If you missed the #WMBWSummit during our free broadcast, here are the topics we featured:

• Strength Training and Diet Tracking
• Childcare and Engaging Kids
• Nutrition and Healthy Dietary Choices
• Core Strength, Posture and Pilates
• Marriage, Career and Work-Life Balance
• Heart Health and Cardiovascular Tips

Purchase the Summit Now for only $7.50!

When you buy the summit at this spectacular price, you will also receive 4 bonus videos + all of our broadcast notes! So, what are you waiting for?

The post What You Missed: WMBW Summit Highlights appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

When my baby daughter was about to have major emergency surgery, I frantically asked one of the doctors a lot of questions and received only some of the answers I needed. Later I learned that this doctor was NOT my daughter’s actual surgeon. He was a surgery resident who, incidentally, was later fired by the hospital for an unrelated issue.  Had I known whom to talk to, my nerves would have been better calmed by getting answers directly from my daughter’s surgeon.

Now that I have worked in the healthcare industry for more than 30 years, I realize that there are many different people in the hospital called “Doctor.” Knowing who’s who can help you get the answers you need.

Let’s talk about the kinds of doctors you may encounter while in the hospital. 

Residents
A resident has graduated from medical school and is starting his or her training in the hospital. They may be brand new–fresh out of school–or they may be a second, third or fourth year resident. Generally, the resident gathers information for the doctor who is actually in charge of your care.

Fellows
A fellow is someone who has graduated from their residency and has a “fellowship” to specialize in something specific, like “nephrology” or “cardiology.” This doctor may be able to answer some of your questions, particularly in his or her area of specialty.

Attending Physicians
Often this is the doctor who is in charge of your case. He or she has finished their residency and fellowship training. This doctor may also be the “admitting” doctor. This doctor should be able to answer most of your questions. He or she will also be the doctor to approve your discharge from the hospital.

Why is it important to know which doctor you are talking to?  

Because many of the doctors that visit you have limitations on the questions they can answer.

Junior doctors will be able to provide some limited information. The attending physician will ultimately decide what to do about your care.

When you are trying to determine what is going on with your care in a big hospital, it can seem overwhelming.  

If your attending doctor or specialist is either rounding very early in the morning or very late at night so you are not able to speak with them, tell the nurse you have some questions and ask when the doctor would be available to answer them.

If you don’t get the answers you need, ask to talk to a supervisor who can help. Every hospital has a patient advocate or a patient relations office. They should be able to help you get your questions answered.

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay.  CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

The post What Types of Doctors Are There in the Hospital? appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

While 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.

The post 4 Questions to Ask Your Doctor When You Are In the Hospital appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

The most important thing about choosing a hospital is the quality of the doctors and nurses who work there

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.

The post How to Check a Hospital’s References appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Surprisingly, no. Most hospitals report that ER visits are on the rise. Three quarters of ER doctors report that since ObamaCare has been in effect the ER is seeing more patients than ever before.

There are a lot of different answers.

1. People have insurance but there are not enough primary care doctors to see them.
2. ObamaCare expanded Medicaid and many primary care doctors won’t accept Medicaid due to its low reimbursement.
3. The newly insured cannot take off work to see a primary care doctor or lack transportation or child care. (Source: USA Today Article)

All of these factors make the ER often the best or only option.

Should you use the ER for your healthcare? Not if you can avoid it.

1. Call your insurance company and ask for a recommendation to a primary care physician. If you have a Medicaid HMO, a primary care physician will be assigned to you.
2. Schedule your first appointment when you are not sick. It is important to establish a relationship with your doctor BEFORE you are so sick that you get referred to the ER.
3. Pick a doctor who has late night or weekend hours if you can’t miss work during the week. Many physicians are now offering more convenient appointment times.
4. Be proactive and take responsibility for your healthcare. It’s the only way to stay healthy and avoid expensive ER visits.

Have you ever gone to the ER and wished later that you had not? I’d love to hear from you!

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

Check out how more information on insurance in our new book, Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance.

The post Has ObamaCare Slowed ER Visits? appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Our helpful health care links

Inside Nepal’s Next Challenge: Overflowing Hospitals

Hospitals throughout Nepal are flooded with patients, with thousands in need of care for acute injuries after a massive earthquake that the country’s leader said may have killed up to 10,000.

A Day in the Life of a Stolen Healthcare Record

The process of divining the provenance of stolen healthcare records. These records typically are processed or handled by a gauntlet of third party firms, most of which have no direct relationship with the patient or customer ultimately harmed by the breach.

P.S.–TODAY is your last day to sign up for the ObamaCare Enrollment Extension!

Spin your healthcare your way and check out our Easy Healthcare eBook Guides.

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HealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance gives you the practical steps you can take to choose the right insurance plan for you and your family.

The post Helpful Healthcare Links: April 30, 2015 appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

My daughter’s doctor asked us this question during a recent visit.  His answer was surprising: “the Cloud.”  

As many of you know, my daughter was born with a life-threatening illness.  She’s an adult now and working at her first job in an urban city far away from me and her doctors.  She recently had a bad case of food poisoning, which lasted a long time.  We both began to wonder whether this was actually a more serious problem.  We decided to schedule an appointment with her doctor to follow up.  She took a day off of work and flew home.

Although she was fine, we thought it was important to make a plan if she ever got very sick again.  Remember “preparation” is everything in healthcare.  My daughter flies all over the world and often has to leave without much notice.  What would happen if she had a serious problem while she was out of the country?

The doctor told us how important it would be for any doctor she saw to have her important health information about the surgeries she had as a child.  Specifically, he said she should have immediate access to:

1. The reports from her operations (operative reports)
2. Any x-rays, and
3. Discharge summaries from hospital stays

The doctor and I agreed that, although everyone talks about patients having a universal healthcare record that can be accessed from anywhere, this simply does not exist.  He suggested getting the important records and putting them on my daughter’s phone which could be backed up in the cloud.  Therefore, she would have access to the records from anywhere in the world.

Having immediate access to her important health records might be the difference between life and death.  So taking some time now to contact the various hospitals where she had her surgeries, gathering the records, scanning them and putting them where we can immediately access them makes a lot of sense.

Tell me what you do to protect yourself from a health emergency when you or your children travel?  I’d love to hear from you.

A great place to start gathering your health history is to download my FREE eBook, Easy Healthcare: What to Do First which contains a Medical Life List.

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

The post How Will You Get Your Health History When Traveling? appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

While moving through the health care system, you have likely experienced some positive experiences and some not-so-positive ones.  So, I’m curious.  What is your biggest health care pet peeve?

Choose all that apply from the options below and leave a comment on this post with your answer(s).  If you don’t see yours listed here, write it in the comments.

1.  Long wait times in doctors’ offices

2.  Time with doctor is rushed or too short

3.  Health care practitioners don’t show enough empathy

4.  Dealing with the insurance company

5.  Having to get referrals

6.  Prescription costs

7.  Finding the right specialists (knowing where to go)

I will post this question on Facebook and share the compiled results.  I’d love to know your pet peeves.  

In the meantime, take the guesswork out of health care with my blog.  You’ll get articles and tips that breakdown the mystery of health care.  By signing up, you will also receive my free ebook Easy Health Care: What You Need First.

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

The post What Is Your Biggest Health Care Pet Peeve? appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Tell us whether you are concerned about you health information being compromised. We’d love to hear from you!

For more information about your health privacy, see HealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare:  Healthcare Privacy.

As Always, we hope we’re helping you “Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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P.S.–Please remember that ObamaCare has added an extra enrollment period that from March 15 – April 30, 2015. For more information about your health insurance, see HealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Choosing Your Health Insurance 

The post 3 Steps To Follow If Your Health Information Is Hacked appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

P.S.–Please remember that ObamaCare has added an extra enrollment period that from March 15 – April 30, 2015. Spin your healthcare your way and check out our Easy Healthcare eBook Guides.

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HealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance gives you the practical steps you can take to choose the right insurance plan for you and your family.

The post Does Your Healthcare Provider “Accept Or “Participate In” Your Health Insurance Plan? appeared first on MyHealthSpin.