Courtesy Free Press
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Web Exclusive…
Excerpt from YOU: The Smart Patient
March 2006, March 2006
From "The Smart Patient Quiz"
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How "smart" a patient are you? Answer these questions and find out.
1. Which question should you ask your doctor when he or she is writing you a new prescription?
a. Good grief, what are those scribbles supposed to say?
b. Any chance you can write me a script for a generic version, so I can save some money?
c. Is this replacing any of the other pills I'm taking?
d. Can I take this pill with my morning grapefruit juice?
e. All of the above
2. Board certification means:
a. A doctor has served in a managerial position at a large hospital
b. A doctor is extremely physically fit
c. A doctor is skilled in working with lumber
d. A doctor had to study under a specialist for a period of eight years
e. A doctor passed several exams in a specialized area
3. The best protection against hospital infections is:
a. Making visitors wear masks
b. Taking 10,000 mg of vitamin C each day
c. Paying extra for a private room
d. Being obsessive about asking every person who treats you to wash his or her hands
e. Going to a hospital in a high-altitude area, such as Denver
4. How often does getting a second opinion change treatment substantially?
a. In about one third of all cases
b. In about 20 percent of all cases
c. In about 60 percent of all cases
d. Very rarely, surprisingly
e. What's a second opinion?
5. If you appeal a claim denial from your health insurance company, what are the odds that you'll get the insurer to reverse its decision?
a. About one in four; roughly 25 percent of appeals are successful
b. One in 12; with a little luck, it could happen
c. One in two; your odds are excellent
d. About one in seven if you threaten to involve the state insurance commissioner
e. About one in six if you are the state insurance commissioner
Answers
1. (e) They are all legit questions. More than legit, they could save your life, or your sacred fortune over time. 2. (e) And he has to receive continuing education in that area to keep his board certification as well, so that's a credential to look for—whether it's board certification in pediatrics, dermatology, or the dozens of other areas. 3. (d) Scrub-a-dub-dub. 4. (a) This makes it all the more amazing that so few patients get second opinions. 5. (c) According to research, you have about a 50 percent chance of winning an appeal. Persistence is the key.
From YOU: The Smart Patient by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. Copyright © 2006 by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Oz Works LLC, f/s/o
Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., and Joint Commission Resources. Reprinted by permission
of Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y.
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