IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

How To Become A Better Health Care Consumer

To improve your own and your family’s health care, you need to become an active participant in your health plan. Becoming an active participant means taking responsibility for the exchange of information between you and your provider.

Give information:

              Tell your doctor what you think he or she needs to know

Ask questions:

              Write down your questions before your visit

              Call after your visit if questions arise

Take information with you:

              Ask for written instructions

              Ask for brochures or other materials

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has put together materials you can use to make yourself a more educated health care consumer. You can download and print the following brochures by clicking on the title.

Quick Tips - When Talking with Your Doctor

This sheet gives you some tips on how you can become an active participant in your own health care by giving you ideas of what to ask, what to tell, and how to follow up with your health care provider.

Quick Tips – When Getting Medical Tests

This sheet gives you some tips on how to take an active role in decisions involving your medical tests, from questions to ask about why and how the test is done to how to check to see if a lab or testing facility is accredited or approved by a government agency.

Quick Tips – When Planning for Surgery

This sheet gives you some tips on what to ask before undergoing a surgical procedure including questions for your health care provider and questions for your health plan (insurance) provider.

Quick Tips - When Getting a Prescription

This sheet gives you some tips on what to ask both your doctor and your pharmacist when getting a prescription and how to follow up during treatment with regard to side-effects.

Create your own personalized list of questions for your health care providers

You can create a personalized, printable list of questions with spaces to write answers by clicking here. You will be taken to the AHRQ site where you can find even more information on how to be an educated health care consumer.

20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors

Medical errors can happen anywhere along the chain of the health care system: in a hospital, a clinic, a nursing home, a pharmacy or a patient’s home.  This sheet gives you tips on how to prevent medical errors in your own health care by asking questions, understanding instructions, and helping make decisions about your own care.

20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors in Children

The best way to help prevent medical errors in your child’s health care is to take part in every decision regarding your child’s care. This sheet gives you tips on what to ask, how to get understandable instructions, and how to make certain everyone involved in your child’s care has all the information they need to safely treat your child.

Quick Checks for Quality

The AHRQ has put together a summarized list of things to check for regarding quality in health care. To see the complete guide, “Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care”, please click here.

Quick Checks for Quality

Look for a doctor who:

• Has the training and background that meet your needs.
• Takes steps to prevent illness, for example, talks to you about quitting smoking.
• Has privileges at the hospital of your choice.
• Is part of your health plan, unless you can you afford to pay extra.
• Encourages you to ask questions.
• Listens to you.
• Explains things clearly.
• Treats you with respect.

When choosing a treatment, make sure you understand:

• What your diagnosis is.
• Whether treatment is really needed at this time.
• What your treatment options are.
• Whether the treatment options are based on the latest scientific evidence.
• The benefits and risks of each treatment.
• The cost of each treatment.

Look for a hospital that:

• Is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
• Is rated highly by State or consumer or other groups.
• Is one where your doctor has privileges, if that is important to you.
• Is covered by your health plan.
• Has experience with your condition.
• Has had success with your condition.
• Checks and works to improve its own quality of care.

Quality information about hospitals in the ECOH service area can be found on the Quality Initiatives page of this site. 

Look for long-term care that:

• Has been found by State agencies, accreditors, or others to provide quality care.
• Has the services you need.
• Has staff that meet your needs.
• Meets your budget.