If you haven’t seen the clip, click here to watch.

Unfortunately, several hours after the birth of his baby, Jimmy and his wife Molly learned that Billy had a heart defect and needed surgery to save his life.

Jimmy thanked Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for providing Billy with amazing care. Because of the attentive staff and great care, his newborn son is home and doing well.

Jimmy’s message was extremely important and shows how far we have come in healthcare, and how far we have to go.

Friends, family, and readers have asked me some questions about what Jimmy had to say. Here’s my take:

Jimmy spoke about “pre-existing conditions.”

Question: What are pre-existing conditions and how do they affect healthcare coverage?

Answer: Pre-existing conditions are health problems that occur prior to the date new health coverage starts.

Jimmy is correct that prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), pre-existing conditions, such as birth defects, could prevent someone like baby Billy from getting coverage. They also enabled insurance companies to charge individuals more. The ACA now prevents health insurance companies from refusing coverage or charging more for pre-existing conditions.

Question: What is the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”)?

Answer: NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the nation’s medical research agency. Jimmy is correct that, despite initial plans to cut the budget for NIH, Congress increased its funding by $2 billion.

As a mother of two and a parent of a daughter born with a serious disease, I was touched by Jimmy’s message. It’s important to stay in the know about healthcare and healthcare policies, in case you or a loved one is impacted.

Congratulations to Jimmy Kimmel and his family on their baby boy!

To learn more about health care for your family, check out the Women’s Mind Body Wellness Summit. It contains 6 interviews by top female health professionals plus two workout videos and 3 bonus videos on mind-body wellness with MyHealthSpin founder Lori-Ann Rickard.

The post Jimmy Kimmel’s Healthcare Scare: What You Should Know 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!

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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.

Have you ever wondered if all hospitals are the same? It turns out, they aren’t. Hospitals vary on the quality of staff and doctors, the services offered and many other factors.

Because a trip to the hospital can change your life forever, it’s important to choose wisely.

Here are some questions to consider:

1. Is the hospital affiliated with a university medical school?
University affiliated hospitals have medical students to teach and research to conduct. This may mean you are able to see specialists who may not be available at other hospitals.

2. Does the hospital have a religious affiliation?
For example, if you are Catholic, you may prefer a Catholic hospital. With these hospitals the religious affiliation may govern what procedures may or may not be performed at the hospital. In such instances, you may be bound to these rules even if you do not agree with them.

3. Are your doctors allowed to practice at the hospital?
It is helpful to have the doctors you see regularly also see you in the hospital because they already have a more robust understanding of your medical history. Ask your doctors which hospitals they cover and, when possible, choose accordingly.

4. Does the hospital have the specialists you need?
For example, if you are going into the hospital for serious heart issues, it is wise to do a bit of homework to research the heart specialists who practice at the hospitals you are considering.

When possible, consider these questions BEFORE you pick a hospital. Choosing a hospital simply because you like their advertisements OR because it is closest to home may not always be the best plan.

How have you picked the hospital you go to for healthcare? Are there other questions you would 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 Choose Your Hospital Wisely 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.

This is a question Laura asked me this week. The answer is “talk to the ER doctor.”  

Laura explained to me that her dad wasn’t feeling well last month so she took him to the ER. The hospital held Laura’s Dad in the ER for several days. The room Laura’s Dad was in looked like a normal hospital room and she thought he was admitted to the hospital. However, as it turns out, he was actually in “observation.”

Observation means the physician is trying to decide whether the patient needs to be admitted to the hospital or can go home. The only way to know whether Laura’s dad was “admitted” or in “observation” was to ask. The hospital is not required to tell the patient that they are in observation. Medicare recommends that “observation” be limited to 24-48 hours, however, some hospitals keep patients in “observation” for much longer.

Laura and her dad found out why “observation” can be a problem. Laura’s Dad was referred to a rehabilitation facility upon leaving the ER. For many services like inpatient rehabilitation, you must have been admitted to the hospital for a certain period of time for your insurance to cover the service. Many insurance plans only cover rehabilitation facilities after a certain amount of time as an inpatient in the hospital. For example, you might need to be in the hospital for 3 days prior to being admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for your insurance to cover the rehabilitation costs. If you were in “observation” for 3 days, that will not meet the requirements by your insurance company.

How do you avoid this problem?

1. Talk to your doctor and ask whether you are admitted or in observation.
2. If you think you must go from the ER to another care facility, ask the hospital whether it is necessary to be admitted into the hospital to get coverage.
3. If you find out you are in observation, insist on being admitted if it is necessary to stay in the hospital.

Have you ever been placed in “observation” in the ER? How long did it last? 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 How Can I Avoid ER “Observation?” appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Call any doctor’s office and you’re likely to hear a message like this: “If you are getting this message and need medical attention, call 911 and go to the nearest ER.” Should you follow this advice? Not always.

The ER can be very expensive, time consuming and not always the best place to go for basic medical care.

There are some basic Dos and Don’ts when it comes to the ER.

DO go to the ER when:

1. You have a life threatening problem, such as a heart attack, stroke, etc.
2. You were in a serious accident.
3. You are unconscious.
4. You are bleeding heavily or are in excessive pain.
5. You have been directed to do so by your doctor.

It is important to understand that the ER is intended to take care of severely sick people. The hospital will determine who in the ER is the sickest and take those people first. So if you go to the ER for basic medical care you will likely be waiting a long time. Often you will wait only to be seen and told to go to your own doctor the next day. If this happens, you have paid a lot of money for an expensive ER visit when you could have just waited until your doctor opened in the morning. 

So when should you skip the ER?

DON’T go to the ER when:

1. You have a basic cold or virus.
2. You need to see a specialist, but it is not urgent.
3. You need to see your doctor – it’s not likely your doctor will come to the ER.
4. You need to get a test which is not urgent.
5. You can wait until your doctor’s office opens in the morning.

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 5 Dos and Don’ts of Using the ER appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Our helpful health care links

Early Consumption May Prevent Peanut Allergy, New Study Suggests

A new study suggests that peanut allergy can be prevented at a young age by embracing peanuts, not avoiding them.

Biggest U.S. Health Insurer Tightens Rules on Hysterectomy Coverage

The nation’s largest health insurer is imposing tighter controls on its coverage for hysterectomies after more than a year of debate over a medical device that was found to spread hidden cancer in some women undergoing the procedure.

We hope we have helped you SPIN YOUR HEALTHCARE YOUR WAY!

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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? HealthSpin’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: February 27, 2015 appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Our helpful health care links

Government To Grade Nursing Homes On Tougher Scale

Starting immediately, the federal government is making it harder for nursing homes to get top grades on a public report card, in part by increasing scrutiny of their use of anti-psychotic drugs and raising the bar on an array of quality measures.

‘Superbug’ Outbreak at California Hospital, More Than 160 Exposed

A potentially deadly “superbug” resistant to antibiotics has infected seven patients, including two who died, and more than 160 others were exposed at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center through contaminated medical instruments.

We hope we have helped you SPIN YOUR HEALTHCARE YOUR WAY!

◊

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? HealthSpin’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: February 20, 2015 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!

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