How to Get Your Medical Records: Your Life on File

Communicating with your health care team is vital. To be sure nothing is missed, take the time to collect your medical records from all the doctors you see. This includes notes from your primary care doctor and specialists, tests, and surgery reports. You may want to start with your primary care doctor, the doctor who sees you the most.

To obtain your records, you should submit a medical record release form. This form gives your doctors and other health providers permission to release your records to you. This can be done at the doctor’s office, by mail, or by fax. You can get a record release form at doctors’ offices or at other medical facilities such as hospitals and clinics.

The medical record is your life and health on paper. Once you get your records, it is important to review them for accuracy. If any information is inaccurate or any reports are missing, bring it to your doctor’s attention. You might find some
things your doctor did not tell you about or things you simply do not understand. If your doctor is unable to get the missing information, contact the source directly for copies of your reports.

Gather this information into a folder or notebook. Add a cover sheet with your name, address, phone number, email, and date of birth. On this page make a list of your medical conditions, all the medicines you take, your allergies (and any other reactions to medication), operations you’ve had, and a history of diseases that run in your family. You will be able to make copies to take to any doctor you go to. This also prevents the delay that occurs when records are sent from doctor to doctor, which can take from weeks to months to years.

Best health!

by J.L, Richardson, M.D., family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

Patient Handbook to Medical Care provides 112 pages (large print) of health information that will tell you what your doctor should be asking you, telling you, and doing for you - as taught in medical school and used since Hippocrates.

www.mypatienthandbook.com/

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Eleven Effective Rules of Communication

1. Listen a lot.
2. Be specific.
3. Ask for a reasonable change that will relieve the gripe.
4. Make sure your partner understands what you want and you understand what she or he wants.
5. Deal with only ONE issue at a time.
6. ALWAYS consider compromise.
7. Never assume you know what the other is thinking. Check it out. Don't assume or predict reactions, rejections, or acceptance.
8. Accept what the other feels. Don't tell your partner what he or she should or should not be feeling.
9. Don't name call or label.
10. Sarcasm is dirty fighting - call each other on it.
11. Stay in the present. Grievances should be dealt with at the earliest possible moment. Don't save them up to use as weapons.

Great health relies on effective communication by everyone - patient, family, and health care team. Best health!

Praying for Health - No Insurance Required

Pray for me. This often forgotten yet basic request is often deferred until times of severe health duress. How effective is prayer in helping heal your illnesses or that of someone else? Combining this with other forms of treatment has proven effective in managing illness, especially chronic disease.

Prayer is considered an alternative health treatment; however, faith healing is the only way to many. Man made medical treatments like drugs and surgery combined with modern technology have overshadowed prayer. Prayer, like many other alternative "natural" treatments, is usually left off the intern and resident training in medical school. Research has shown that many patients pray for their health regardless of religious background, and that is does indeed have healing health benefits.

Praying for oneself as well as being prayed for are effective in staying healthy as well as in healing. The beautiful thing is that you can do it anywhere, anytime without paying any money. No health insurance is required.

Best health!

by J.L, Richardson, M.D., family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

This book provides 112 pages (large print) of health information that will tell you what your doctor should be asking you, telling you, and doing for you - as taught in medical school and used since Hippocrates. http://amzn.to/13m51UU

How To Make Your Doctor Appointment

The doctor in charge of your overall care is
called a primary care physician (PCP). Your first
office visit with a new doctor is the most
important one. This is when you get to know
your doctor and supply information about your
medical background. This visit may be for a
specific problem or for a complete checkup (that
is, a complete physical exam—CPE).

For a specific problem, you might only get an
examination of your complaints, symptoms
(what is bothering you), and of other areas that
the doctor knows to check depending on your
symptoms. In this case, you are usually given a
later appointment (typically in two to six weeks)
for the CPE, but ideally you would have the CPE
on your first visit. It is a good idea to make an
appointment with your doctor while you are
well. This will help you and your physician focus
on your total healthcare more clearly and without
distraction.

Schedules usually have 15-, 30-, and 60-
minute time slots. The longer times are usually
for patients who need a CPE. When you call for
your first appointment, let the doctor’s office
know if that is what you want. That way you will
not be put in a 15-minute slot, the time usually
allowed for a routine visit. Doctors’ schedules can
be very frustrating for patients, doctors, and staff.
This can lead to longer waits and shorter visits.
Being on time is important for both patients and
doctors.

Unless an emergency arises, the wait to see the
doctor should be no longer than thirty minutes.
If there is an emergency, waiting patients should
be given the option of continuing to wait,
rescheduling, or going elsewhere for treatment. If
you really have to see the doctor, just be prepared
to wait, and pray that the magazines are up-todate.
You can bring your own items to read, your
laptop, a CD or tape player with earphones, or
you can strike up conversation with other
patients. Listening and talking with others in the
waiting room is a great way to gather and share
information. Also, take the time to observe. Take
a look around the doctor’s office and watch how
things take place.

Some of the many reasons for a doctor’s
“tardiness” include overbooking patients, double
booking (scheduling two patients at the same
time), “pre-booking” (scheduling appointments
before the doctor gets in), and emergencies. If
you belong to a managed healthcare plan like an
HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), the
doctor usually has little, if any, say over the
schedule because success is equated with seeing
as many patients as possible. Also, the doctor
may be an employee. The doctor who works for
someone else cannot be solely blamed because
the staff also works for someone else.

Before managed care most doctors ran their offices and
hired employees themselves. This means that the
doctor was responsible for the whole office and
the way it was managed. If your doctor is an
employee and waiting is an issue, please let the
doctor, office supervisor, and health plan know
what has happened. The doctor will then be in a
position to let the employer know there is a
scheduling problem. This should help improve
wait time and any related problems.

Best health!

by J.L. Richardson, M.D., family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

www.mypatienthandbook.com
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For Men Only: Checkup Checklist

"If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself." — Mickey Mantle

Statistics show that men are less likely than women to get routine health checkups and physical exams. Men are more likely to seek medical attention when there is an acute problem, and once that has resolved not until another acute problem. Part of the reason for this is lack of health education. Men are also more prone to the "this can't be happening to me" syndrome. Is ignorance truly bliss? Short term, maybe. Long term, no.

So what is a fella to do? Make a yearly checkup routine. Do it around your birthday or holiday like Father's Day or Christmas as a gift to yourself (your most important asset!). In addition to a complete medical history (be sure to take your notes and questions) and physical exam, there are other things your doctor should do. This includes:

• complete blood panel including a PSA (prostate specific antigen) if over 40 or have a history of prostate cancer in your family - please note that PSA screening is very controversial as to if it should be done and should be discussed at length with your doctor as this test does save lives
• EKG, baseline at first physical then every 2-3 years - yearly if over 50, have risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, increased cholesterol, family history of heart disease
• cardiac screening by a cardiologist if any signs or symptoms of heart disease especially if there is a family history of heart attack, angina
• colon cancer screening with stool guaiac cards - stool samples are placed on these and returned to your doctor who checks for blood (this should be done when a rectal exam is performed, but if for some reason it is not, be sure to get these cards)
• colonoscopy, baseline at 50, sooner if stool positive for occult blood or gross rectal bleeding, weight loss, stomach symptoms

Be sure to include regular visits to the dentist, and optometrist or ophthalmologist (eye doctor).


Best health, guys!


by J.L. Richardson, M.D., family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.
http://amzn.to/13m51UU

How Safe Is Your Seafood with Oil Spill?

The big oil spill has caused great concern about the safety of the seafood we eat. Much of the nation's shrimp, oysters, and crabs are from the Gulf coast. Restaurants are still serving Gulf coast seafood and grocers are still selling it. How can you be sure it is safe for consumption?

The smell of oil is a sure sign that seafood should not be eaten. Trainers at federal fishery labs sniff for tainted seafood. The inspection is done after the catch before it is sent to market. NOAA and the FDA do actual chemical testing. The large number of fishermen. fisheries and processors makes it impossible to inspect and test all the seafood. Smelling your food before you cook or eat it is a way to avoid food poisoning.

If you do suspect food poisoning after ingesting seafood, you may have the following symptoms:

• stomach cramps
• nausea and vomiting
• fever and chills
• diarrhea
• bloody stools
• weakness

These symptoms usually occur from 30 minutes to several hours after eating the tainted food. If suspected call your doctor or visit your emergency room as soon as possible. To avoid severe illness take in as much clear liquids as possible to prevent dehydration. It is best to avoid solid foods for 24 hours, and then slowly advance from a soft, bland diet to regular food.

Clear liquids include water, ginger ale, tea. An easy soft diet to remember is BRAT - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. Avoid dairy products, greasy food, alcohol and raw foods for 48 hours as this may worsen the symptoms. Soft diet may be started after 24 hours without nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. If symptoms persist or worsen in any way call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

by J.L, Richardson, M.D., family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

This book provides 112 pages (large print) of health information that will tell you what your doctor should be asking you, telling you, and doing for you - as taught in medical school and used since Hippocrates

http://www.mypatienthandbook.com/

www.twitter.com/MD4U

www.blogtalkradio.com/drjfpmd

Medicare & You: Will It Be There When You Need It

If you are in your near retirement years, I am sure you are getting ready for Medicare to take over your health care. Will it be there? By 2030 there will be about 100 million persons receiving Medicare. This is twice as many as 2008. This comes at a time when the growing demand for doctors is at a critical point. Their numbers are dwindling, especially those that accept Medicare payments for services.

Medicare is a health program that is publicly funded by the government to care for persons over 65 who have been legal residents for five years.It is a single payor program. Medicare eligibility starts at 65 years of age. If you are a person with disability, end stage kidney disease (i.e. requiring dialysis or kidney transplant), or Lou Gehrig's disease you will get benefits before age 65.

For the past few years Medicare payments to doctors have been cut by as much as 21% in 2010, while Medicare premium payments by patients have risen (along with the cost of health care!)an average of 10% per year. In addition, Medicare taxes are being prepaid through every working persons' paycheck - 2.9% of your wages to be exact (more if you make over $200,000). It would make sense that doctors and health care providers would receive increases instead of sharp cuts (pun intended). Instead doctors are quitting and looking for second careers unrelated to clinical medicine. Hospitals are closing (the small reserves for hospitals may exhausted by 2017). Clinics are downsizing and closing.

Predictions abound that Medicare will be bankrupt by 2020 to 2030, . "The latest report on the solvency of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds reveals that these entitlement programs will likely run out of money sooner than expected." (reference: Brookings Institute, 2009) Medicare alone was 13% of the federal budget (almost $400 billion) in 2009. It is projected to be near the same in 2010 with a higher cost near $500 billion! The amount spent on Medicare is likely to exceed the payroll taxes collected from your hard earned wages. Astounding data! In spite of the fact that doctors must now accept what Medicare pays them versus what they charge (traditional from 1960 to 1980), this program will be in the red.

Health care rationing may become part of the plan to cut costs and be sure all get health care. Those over 60 and those with multiple chronic conditions many of which occur just because you get old like arthritis, high blood pressure, decreased vision with cataracts, decreased hearing will be put in the long line near the end. As we live longer more health care is needed especially if we inherited the family genes for certain things like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Add this to the "old age" diseases and you have the equation of a Medicare patient. Of course old age is much kinder to some than others, but it happens to everyone.

Where will you go for health and medical needs when you reach 65? Medicare was supposed to be there. You worked and paid for it. So you must look after it. First and foremost, you must realize that your health is everything. Loss of function of an arm or leg, your speech or vision almost renders you dependent until you "overcome" it, if you do.

Health maintenance and wellness are vital. You must be your best health advocate by taking the time to prevent as much as possible. Routine checkups by you and your healthcare providers are very important. Early detection will prove a lifesaver if some illness is discovered. This will help you get through the Medicare years. You will be able to see your premium payments and hard work pay off, just with less Medicare and more of your money out of your pocket.

Bottom line: cut Medicare benefits or increase payroll taxes? This is truly a "beast and burden" that needs taming.

by J. L. Richardson, M.D.

Dr. Richardson is a family medicine physician, independent medical record reviewer, and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide. This book provides 112 pages (large print) of health information that will tell you what your doctor should be asking you, telling you, and doing for you - as taught in medical school and used since Hippocrates.