I hope this post helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

P.S.

During the next few weeks I’ll be finalizing my ebook, Easy Healthcare: Choosing an Insurance Plan. If you have any questions about specific coverage options, please let me know!

The post What Does Health Insurance Cover? VIDEO appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Welcome to 2015!  As we start the New Year, many people are planning for the year to come–making resolutions, setting goals.

An important part of any year is making sure you have what you need for your healthcare.  You never want to wait until you have a medical crisis to gather what you need.

Where to start:

1. Medical Life List:  The medical life list is a document that contains all the important information you will need if you go to the doctor or have a health crisis.  You can download a Medical Life List for free by signing up to receive our blog posts via your email in-box.  CLICK HERE
2. Durable Power of Healthcare: A durable power of healthcare details who will handle your healthcare decisions if you are unable to do so yourself.  It also specifies your wishes for care such as life support, feeding tubes, etc.  Any estate planning attorney can help you with this.
3. Primary Care Physician:  A primary care physician such as an internist or family practice doctor  will be essential in guiding you through your healthcare needs in the upcoming year.  Some insurance plans require an authorization from a primary care doctor to see a specialist.  A good primary care doctor can help you decide how to be proactive in keeping healthy and what to do when you are not.  A primary care physician can help you avoid unnecessary treatment and unnecessary costs.

Planning ahead for your healthcare needs can be one of the most important things you will do this year for you and your family.  Whether you have small children or are taking care of a sick loved one or a senior, planning ahead makes all the difference.

If you want to know more, check out our Easy Healthcare ebooks.  Easy Healthcare:  Before You Get Sick provides a quick and simple guide.

We hope this post helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

The post 3 Things to Start Your Healthcare off Right in 2015 appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

If you’re a high risk patient, your doctor needs to know as much as possible about your health…if  you’re a diabetic, what your insulin levels are throughout the day or if you’re a heart patient, when your blood pressure rise and by how much.  But short of following you around with a clipboard, your doctor can’t know in real time when and how your health changes.

That is until now.

Doctors are currently testing personal data trackers for high-risk patients.  For example, an electrocardiogram is placed in the patient’s smartphone to monitor the patient’s heart as he or she goes about his or her day. That real-time data is then downloaded by the doctor who can then use it to determine the best treatment for the patient.

Information is a doctor’s best friend and these emerging technologies maximize the amount of information a doctor has to make the right decisions about your care  Right now, mobile apps, scales, and activity trackers gather all kinds of data that you can use to live a healthy life.  The next generation of devices will allow healthcare providers to to take that to the next level.

As with all new technology, a few hurdles will have to be overcome before these devices become commonplace:

1)  Patient Ability:  These next-generation devices will have to be “patient friendly.”  If it’s overly complicated or requires too much time or work on the part of the patient, the device won’t be successful.

2)  No FDA Approval:  Many of these new technologies are not approved by the FDA, which  monitors medical devices.

3)  Privacy:  There is always a concern that any device that utilizes the internet may not be secure and meet the necessary privacy standards.

These concerns among others are being addressed as the various technologies are being developed.  What’s more, you may soon be able to automatically download your health-monitoring data directly into your medical record at your doctor’s office.

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Want to avoid unnecessary grief and expense when you get sick? Then you need this essential guide to the business behind your healthcare decisions. MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to take charge of your healthcare options!

Available for download NOW!

The post Managing Your Health Remotely appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

As we celebrate the holidays, many of us are traveling to be with family and friends.  With so many holiday activities, long care rides, and airplane trips, it’s easy to get tired, run down, and sick.  Not to mention the fact that all those cousins and friends you don’t see very often can give the gift of germs as easily as they can fruit cake.  So how should you handle getting sick on the road?

MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare:  Before You Get Sick helps you figure out how to prepare prior to getting sick.  

First, generally you don’t get sick in an instant.  Most people are starting to feel sick prior to their travel date.  BE PROACTIVE!  Prior to leaving, assess how you are feeling and take action.  Do you need to see your doctor?  Do you need an antibiotic?  Is your child getting an ear infection?  Planning ahead is the best plan.

If you get sick on the road without warning, make sure you have your doctor’s contact information so you will be able to ask for help.  Should you come home or go to a doctor in the city you are visiting?  Make sure you don’t wait until Christmas Eve or New Year’s Day to call. Your doctor’s office won’t be open.

Of course, you should always have an established relationship with a primary care physician long before you travel.  If you do not have a primary care physician – a family practitioner or internist – you should find one while you’re healthy.  Preparation and planning can save you a lot of time and money.  You may end up going to the local ER or urgent care simply because you had no other plan for getting sick while out of town.  Getting sick can ruin your holiday so having a plan for handling most illnesses on the road can help.  

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Want to avoid unnecessary grief and expense when you get sick? Then you need this essential guide to the business behind your healthcare decisions. MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to take charge of your healthcare options!

Available for download NOW!

The post To Grandma’s House We Go: Getting Sick on the Road appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

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Although we’d all like to avoid it, it’s likely that most of us will at some point be admitted to the hospital. Whether you are staying in a hospital for a happy event, such as the birth of a child, or are being admitted due to an emergency or serious illness, you should understand how a hospital works. MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay reveals the easy and practical answers that only an insider knows.

Available for download NOW!

The post Medical Life List: Part 2 VIDEO appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Our helpful health care links

CDC: Flu Shot Less Effective This Year Because Current Virus Has Mutated

Scientists are concerned about what they’re seeing so far this flu season. The CDC agency advised doctors that this year’s flu vaccine is not as effective because the current strain of the virus has mutated.

Scientists Find Why Male Smokers May Run Even Higher Health Risks

Male smokers are three times more likely than non-smoking men to lose their Y chromosomes, according to research which may explain why men develop and die from many cancers at disproportionate rates compared to women.

Running Linked to Lower Alzheimer’s Death Risk

Running more than 15 miles a week may reduce the risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease, new research suggests.

Court Rejects Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s Drug Testing of Welfare Applicants

A federal appeals court on Wednesday dealt another blow to Gov. Rick Scott’s crusade to conduct drug tests on welfare applicants when it upheld a lower court ruling that the practice was unconstitutional.

ObamaCare Enrollment at 765K After Week 2

About 765,000 people have chosen a private health plan on the federal ObamaCare marketplace since year-two enrollment began on November 15.

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Although we’d all like to avoid it, it’s likely that most of us will at some point be admitted to the hospital. Whether you are staying in a hospital for a happy event, such as the birth of a child, or are being admitted due to an emergency or serious illness, you should understand how a hospital works. MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay reveals the easy and practical answers that only an insider knows.

Available for download NOW!

The post Helpful Health Care Links: December 4, 2014 appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

When you’re sick or have a family member who needs immediate medical attention, you rarely have the time or the resources to gather health information. So, it’s important that, before an emergency, you have a Medical Life List on hand for you and for each of your loved ones. In a nutshell, your Medical Life List is your own personal medical record created by you and updated by you. In this video, Lori-Ann Rickard provides you with a handy guide to get you started.

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Want to avoid unnecessary grief and expense when you get sick? Then you need this essential guide to the business behind your healthcare decisions. MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to take charge of your healthcare options!

Available for download NOW!

The post Your Medical Life List: Part 1 VIDEO appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Need to go into the hospital, but your problem isn’t life threatening?  Instead of sitting for hours in the emergency room, work with your doctor to be directly admitted.

Many patients don’t know they can bypass the emergency room and be directly admitted to the hospital.  Most people use the ER as the entry point for a stay at the hospital.  Some are in a truly life-threatening situation where minutes count so they’re in the right place. But many have an ongoing condition, such as congestive heart failure or diabetes, that sometimes requires them to spend time in the hospital.  In those cases, hospitals may allow their doctors to directly admit patients to a hospital room, saving everyone time and money.

The emergency room is designed for emergencies.  The ER quickly evaluates (triages) every patient to determine how fast he or she needs care.  If you have an ongoing problem that isn’t life threatening, you will generally wait a long time to get any further attention.  This can be very frustrating for patients who know they’ll be admitted but must wait for the ER staff to first treat real emergencies (gunshot wounds, heart attacks, etc).  It will often take them a long time to get  a doctor on staff at the hospital to see you.  If it’s after hours or on the weekend, the hospital doctor will often know nothing about your history.  So, he or she may then run a bunch of tests to figure out what your problem is. But, if you talk to your primary care doctor or specialist  in advance, you may be able to avoid this hassle.

If you have a doctor who regularly sees you for your healthcare needs, it’s much better to have that doctor determine what you need and when you should be hospitalized since they know your medical history.

The way to avoid wasting time in the emergency room is to talk to your doctor ahead of time.

You should ask your doctor:

1. What hospital your doctor goes to.
2. Does that hospital have a direct admit policy.
3. If your doctor thinks you should be in the hospital, ask if he or she will write an order to have you directly admitted to a room.
4. Find out what days of the week and times of day the hospital accepts direct admissions.

Having this discussion with your doctor in advance will save you the time and expense of having to sit in the emergency room for hours when you know you need to be admitted to the hospital.

The post Skip the Emergency Room Line appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Many people are now using urgent care facilities instead of a primary care doctor.  If you’re one of them, think again.

Urgent care facilities seem to be popping up on every corner, and they can look like the perfect solution to a healthcare problem.  Urgent care centers are open after hours and on weekends.  For some, it could be cheaper and faster to go to an urgent care rather than an emergency room.  And people with high insurance deductibles believe it’s less expensive to go to an urgent care.  So, why not take advantage of these conveniences?

First, none of the healthcare providers at the urgent care facility will know you or your loved one.  The urgent care facility will not have your health history nor your family history.  The purpose of urgent care is to treat a problem quickly and get you “in and out.”  It is similar to a drive-thru fast food restaurant.  When you want great, healthy food prepared by a talented chef, do you go to the drive-thru for something that was made in 3 minutes?  No.  Isn’t your healthcare more important than picking up a quick burger to eat on the run?

When handling your healthcare, you need a physician who knows you and your family’s health history.  A new doctor can always ask you questions and write down the answers;  however, if they are unlikely to ever see you again, are they going to take the time necessary to really assess what’s going on?  Your healthcare needs are often complex.  For example, you need to be careful about drug interactions so just getting a quick prescription isn’t always a good answer.  An urgent care center is set up for the quick fix, not complex problems.

Moonlighting staff. Additionally, many urgent care facilities are staffed by doctors who are moonlighting from their day jobs.  They might be very qualified; however, working at the urgent care is rarely their primary job.  Many times after a visit to urgent care, you don’t get better or you have questions the next day.  It’s very unlikely that you will be able to call the urgent care facility and talk to the doctor who saw you since he or she has returned to their day job.

Most people want great healthcare.  When you are sick is not the time to start with a doctor who does not know you.  Take charge of your healthcare:

1. Find a primary care doctor.
2. Know when your doctor’s office is open.   Don’t wait until 7 p.m. on Friday evening to decide you need to see a doctor.
3. Know when your doctor’s office has Saturday or late night hours.
4. Ask your doctor if he or she is affiliated with an “after hours” clinic that will have access to your or your loved ones’ medical records, if you must go to the doctor when your primary doctor’s office is closed.
5. Plan ahead when possible.  If you are feeling badly on Monday, call the doctor’s office before the office is closed for the weekend.

And most of all, establish a good relationship with a primary care doctor. It’s the best place to start to take charge of your healthcare.

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Want to avoid unnecessary grief and expense when you get sick? Then you need this essential guide to the business behind your healthcare decisions. MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to take charge of your healthcare options!

Available for download NOW!

The post Going to an Urgent Care Facility – Think Again! appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

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Only 11 Percent of Uninsured Know About Obamacare’s Next Open Enrollment (New York Times)

Open Enrollment is coming up in November, but a recent survey of the nation’s uninsured shows that only 11% of this demographic are aware of when Open Enrollment takes place.

As Researchers Develop Ebola Vaccine, Early Human Clinical Trials Show Promise (Washington Post)

Clinical trials on a new Ebola vaccine are considering it safe, but testing in areas of West Africa where the disease is prominent may be difficult.

6 Strange-But-True Health Tips (ABC News)

We are always trying to find ways to stay healthy. Here are 6 Tips that you may have never thought of.

Ebola Q&A: National Expert Jeffrey Band on Risks, Hospital Preparation in Michigan (Crains Detroit)

See what Jeffrey Band (Chairman of Epidemiology at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital) has to say about the risks of the Ebola epidemic reaching Michigan and how Beaumont Hospital is preparing.

How to Pick the Right Health Plan for 2015 (Wall Street Journal)

There are many changes taking place this Open Enrollment with regards to employer-sponsored healthcare plans. Make sure you are aware of the changes and which plan will best suit your medical needs.

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How do you make the right decision about moving yourself or a loved one into an Assisted Living Facility without being overwhelmed? How do you even begin talking about it? MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Choosing an Assisted Living Facility” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to make the right choice.

Available for download NOW!

The post Helpful Health Care Links: October 24, 2014 appeared first on MyHealthSpin.