Save Money On Your Health

Saving money is healthy and good way to promote good health and wellness. Health prices are escalating more rapidly than prices of other services right now.  There are some things you can do to help avert financial stress. This can include:

·       Shop around for best care and prices.  Your insurance company may cover a diagnostic test with partial payment. This may be higher than the actual charge if you pay yourself.  Call places in your area that offer the same test to check for prices that are cheaper and fit your budget.  If your health insurance deductible is a hefty $6,000 or more, this may fail to be attained.  Paying out of pocket may come out less expensive than $6,000.

·       Cook at home.  Home cooked meals are healthier and cheaper.  You can get more meals from unprepared and uncooked grocery items.  The average cost of one restaurant meal without drinks is about $30.  The grocery equivalent would be two or more good, healthy meals cooked to your taste and perfection.

·       Use cheaper non-prescription medication.  There are many over the counter medication that can do the same as more expensive, newer drugs.  Many of these were prescription medication at one time.  They may be safer as well since they have been in use for a longer time, and been proven effective.

·       Exercise at home.  Create your own exercise plan.  Use exercises you learned in school physical education classes.  Simple stretching, arm rolls, jumping jacks, deep knee bends, sit-ups, and more.  Walking and running on land or in the pool are good aerobic activities.  Exercise can also be done in bed and in a chair.

·       Read more.  The cost to read is better health, more knowledge, and more information of your choice.  The actual cost of reading material can be as free as you make it using the library and Internet.

·       Develop a home entertainment program.  Your choices of your interests have proven to be healthier.  There is less stress over programs and their content.  If it must include television, make your own library with your preferred DVDs and TV sticks that attach to the television.  This works on your schedule. It is free of thoughtless commercial time, unpleasant images, and loud opinions that take away from a program’s content.  Cutting the cable cord can be healthy and good for wellness as well as a big money saver.

·       Take more staycation.  Vacations at home and nearer to home can be much healthier, cheaper, and less stressful.

·       Try to buy mainly that which is necessary leaving the desired for another time when extra money is available.  Reward yourself every now and then, but stay within your means.

·       Save consistently.

For more ways to save money check out “10 Money Saving Medical Tips” http://bit.ly/1Gt4f8I .  Best health!

Men's Health Month Memorandum: It's Checkup Time!

"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 http://bit.ly/122ZEeF) 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.

Listen to What Your History and Physical Should Include http://bit.ly/2MC0r5c

Healthy Life Line: Be Responsible for Your Healthcare

True wealth is great health. It is time for you to take responsibility for your health. It is time for you to know what your health numbers are. It is time for you to know your medical conditions, risk factors, and family medical history.


Give yourself a medical checkup. Start by writing or typing or recording your medical history - medical conditions, surgery, treatments, family history. Add your medication. Save it. Update it. Add to it. Correct it. Keep it current. Keep a copy in a secure place.

Examine as much of yourself as you can. Look at your skin, hair, nails, eyes, teeth, and every part of your body that is visible to you. Make note of any abnormalities. Make note of any symptoms you have - new, old and ongoing. Go through each body system. Add this information to your medical history.

Add to this your doctors' and health care providers' names, phone number, land address, and email address.

Call your doctor for an appointment for a comprehensive CPE (complete physical exam).  Get it done routinely (yearly, every other year, etc,). Take your information and notes with you on your appointment. Review everything with your doctor. Take notes.

Sign a medical record release to obtain a copy of your medical record from each doctor you see at the time of the visit.

Be sure to schedule a follow-up appointment within a month or less to go over everything with your doctor. Get copies of your information including blood tests, and any other tests as well as medical notes.

Take charge. Care for your health, Be the healthiest you can be. Best health!

Doctor Visit Tips

Visits to your doctor or any healthcare provider can be frustrating and time consuming for all involved.  These are some things you can do to make it an easier and more productive.

One of the first things you want to do is make a written or typed medical history to take with you, especially if this is your first visit to a new doctor. Make a copy for you and your doctor. You both will be able to refer to it as needed. This will save valuable time, and give you and your doctor more time to talk instead of flipping through your medical record. It can be difficult trying to "remember" what test or procedure you had 10 years ago or even last year.

It is a good to make appointments when you are well and stable.  Keep a list of things you want to talk to your doctor about. Update the list before each visit. This way you will be able to keep track of what has been discussed, and what needs to be discussed. Try to talk about the most important things first especially those that need immediate attention. Each time you go for your visit, you can refer to your list and take up where you left off. Be sure to express your immediate concerns first. We all know how short a doctor visit can be.

Request copies of your medical records from all your doctors. "The medical record is the cornerstone of keeping track of everything pertaining to your health." This gives you a complete assessment of all your medical problems. You will be able to check the accuracy of your records, and bring any errors or absent information to your doctor's attention. Let your doctor know about anything you do not understand, or if there is something you are unable to read due to poor handwriting. It is surprising to see how many doctors are often unable to read their own writing.

Schedule your appointment for first available times in the morning or afternoon.*  This will likely ensure that you will be seen on time with a shorter wait time and longer visit.  It will help you and your doctor focus on your total health care versus acute, intermittent health concerns that can easily take up your whole time. Unless an emergency arises, the wait should be less than 15 minutes.  If there is an emergency you should be notified and given the option of waiting or rescheduling, or going elsewhere for treatment. 

The easiest thing you can do is be on time.  Best health!

*How to Make Your Doctor Appointment http://bit.ly/akMrpX

by J.L, Richardson, M.D., family medicine expert and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide, honorable mention of Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award** and Indie Excellence Award finalist.

(**Written by a reliable source, this book is the perfect quick reference for all of those squeamish people who hate going to the doctor. I am one of those people. I hate wondering why a certain test was performed, exactly what a common diagnosis may mean, what the proper specialist for my malady might be called, and negotiating the maze of health insurance forms and other paperwork that seems to accompany my ailment; thereby adding insult to injury. To avoid the mystery, misery, and tedium of the wellness process, I often remain sick in order to forego or delay much needed medical appointments. The author writes for people like me; she writes in a calming, professional tone and explains, in as simple and non-threatening a manner as possible, what I can expect along every step of the healing process. By learning to keep a medical diary, knowing what to expect of my medical staff as well as how to decode their complicated language, and then by understanding the basics of the complex American healthcare system, I can take charge of my own healthcare. This little book provides me with all the tools necessary to do just that. ~Writer's Digest)

Author Reading from "Patient Handbook to Medical Care"

In recognition of World Read Aloud Day this excerpt from Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide is available for your listening.  Chapter 3, The Doctor Visit: History and Physical http://bit.ly/fXIuZY
Take charge of your health care with health literacy.  Reading and knowing as much as you can about your health keeps you informed.  This allows for you to get what is best for you.  Best health!

Asymptomatic Symptomanic Static on Routine Pelvic Exams

Guidelines for pelvic exams in women has been "updated" again.  Avoiding pelvic exams in asymptomatic, non pregnant adult women is the newest "recommended" guideline.  Could this mean that a woman who meets these criteria should refrain from routine exams until she becomes symptomatic and/ or pregnant?  If this were the case, how many women would be left out of possibly being diagnosed with a disease that was indeed asymptomatic until diagnosed on a routine pelvic exam?

In asymptomatic non pregnant females, my diagnoses have included cervical cancer in an 80 year old, ovarian cancer in a 20 year old, massive uterine fibroid tumor in a 40 year old.  The routine pelvic exam was able to detect these malignant and pre-malignant conditions before they became life threatening.  Early detection allowed these ladies to escape the perilous pitfalls of cancer.  In these cases simple surgery was the cure.  They remained asymptomatic and cancer free by continuing with their routine pelvic exam and checkup.

Without symptoms may appear to indicate a disease free state, but often times it reveals disease.  It is up to patients and their health care providers to include routine exams in their health care plan.  Routine can be yearly, every other year or two, or less frequently depending on the patients medical history.  Routine evaluation and assessment is based on each individual.

Routine pelvic exam guidelines are just that, suggested recommendations that should be considered.  For this doctor and many others, especially women, routine pelvic exams will still be part of a well woman visit as deemed necessary.  The schedule is as follows:

• 18 - 20 first pelvic exam, sooner if sexually active and/or symptomatic
• 20 - 60 pelvic exam every year to every other year unless symptomatic
• 60 - life pelvic exam every 2-3 years unless symptomatic

Routine pelvic exams and pelvic/ transvaginal sonograms together offer earlier detection and diagnosis of more gynecological diseases that can be treated effectively before they affect a woman's quality of life.  In addition, they help avoid "all in your head" misdiagnosis, and can be lifesaving.  As for the concern of "false positives" and unnecessary tests...forget about the asymptomatic symptomatic static.  Most abnormal exams and tests can be repeated and followed on a closer routine schedule that may prevent riskier intervention.  Talk with your doctor about what is best for you.  Best health!

Family Health: How to Keep Your Health History

Your medical history is the cornerstone of your medical record.

Use it to keep up with your health. Update your medical history often especially as new treatment plans and healthcare issues arise.  Copy and complete the following assessment to keep up with your family's health and medical history. 

MEDICAL HISTORY

 

NAME____________________________

DATE OF BIRTH_____________________________

 

INSURANCE COMPANY___________________

INSURANCE ID #________________________

PHONE______________   FAX__________________

ADDRESS__________________________

CITY_____________STATE___________

ZIP________________COUNTRY__________

EMAIL___________________________

 

PAST MEDICAL HISTORY

ALLERGIES______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

DRUGREACTIONS________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

DIAGNOSES & MEDICAL CONDITIONS (include year diagnosed)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SURGERY/ OPERATIONS (include year done)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MEDICATIONS (list prescription, over-the-counter, foods, herbs

also write dosage and how often taken)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PAST MEDICATIONS (list anything you have taken and stopped – note why it was stopped)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

FAMILY HISTORY (list medical conditions in family members – list ages, list if deceased and reason)

MOTHER____AGE________

LIVING: YES___NO____

FATHER____AGE_________

LIVING: YES___NO____

______________________________________________________________________________________________

SISTERS_____AGES_________

LIVING: YES___NO____
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

BROTHERS __AGES_________

LIVING: YES___NO___

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

GRANDMOTHER (Mother’s mother) AGE__________LIVING: YES___NO___

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

GRANDMOTHER (Father’s mother)  AGE__________LIVING: YES__ NO___

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

GRANDFATHER (Mother’s father)    AGE__________LIVING: YES___NO___

 

GRANDFATHER (Father’s father)    AGE___________LIVING: YES___NO___
______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

OTHER RELATIVES (list any more sisters, brothers, great grandparents, etc. especially those with medical conditions)_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

OTHER MEDICAL TREATMENTS (list any other treatments like prayer, massage, chiropractor, exercise, physical therapy, etc.)___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

SOCIAL HISTORY

Home:  lives alone___ 

             lives with family___

             lives with friend____

             lives in facility_____facility name, address____________________year moved in____________

Marital: Single___Married____Divorced___Widow/Widower_____

Use of cane___ walker___ wheelchair___prosthetic_____

Other___________________________________________

Alcohol consumption: 

   How many times per day/week/year?________________

   How much per drink?____________________________

Cigarette use: Yes___ No___

   How many per day?________

   At what age did you start?_______

Sexual:  Are you active? Yes___No___

Drug use: Yes___ No___

 

OCCUPATIONS/ JOBS/SCHOOLING

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

MY MEDICAL NOTES

Use extra page to list any other medical history

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Father's Day Health Checkup

"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's 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 http://bit.ly/122ZEeF) 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
• mental health assessment

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.

What Your Blood Tests Really Mean

When the doctor orders blood tests (also called lab tests, blood profile/ panel), she or he is checking for certain things. The most common tests are CBC (complete blood count), basic complete blood panel, and UA (urinalysis). The CBC checks the body’s WBCs (white blood cells) and RBCs (red blood cells). In the lab the cells are examined for size, shape, and number. The WBCs may tell if you may have some type of infection or leukemia(cancer of the white cells). The RBCs carry oxygen to the rest of the body. This is done by hemoglobin, which is carried inside the RBCs.  Some inherited diseases, such as sickle cell
anemia and thallassemia, can be identified by abnormal RBC shape and size. Also included in the CBC is a platelet count. Platelets are cells that help your blood to clot, for instance to stop the bleeding after a flesh wound.

The basic complete blood panel measures many different things. Included in these tests are:

• Na = sodium

• Cl = chloride

• K = potassium

• Mg = magnesium

• Glc = glucose (sugar)

• Ca = calcium (bone mineral)

• PO4 = phosphate (bone mineral)

• BUN = blood urea nitrogen (kidney)

• Cr = creatinine (kidney)

• SGOT = serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (liver)

• SGPT = serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (liver)

• GGT = gamma glutamyl transferase (liver)

• Alk phos = alkaline phosphatase (liver, bone primarily—also gallbadder)

• Fe = iron

• TIBC = total iron binding capacity

• transferrin = iron

• uric acid = checks gout

• chol = cholesterol (fat)

• LDL = low density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol)

• HDL = high density lipoprotein (“good” cholesterol)

• TG = triglycerides (fat)

Blood panels may differ from lab to lab. The above tests make up the basic chemistry panel. This should be part of a routine checkup. Some panels may include more tests than those listed above. The urinalysis (UA) may or may not be included, but it is important. Urine tests are able to check for infection, sugar, blood, protein, and many other things. Additional tests that may be ordered by the doctor for preventive screening will depend on your symptoms, diagnosis, family history, and age. Some of these tests are:

• PSA = prostate specific antigen (prostate cancer test)

• TSH = thyroid stimulating hormone (thyroid function)

• T4 = thyroid hormone (thyroid hormone level)

• B12 = vitamin B12

• folate = B vitamin

The Pap smear test and stool for occult blood (blood in stool that cannot be seen with the

naked eye) should also be performed. The Pap smear is a test for females that checks for cancer of the cervix. The stool test, also called Hemoccult test, checks for blood in the stool, which may indicate bleeding from the bowels secondary to cancer, ulcers, or other serious conditions.


Other tests than those listed may be checked depending on your history and physical exam. Be sure you are scheduled for a return visit to follow up on all tests. Some doctors’ offices will also let you know by phone or mail, especially if there is an abnormal test that must be checked before your next appointment.

Your symptoms, the doctor’s physical findings, and blood test results are what the doctor looks at when deciding the next tests that need to be done. This and any additional tests may be used for screening, diagnosis of conditions, and for ongoing management of disease once it is present.

Is the Doctor Really "In"?

Dear Patient,

It has indeed been a privilege and wonder to take care of you and your family.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, we must vacation indefinitely so we can find the best solutions for cost effective health care.  Our budgets are lean as well and get leaner as more patients drop out to do self care or go to emergency rooms, public health clinics, or stand in "lotto" lines to get get health care from traveling clinics.

We must campaign for your healthcare and our salary.  Routine sequential cuts for reimbursement by Medicare and Medicaid are taking its toll.  Insurance companies demand more time with less pay as well.  Now that the healthcare bill requiring each and every one of you to have insurance has been repealed.  Self pay is an option, but you must have food and shelter first.  Less money in, more money out.

Due to lack of campaign funds and time for raising necessary monies to do so, we are using and pooling our resources.  We wish to provide you with continuity of care, but we must also find ways to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.  Many of my fellowess and fellow physicians are supplementing our income as well through other occupations.

Thank you for allowing me to care for you and the family.  We are true believers that great health is true wealth; however, you must have money to keep it.

Best health,
Dr. Feelgood

P. S. Check out Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide via links in the right column.  Get a heads up and start checking yourself and your family.

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

Prevention and wellness.
Transform America to a wellness society.

Wellness and prevention are missing...make them a centerpiece of healthcare reform.

Promote wellness and prevent disease.

Transition from sick care to a true health care system.

Preventing illness and staying well are as important as curing illness.


Wellness and disease prevention are as important to your health as early detection and treatment.  If we incoporate this into our healthy lifestyle agenda, we will stay on the right path to Healthy People 2020, the nation's health promotion and disease prevention program.  Wellness, health maintenance, prevention and early detection will make you healthier, wealthier, and wiser!

by J. L. Richardson, M.D., family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide, a premiere health guide that helps you and your health care team take the best care of you.

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Patient Handbook Website

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

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.  

Women's Health Checkup

Ladies, schedule your routine screenings and appointments to include:

1. mammogram/ MRI for breast cancer
2. PAP smear & HPV test for cervical cancer
3. stool check for blood (fecal occult blood test, FOBT) for colorectal cancer
4. cardiology doctor for cardiovascular prevention(get EKG, ECHO, and thallium stress test if indicated)
5. bone density scan to check for osteoporsis
6. counseling for smoking cessation, alcohol/drug dependence, and domestic violence
7. evaluation for depression and other mental disorders if necessary
8. complete physical exam, and routine blood tests.

Get in 5 to 10 minutes of exercise a day at least and eat healthy! Laugh a lot and love a lot!

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

Doctor Visit Tips

Going to the doctor can be quite a challenge. These tips will help you make the most of your doctor visit.

One of the first things you want to do is make a written or typed medical history* to take with you, especially if this is your first visit to a new doctor. Make a copy for you and your doctor. You both will be able to refer to it as needed. This will save valuable time, and give you and your doctor more time to talk instead of flipping through your medical record. It can be difficult trying to "remember" what test or procedure you had 10 years ago.

Start keeping a list of things you want to talk to your doctor about. Update the list before each visit. This way you will be able to keep track of what has been discussed, and what needs to be discussed. Try to talk about the most important things first especially those that need immediate attention. Each time you go for your visit, you can refer to your list and take up where you left off. Be sure to express your immediate concerns first. We all know how short a doctor visit can be.

Request copies of your medical records from all your doctors. "The medical record is the cornerstone of keeping track of everything pertaining to your health." You will be able to check the accuracy of your records, and bring any errors or absent information to your doctor's attention. Let your doctor know about anything you do not understand, or if there is something you are unable to read due to legibility. It is surprising to see how many doctors are often unable to read their own handwriting.

Stay on top of your health care with these tips. After all, great health is true wealth!

Click on "Comments" below to add your tips and questions.

by J. L. Richardson, MD, family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide, the perfect tool for helping you make your medical visits the best.

http://www.mypatienthandbook.com/
www.twitter.com/MD4U
www.blogtalkradio.com/drjfpmd



More tools to help you with your doctor visits:

http://www.mypatienthandbook.com/ - *medical history form on website.

Medical record release form - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC010234611033.aspx?CategoryID=CT101433201033

Medical tests A to Z - http://www.medicinenet.com/procedures_and_tests/article.htm

Specialists A to Z - http://www.healthadvantage.org/body.cfm?id=85

Routine Checkups Work, Ask Kareem

After disclosing his diagnosis with myeloid cancer, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, told journalists how routine checkups (for him every two years) help find his cancer early. His confidence in telling his medical story was utterly genuine. What a smart patient! He revealed that his symptoms were clues that something was awry with his health. His complete blood count (CBC) helped his doctor find the cancer. He further expressed his savvy by discussing his family history and that cancer was present. This is valuable knowledge for every patient.

Prevention and early detection in addition to education are key for great health. You must help your health care team with your health plan. Information like family history, your present medical and past medical history are the basic building blocks for your individual health maintenance plan. Take the time to put this down on paper and share with your present doctor and each new doctor you see. As you go along research your findings from medical records you have, and be sure they are accurate, correct and yours.

Routine checkups work. Ask Kareem.

by J.L. Richardson, MD, family medicine doctor and patient advocate, author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide, recipient of Writer's Digest International Self Publishers award in reference books.

http://www.mypatienthandbook.com/
www.twitter.com/MD4U
www.blogtalkradio.com/drjfpmd - readings by author
http://short.to/vb5e - excerpts & bookstores on Google Books