Book Excerpt from The Thrifty Patient – Vital Insider Tips for Saving Money and Staying Healthy. The Truth about Tests. Do I really need an MRI? Do I really need blood work? This often? Should I avoid talking to my doctor and jump right to tests? Americans love technology, whether it’s carrying the latest iPhone or buying the newest flat-screen TV with 3D technology. Naturally, our fascination with technology has spilled over into medical care, where everyone, including doctors in training, seems focused on what the x-ray, CT scan, MRI, or blood work showed. Sadly, this trend is seriously misguided. More testing does not lead to better care. More testing does not lead to more accurate diagnoses. Research has shown that Americans receive too many tests and procedures compared to other countries. If anything, more testing seems to be associated with worsening health. The leading cause of radiation exposure is […] Read More »
Tag Archive for primary care
The Truth about Medical Tests. Do I really need an MRI? Do I really need blood work? Book Excerpt
Posted on July 22, 2013
The Thrifty Patient – Book Review / Testimonials
Posted on July 15, 2013
I’m humbled and privileged to review high praise and testimonials for my book –The Thrifty Patient: Vital Insider Tips for Saving Money and Staying Healthy from those working hard to make health care more accessible, higher quality, and more affordable. In an ideal world, our health care system would be incredibly simple to access, extremely convenient, and intensely personal. It would allow patients to focus on staying healthy and healing and getting the right preventive care and treatment the first time and every time. It would not have them worrying about medical errors, wrong site surgeries, unnecessary surgeries / procedures / treatments, their own (patient) safety among other things. We are not there yet. Nevertheless, those who have provided the testimonials are also making our future system that much better though their work, actions, and words. As we all build to fixing our health care system completely, books like The […] Read More »
The New Ontario Annual Physical Exam – Is It Choosing Wisely?
Posted on March 5, 2013
Is the Ontario Annual Physical Exam going the way of the dinosaur? That appears to be the case for healthy individuals between the ages of 18 to 64 in the Canadian province of Ontario. Effective in 2013, these patients no longer would have available an annual physical examination, but instead a “personalized health review”. The new personalized health review would only be available to those who were healthy and did not have medical diagnoses of cancer, diabetes, or others, in which those patients could still receive a more thorough examination. Other changes include not allowing routine chest x-rays prior to minor surgery and moving the screening rate for cervical cancer from one to every three years. The plan would save the government of Ontario about half a percent on payment to physicians as the reimbursement is less for these personalized health review. Should people in Ontario be worried that their […] Read More »
How Patients Can Save Money On Medical and Health Care Costs
Posted on December 3, 2012
With the new year looming, it is increasingly becoming the year of the Thrifty Patient. People are paying for more medical care and are more responsible for the costs of getting that care via higher deductibles and co-pays. Patients don’t have a choice but to be involved in their care. Though the recent 2008 recession saw a decrease in overall medical and health care utilization as a sign of better informed patients, I believe that was simply because people deferred needed care in order to keep their jobs. With the economy getting better, more people will begin to seek care again. The question is how can they save money on medical and health care costs? Here are a few tips, of which many are covered in my book – The Thrifty Patient: Vital Insider Tips for Saving Money and Staying Healthy. Use Dr. Google and the internet thoughtfully. The first […] Read More »
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