds. It is very different to perform surgery on a healthy adult versus a small child.

4. Does your doctor have specialized training in your particular condition?
Will a general surgeon perform your surgery or a specialist who specializes in the type of surgery you are getting?

Have you ever investigated your hospitals references? What other questions would you add to this list? I’d love to hear from you!

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

Learn more about what to do when things don’t go as planned with my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. You can get it FREE right now by subscribing to our blog.