Navigating the Health Care System Navigating the Health Care System Show: All 2013 2012 2011 2010 Date Title 2010 December 7 2010 20101207 Don't Let Medicines Cause Harm We take more medicines than ever to maintain or improve our health. But over the last decade, many baby boomers and seniors have ended up in the hospital because the medications they expected to help them actually hurt them.Many medical problems now can be treated with medicines that were not available just a few years ago. But taking more medicines can also result in some unexpected reactions, especially for people who take several drugs. Bad reactions to medications are on the rise, according... Read more November 2 2010 20101102 Quitting Smoking: You Can Do It If you've ever smoked cigarettes and tried to quit, you know it's not easy to kick the habit.While quitting smoking is tough, did you know you have a much better chance of succeeding when you have help? Tobacco users who get counseling, combined with medication and other support, have a much better chance of quitting and staying tobacco-free.More than ever before, support is available. Medicare and other health plans now cover counseling to help you quit smoking. Several resources are available... Read more October 5 2010 20101005 Focus on Obesity Obesity is literally a growing problem.Today, 72 million Americans are obese. As you probably know, obese people are more likely to suffer from diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health problems. But did you also know obesity can be bad for your budget?It can. On average, obese people spend $732 more each year on medical expenses than those with normal weight, according to a 2009 study sponsored by my agency, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study also... Read more September 7 2010 20100907 Improving Your Health Literacy There is a truism in health care: When you don't fully understand or can't act on information about your health care, you are more likely to be in poorer health.Nearly all of us, about 9 of every 10 American adults, have some problems with health literacy.Health literacy is not only about reading. It's about understanding difficult health terms and issues. Even highly educated people can have trouble understanding health care information.For example, health literacy plays a role in how... Read more August 3 2010 20100803 Treating High Cholesterol If you're older than 45, there's a good chance that you or someone you know has high cholesterol. It's so common that treating high cholesterol led to 44 million doctor visits in 2006.High cholesterol may be widespread, but understanding how to treat it can be confusing. However, lowering high cholesterol can prevent heart attacks and strokes. It could even save your life.That's why my agency, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), offers a guide called Treating High Cholesterol. Read more July 6 2010 20100706 Why It's Wise to Use a Health Advocate Imagine that your doctor just gave you a serious diagnosis or told you she was concerned about the results of your medical test. You might understandably become scared.Listening carefully to your doctor and asking questions about a diagnosis or test results can help you get better care. But here's the problem: Just when you should be paying close attention to what your doctor is saying, you may be stunned by the news you just received.That's when having a health or patient advocate can help.A... Read more June 1 2010 20100601 How to Avoid the Round-Trip Visit to the Hospital When patients get out of the hospital, it's usually a sign that their health is getting better and they're ready to recover at home. Unfortunately, millions of patients each year end up back in the hospital. In fact, 1 in 5 Medicare patients go back within 1 month of being released. Even more people face unexpected medical problems within weeks of leaving the hospital.Many of the medical problems that send patients back to the hospital could have been avoided in the first place. What causes... Read more May 4 2010 20100504 Healthcare-Associated Infections: They Can Happen to You You shouldn't have to worry about getting sick because of an infection you may pick up when you're getting treated in a hospital or other health care setting. Unfortunately, you have reason to be concerned.Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that patients get when recovering from surgery or receiving treatment for other conditions. The most common complication of hospital care, HAIs contribute to 99,000 deaths each year and cost billions of dollars to treat.They are... Read more May 1 2010 20100501 Video Advice Columns from Dr. Carolyn Clancy Patients who are involved in their health care get better quality care and better results. These videos on Navigating the Health Care System feature Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Director Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., encouraging patients to ask questions of their doctor, nurse or pharmacist and to speak up if they have concerns about medications, tests, or procedures.BackgroundPreventing medical errors is a task best shared by care providers and patients. To help patients... Read more April 6 2010 20100406 Same-Day Surgery: What You Should Know If you need surgery, there's a better-than-average chance that you'll have it and go home the same day. That's good news for several reasons, but same-day surgery does require some planning on your part.Thanks to advances in technology and anesthesia, nearly 6 of every 10 surgeries performed at hospitals are done as "outpatient" procedures, which means you go home the same day you have your surgery. Nearly 35 million such surgeries are performed each year in the U.S.For example, most eye and... Read more March 2 2010 20100302 Comparing Blood Pressure Medicines Today, it may seem easier to get information about a new oven or drill before you buy one than finding clear information about the medicine or treatment that's best for you. That shouldn't be the case, especially for common health conditions like high blood pressure.More than 65 million Americans have high blood pressure, or hypertension. Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms, but if it's left untreated, it can cause strokes, heart attacks, or kidney problems. That's why... Read more February 2 2010 20100202 Comparing Diabetes Drugs We all like having choices. But sometimes, choices can be overwhelming. Marketing research shows that when faced with many choices, people can become frustrated or indecisive.Choices can be confusing in health care, too—especially when it comes to choosing a treatment for an illness like diabetes. But when it comes to your health, you don't want to put off making important decisions.That's why my agency, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), develops consumer-friendly guides to... Read more January 5 2010 20100105 Comparing Medical Treatments for Antidepressants About one in every six adults experiences depression at some point in his or her life. The good news is that depression can be treated to give you a better quality of life. But finding the right treatment that fits your needs can sometimes be tricky.The most common treatments are antidepressant drugs, counseling, or a combination of the two. If you or a loved one is prescribed a drug to treat depression, you'll want to understand its benefits and side effects because certain treatments work... Read more
December 7 2010 20101207 Don't Let Medicines Cause Harm We take more medicines than ever to maintain or improve our health. But over the last decade, many baby boomers and seniors have ended up in the hospital because the medications they expected to help them actually hurt them.Many medical problems now can be treated with medicines that were not available just a few years ago. But taking more medicines can also result in some unexpected reactions, especially for people who take several drugs. Bad reactions to medications are on the rise, according... Read more
November 2 2010 20101102 Quitting Smoking: You Can Do It If you've ever smoked cigarettes and tried to quit, you know it's not easy to kick the habit.While quitting smoking is tough, did you know you have a much better chance of succeeding when you have help? Tobacco users who get counseling, combined with medication and other support, have a much better chance of quitting and staying tobacco-free.More than ever before, support is available. Medicare and other health plans now cover counseling to help you quit smoking. Several resources are available... Read more
October 5 2010 20101005 Focus on Obesity Obesity is literally a growing problem.Today, 72 million Americans are obese. As you probably know, obese people are more likely to suffer from diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health problems. But did you also know obesity can be bad for your budget?It can. On average, obese people spend $732 more each year on medical expenses than those with normal weight, according to a 2009 study sponsored by my agency, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study also... Read more
September 7 2010 20100907 Improving Your Health Literacy There is a truism in health care: When you don't fully understand or can't act on information about your health care, you are more likely to be in poorer health.Nearly all of us, about 9 of every 10 American adults, have some problems with health literacy.Health literacy is not only about reading. It's about understanding difficult health terms and issues. Even highly educated people can have trouble understanding health care information.For example, health literacy plays a role in how... Read more
August 3 2010 20100803 Treating High Cholesterol If you're older than 45, there's a good chance that you or someone you know has high cholesterol. It's so common that treating high cholesterol led to 44 million doctor visits in 2006.High cholesterol may be widespread, but understanding how to treat it can be confusing. However, lowering high cholesterol can prevent heart attacks and strokes. It could even save your life.That's why my agency, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), offers a guide called Treating High Cholesterol. Read more
July 6 2010 20100706 Why It's Wise to Use a Health Advocate Imagine that your doctor just gave you a serious diagnosis or told you she was concerned about the results of your medical test. You might understandably become scared.Listening carefully to your doctor and asking questions about a diagnosis or test results can help you get better care. But here's the problem: Just when you should be paying close attention to what your doctor is saying, you may be stunned by the news you just received.That's when having a health or patient advocate can help.A... Read more
June 1 2010 20100601 How to Avoid the Round-Trip Visit to the Hospital When patients get out of the hospital, it's usually a sign that their health is getting better and they're ready to recover at home. Unfortunately, millions of patients each year end up back in the hospital. In fact, 1 in 5 Medicare patients go back within 1 month of being released. Even more people face unexpected medical problems within weeks of leaving the hospital.Many of the medical problems that send patients back to the hospital could have been avoided in the first place. What causes... Read more
May 4 2010 20100504 Healthcare-Associated Infections: They Can Happen to You You shouldn't have to worry about getting sick because of an infection you may pick up when you're getting treated in a hospital or other health care setting. Unfortunately, you have reason to be concerned.Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that patients get when recovering from surgery or receiving treatment for other conditions. The most common complication of hospital care, HAIs contribute to 99,000 deaths each year and cost billions of dollars to treat.They are... Read more
May 1 2010 20100501 Video Advice Columns from Dr. Carolyn Clancy Patients who are involved in their health care get better quality care and better results. These videos on Navigating the Health Care System feature Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Director Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., encouraging patients to ask questions of their doctor, nurse or pharmacist and to speak up if they have concerns about medications, tests, or procedures.BackgroundPreventing medical errors is a task best shared by care providers and patients. To help patients... Read more
April 6 2010 20100406 Same-Day Surgery: What You Should Know If you need surgery, there's a better-than-average chance that you'll have it and go home the same day. That's good news for several reasons, but same-day surgery does require some planning on your part.Thanks to advances in technology and anesthesia, nearly 6 of every 10 surgeries performed at hospitals are done as "outpatient" procedures, which means you go home the same day you have your surgery. Nearly 35 million such surgeries are performed each year in the U.S.For example, most eye and... Read more
March 2 2010 20100302 Comparing Blood Pressure Medicines Today, it may seem easier to get information about a new oven or drill before you buy one than finding clear information about the medicine or treatment that's best for you. That shouldn't be the case, especially for common health conditions like high blood pressure.More than 65 million Americans have high blood pressure, or hypertension. Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms, but if it's left untreated, it can cause strokes, heart attacks, or kidney problems. That's why... Read more
February 2 2010 20100202 Comparing Diabetes Drugs We all like having choices. But sometimes, choices can be overwhelming. Marketing research shows that when faced with many choices, people can become frustrated or indecisive.Choices can be confusing in health care, too—especially when it comes to choosing a treatment for an illness like diabetes. But when it comes to your health, you don't want to put off making important decisions.That's why my agency, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), develops consumer-friendly guides to... Read more
January 5 2010 20100105 Comparing Medical Treatments for Antidepressants About one in every six adults experiences depression at some point in his or her life. The good news is that depression can be treated to give you a better quality of life. But finding the right treatment that fits your needs can sometimes be tricky.The most common treatments are antidepressant drugs, counseling, or a combination of the two. If you or a loved one is prescribed a drug to treat depression, you'll want to understand its benefits and side effects because certain treatments work... Read more
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