A self help guide to advocate for your medical needs or the needs of a loved one. This guide will help you learn how to recognize documentation errors and avoid communication errors that can negatively impact your medical care. This guide is written by an Internal Medicine physician with over two decades of working inside the healthcare profession. Now you can know what many who work inside the field of healthcare already know.
Hiring a consulting firm can be a daunting prospect. Do you really need consultants? If you do, how do you know you are getting the best value for your money? An Insider's Guide to Working with Healthcare Consultants: How to Achieve Exceptional Results answers those questions.With his dual perspective as a hospital CEO and a healthcare consultant, author Andrew C. Agwunobi is uniquely qualified to help hospital leaders become masters of the successful consulting engagement. He explains: When--and whether--to hire consultantsHow to choose the right consultantsHow to negotiate the right priceHow to lead an engagement to the desired conclusionHow to sustain improvements This insider's guide includes tips from 40 leading consultants to help clients establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships. Real-world case studies illustrate common business problems and solutions, and a checklist at the end of each chapter emphasizes key considerations. Nearly every major project begins with a mission-critical decision: Hire outside professionals or depend on internal resources? Armed with this book's insights, healthcare leaders can make that decision with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Physician engagement in a hospital or health system can be powerful. It can drive culture change; it can knock down operational, financial, and strategic challenges; and it can lead to better outcomes. But in many organizations, physicians are demoralized and disengaged. Why do physicians in one hospital demonstrate ownership in improving their organization's performance while those in another hospital show no personal commitment to organizational success? This book guides leaders in creating environments where executives and physicians jointly work toward shared goals. Concise, accessible, and packed with real-world examples, An Insider's Guide to Physician Engagement presents a practical plan of action for healthcare executives and clinical leaders at all levels of the organization. Each chapter offers pearls of practical wisdom and shares inside tips to help leaders move from understanding to action. The author, drawing on more than two decades as a physician, health system CEO, and consultant, takes a seen-it-from-all-sides approach to topics that include the following: Busting the myths to change the culturePresenting data effectivelyLaunching cost-quality campaignsArticulating a clear visionLearning how physicians thinkEmpowering physician leadersMeasuring successPhysician engagement is both an art and a science. By uniquely addressing the challenge from the perspective of both executives and physicians, this book provides an inspiring, achievable plan for physician engagement that has been sorely lacking until now.
The author, herself a metastatic breast cancer patient, created this book to help patients and their loved ones cope with a complex and difficult disease. The Insider's Guide to Metastatic Breast Cancer provides information about approved therapies in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia, as well as scientific studies, cutting edge research, clinical trials, and palliative care.The adage that "knowledge is power" is particularly compelling when dealing with issues affecting survival and quality of life. Consequently, this fact-based handbook is a must-read for every patient contending with treatment decisions and side effects.
Suddenly, dramatically, and seemingly overnight, U.S. healthcare has morphed into something virtually unrecognizable. There are a slew of new requirements, regulations, goals, buzzwords, and acronyms. It is a revolution in how we view the role and responsibilities not only of the physician and patient, but also of the nurse, the nurse practitioner, physical therapist, nutritionist, medical assistant, pharmacy technician, social worker, and other healthcare professionals. But you don’t just have to cope in this new world of healthcare. Now you can learn how to thrive amid all these changes and challenges. Written by the Chief Medical Officer of one of the world's leading global healthcare data and analytics companies, Navigating Healthcare Reform: An Insider’s Guide for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals is a compelling and easy-to-follow guide to understanding our unfolding healthcare reform — including its biobehavioral and psychosocial aspects — and learning how to take advantage of the opportunities it presents. Practical information is written expressly for nurses and allied health professionals to give you a straightforward understanding of this revolution, along with practical tips for how to survive and thrive in this new era of healthcare. Engaging style presents content using Dr. Edelstein's trademark easy-to-understand voice. Positive tone puts the politics aside and offers a uniquely hopeful message (one of challenges but also one of opportunity). Noteworthy quotes throughout the text help emphasize key takeaways. Vignettes within each chapter help to translate the content into real-life situations. Pearl boxes in the margins summarize critical points and knowledge that can be translated into your career. Engaging cartoons underscore the key messages of book in a fun, memorable manner.
Drastic changes in health care--the proliferation of management organizations, shrinking insurance plans, and skyrocketing medical costs--are not only complicated and irritating, but may be endangering your well-being. Now in this timely, indispensable guide, four experienced health professionals give you the knowledge and skills you need to get the optimal, quality health care essential for you and your family. In clear, honest language they help you navigate the complexities of modern health care as they explain how to: Find the right doctor for you and your family Communicate effectively with your doctor Know and understand your medical rights Explore all treatment options, from traditional to alternative and combination methods Create your own medical miracles Overcome bureaucratic barriers and insurance regulations Prepare your medical history Become your own best patient advocate And much more, including over 40 exercises and tips on Internet research
From an experienced and highly respected authority in the veterinary world comes a comprehensive must-have guide to everything you need to know to ensure high-quality health care for your beloved animal companions. Our pets mean the world to us and we go out of our way to pamper them, from gourmet cat treats to doggie daycare. We should, of course, also demand the very best when it comes to their health. But how do we choose the right veterinarian? How do we know if our pets are receiving proper medical treatment or the most effective therapy when they are sick? Remarkable progress has been made in veterinary medicine, but there is still much disparity in the health care provided for pets. Dr. Louise Murray cuts through the confusion, addresses the common concerns of pet owners, and arms you with knowledge so you can avoid substandard care. Inside you’ll find information on • how to choose a veterinarian • what to look for during your pet’s exam • when it’s time to seek out a specialist • how to make sure your pet is protected by up-to-date technology, safe anesthesia protocols, and advanced surgical techniques • proper pain management and adequate nursing care for your pet • the lowdown on vaccinations • the growing realm of alternative veterinary medicine • the latest pet insurance plans • the use and misuse of steroid medication She also gives counsel on where to turn if you suspect improper care, and provides comforting advice on saying good-bye. Vet Confidential is an honest and vital source that will help pet owners make sure that their cherished pets will live a long, happy, and healthy life.
Outsmarting Managed Care is a practical handbook for helping patients work within the limitations of today's managed-care-driven medical system. Basing his guide on twenty-five years of practice and a senior position at a leading HMO, Dr. Barron advises readers how to schedule elective surgery (timing is everything; you must know when new rounds of residents are starting); interview specialists (you can use their limited experience to jump "out of network" and still get reimbursed), negotiate better fees using your own medical records, navigate the referrals system, and much more.
This book serves as an invaluable guide on how clinical trials are designed and run, how to interpret the results, and what to make of them in general. The book includes shopping guides for trials, a list of common abbreviations used by trialists, and tools for patients for deciding if or when to enroll in a clinical trial.
Culture transformation expert Siobhan McHale defines culture simply: “It’s how things work around here.” The secret to the success or failure of any business boils down to its culture. From disengaged employees to underserved customers, business failures invariably stem from a culture problem. In The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change, acclaimed culture transformation expert and global executive Siobhan McHale shares her proven four-step process to demystifying culture transformation and starting down the path to positive change. Many leaders and managers struggle to get a handle on exactly what culture is and how pervasive its impact is throughout an organization. Some try to change the culture by publishing a statement of core values but soon find that no meaningful change happens. Others try to unify the culture around a set of shared goals that satisfy shareholders but find their efforts backfire as stressed employees throw their hands up because “leadership just doesn’t get it.” Others implement expensive new IT systems to try to bring about change, only to find that employees find “workarounds” and soon go back to their old ways. The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change walks readers through McHale’s four-step process to culture transformation, including how to: Understand what “corporate culture” really is and how it impacts every aspect of the way your organization operates Analyze where your culture is broken or not adding maximum value Unlock the power of reframing roles within your company to empower and engage your employees Utilize proven methods and tools to break through deeply embedded patterns and change your company mind-set Keep the momentum going by consolidating gains and maintaining your foot on the change accelerator With The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change, watch your employees go from followers to change leaders who drive an agile culture that constantly outperforms.
