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!

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Did you know that there are different types of hospital rooms? Most hospitals have semi-private and private rooms. If you don’t ask, you will likely be assigned a semi-private room.  

Since I was with my dad and my baby daughter during all of their hospital stays, I learned the importance of which type of room we were in. When my baby daughter was in and out of the hospital, I wanted to be careful that she wasn’t exposed to illnesses of other children in the hospital. For my dad, a quiet room was very important to his rest and recovery.  

So, what is the difference between the rooms offered in the hospital?

A semi-private room will likely be a room with two beds and a shared bathroom. There will be a curtain that divides your bed from the other patient in the room. The benefit will be that there will likely be no extra out-of-pocket cost for this room. The downside to this type of room is that you do not know what the other patient will be like, how much they talk (or are on their cell phone), or how often they will have their family in the room.

A private room will likely be a room for only one patient with either a shared bathroom with the neighboring room or a private bathroom. There is often an out-of-pocket charge for a private room unless it is medically necessary. The benefit to a private room is that you will likely get more rest because you will not be disturbed by another patient, or his or her caregivers and family. You also won’t have to be concerned about being near a patient who may have an illness that you don’t want to be around. Additionally, if you have family or friends visiting you, this will likely be easier in a private room since you will not be disturbing another patient.

Of course, all of these factors are dependent upon what your hospital offers, what illness you have and what your insurance covers. Check with the hospital before they assign you to a room. It is often harder to move once you are admitted to a specific room.

Which type of hospital room do you prefer for you or your loved one? 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 What Type of Hospital Room Do You Want? 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.

In Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay, I talk about what you should know before you or your loved ones get admitted to the hospital. Of course, we all would like to avoid being admitted to a hospital, but sometimes it’s unavoidable.

As many of you know, I have worked in healthcare for over 30 years. I cared for my newborn daughter who was in the hospital many times for a life-threatening illness. I later cared for my aging parents who were in and out of the hospital. I also worked for many years in a hospital and continue to work with doctors and hospitals everyday. In this FREE ebook, I teach you what the insiders know about being in a hospital.

I will teach you:

• How to choose your hospital wisely – not all hospitals are the same
• What to do if you need to go to the emergency room
• How to actively participate in your care
• How to talk to your specialists while you are in the hospital
• What to expect during your stay – from room types to staff to meals
• How to plan your discharge

As with all of the Easy Healthcare eBooks, I make the important information simple and straight-forward so you know what the healthcare experts know and can get the best care possible.

If you want to get your FREE copy of this eBook, go to my website, myhealthspin.com on or after July 1st and subscribe to download it for free. You will also get our FREE bi-weekly blog on healthcare topics written just for you.

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

The post FREE eBook Coming: Your Hospital Stay 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.

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

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

Available for download NOW!

The post How To Compare Health Insurance Plans appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

In our upcoming videos, we’ll show you how to compare health insurance plans baseto make sure you pick what’s right for you! 

Stay tuned for my easy information about how to choose insurance in our upcoming book, Choose Your Health Insurance.

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

The post Who Is Going To Be In Charge Of Your Care? VIDEO appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

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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 What Should You Consider When Choosing An Assisted Living? appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

The holidays are filled with friends, shopping, and being together with family you only get to see this time of year.  And while your visit with parents and siblings should be about catching up, it’s also a good time to check in with your family about important healthcare topics.  These conversations are often difficult but necessary.  

Do all the members of your family have a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare?  MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare:  Your Hospital Stay provides easy and specific steps to complete before being admitted to a hospital.

A durable power of attorney for healthcare or patient advocate designation, is a legal document in which you name the person who will make medical decisions for you if you can’t yourself.  This document is often included in your will or trust. That person, called a patient advocate, will only be able to make decisions for you in the event that you can’t communicate yourself. Your patient advocate can only make medical decisions. He or she won’t be able to make  decisions about your finances unless you also give them that power in your will or trust. You can also give your patient advocate the power to donate your organs or your entire body upon your death.

Often, people do not like to talk about how they will handle their healthcare if they get sick or age.  But finalizing these issues BEFORE you need to is the key.  The holidays are a good time to discuss these issues since it is one of the rare times that many family members are together. Even if it’s only to get them on the family radar.

Do you know where Dad keeps his will or trust?  Do you know what your Mom and Dad want done when they die?  These are important topics to discuss with your family so there will be no surprises.  Communication and preparation can avoid conflicts in the family and unnecessary expenses that arise when your family’s wishes are not known when they get sick or die.

So enjoy the holidays but also find some time to have the important discussions that are necessary to be prepared prior to an illness.

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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 Talking Family Healthcare at the Holidays 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.