Medical Advice: 7 Questions you Should Ask your Doctor Before Accepting Any Kind of Medical Treatment
We all want to think our doctors are infallible. We’d like to think our doctors know everything there is to know about treating our particular condition. Yet the truth is, at some point in time the doctor has to learn by doing.
Yes, they go through intensive education and rigorous training, but there is a world of difference between textbook learning and the unpredictability of real-life practice. Even established professionals can go an entire career without treating many conditions firsthand.
This doesn’t mean that you should avoid visiting your healthcare practitioner or be fearful about the quality of care you will receive in your time of need.
As I explain in my gripping, fictionalized memoir, Death on the Learning Curve, it’s important that you regard your doctor as a friendly advocate for your health and well-being. However, you should never be a passive spectator when treatment, medication, or surgery is proposed.
It’s Your Health on the Line & You Need to be Engaged in the Process.
Anytime you experience a health problem, be prepared to actively participate in the decision-making process. You should be ready to ask questions-not to be confrontational, but to become fully informed.
Here’s My Top 7 Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Accepting Any Kind of Medical Treatment:
1. How long have you been in practice?
2. What is your experience with this condition?
3. What are my treatment options, and what other options are available that you or my health plan is not offering? If you don’t understand your doctor’s basic explanation of your condition and treatment, then by all means ask him or her for more information.
4. What are the possible complications of the proposed treatments or surgeries? If there are any complications, how will you correct the problem?
5. Aside from your own partners, whom would you go to for treatment if you had this condition?
6. Are you personally going to perform the surgery? Will others assist and participate in a major way?
7. Can I ask your bookkeeper what my financial responsibility will be? (You need to know in advance.. and don’t be afraid to negotiate!)
The above questions may seem basic, but are very important to get a better sense of whether the doctor you have chosen is someone you truly want as your partner in medical treatment.
Inappropriate Questions or Behavior
Notice I did not include the question: how many times have you been sued? We’ve all heard horror stories, but it is less than useful to ask your doctor how many times he or she has been sued. In today’s cultural climate, most doctors have been sued more than once, especially the good ones!
Inappropriate actions and questions, however well intentioned, can actually undermine your treatment. By recognizing in advance when you are coping with the stresses and fears that go hand-in-hand with serious medical diagnoses, you can avoid compromising the crucial doctor-patient relationship.
Your Health’s Bottom Line
Medical crises are frightening and patients can often feel overwhelmed. But by taking the responsibility to actively participate in the decision-making process and actually work with your doctor for your own highest good, you can dispel your fears. This will allow you and your doctor to focus on the ultimate goal: returning to wellness.
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What are the Risks in Receiving Medical Treatment Abroad?
(c) 2008 Medical-Tourism-Guide.com
The first question that a potential medical tourist has is whether or not there are risks in receiving medical treatment abroad. It is understandable that there would be such a question; however one must look at it logically. Yes, there are risks, but no more so than having the treatment in your own local medical facility.
Medical tourism is on the rise, with an annual increase in usage of 20-30% in many countries. Ten years ago, the concept of medical tourism was new and received bad media coverage in developed countries. It was misunderstood and given bad press. Today, that trend has not only reversed, but medical tourism is being embraced as a viable option for people in need of affordable medical care.
The incredibly discounted prices are not those of the unregulated, back alley operations that are in every corner of the world. These are prices offered by fully accredited state of the art facilities, equipped with the latest technology and staffed with some of the best trained doctors in the world.
You may wonder how it is that a foreign country can offer what your own country cannot. If you live in the United States, the answer is very simple. The cost of insurance propels the medical field into a high cost service. Doctors in the U.S. pay an exorbitant amount in malpractice insurance, facilities have high overhead expenses and insurance policies on their buildings, equipment, and the staff who are employed there. Someone needs to pay for all of those insurance policies, and unfortunately that someone is the patient. Although the same type of costs are incurred in other countries, it is at a fraction of the price, thereby allowing the facility to offer services at a much lower rate.
You will be encouraged to learn that several facilities that offer medical tourism are accredited by the IOS (International Organization of Standardization) and the JCI (Joint Commission International). Most of the doctors who work in these medical tourism facilities have studied in the developed countries and then have returned to work in their home countries.
When trying to decide which doctor to outsource medical needs to, a patient should use the same process as would be used at home. It is imperative that references are done and credentials are confirmed. Most new facilities are also equipped with the latest equipment such as heart mapping equipment, CT Scanners, Open MRI machines, heart catheterization labs, digital ultrasound and mammogram machines and more. Phone and email conversations with former patrons of the facility will give you critical information concerning the cleanliness of the building and is well worth your time and effort. Most tourists report that they were allowed to stay for a full recovery period, and that staff were very attentive. Many facilities have translators standing by who are fluent in every language.
Some countries have been providing top quality medical services for hundreds of years. If a person would travel thousands of miles to vacation, why not travel that far to have a medical procedure done? If a person is willing to risk having a foreign doctor perform the procedure in the developed country (E.G. a cardiologist from India, working in Chicago) why does that person not trust going to the same caliber cardiologist in the country of India itself? If a person is willing to fully research the hospitals and credentials in their homeland, why not check the ones abroad and save money by choosing a facility abroad?
Lower cost certainly does not mean lower quality! Case studies and statistics verify that medical tourism offers top quality medical care in accredited facilities. Reading such cases will be an encouragement to you, as you realize that millions have traveled abroad to receive their medical treatment, and consider that their experience was actually superior to what they have previously had at home! For years, the only press given was that of the back alley practices in foreign lands. There have been many stories aired about poor sanitation that has led to infection, and those that have had poor surgery which has led to extensive scaring. Those random stories are not the norm and can be found in every country, including the one you currently reside in.
The risks of choosing to have surgery abroad are no greater than at home. Just as one needs to research doctors and facilities in a home country, one also needs to research the options available in another country. Just as it is true that there are both good and bad available in developed countries, the same is true in tourist destination spots. Anyone considering surgery should research thoroughly and choose a facility wisely. There are resources available that can aid you in your decision making process. Fear of the unknown should not be a reason to pay high costs or go without medical treatment. This is the 21st Century and we are living in a global medical community that has no borders!
Medical tourism in India facilitating less cost medical treatment to foreign patients
Medical tourism in India facilitating less cost medical treatment to foreign patients. As everyone knows India has now become a global medical hub. The term medical tourism is defined as an organized travel outside of someone\u2019s health care jurisdiction to enhance or restore health through medical interventions. In other words, we can say that medical tourism covers patients traveling across the globe for tourism purposes clubbing their requirements for treatment. High cost of healthcare and medical facilities in advanced countries makes impossible for the natives to undergo treatment in their countries as many of , so they look out for a low cost treatment in other countries like India.
In India \u2018Medical tourism\u2019 is a growing concept whereby people from world over visit India for their medical treatment and relaxation needs. Indians, NRIs and tourists from around the world are beginning to realize the potential of Indian medical tourism. Indian hospitals and medical establishments have also realized the potential of this niche market and have begun to tailor their services for foreign visitors. India is emerging as global medical hub and is giving stiff competition to other countries. As compared to the surgery cost in countries like USA and UK, the surgery costs in India is about 50-60% less. The hospital services in India are of international standards and these top quality of services are offered to the patients at an affordable prices.
Some of the common surgeries performed in India at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore are heart surgery, orthopedic surgery, dental surgery and cosmetic surgery, spine surgery etc. The Infrastructure and technology are the reasons for India being touted as one of the favourite destinations. India constitutes the best hospitals and treatment centres in the world with the best facilities provided. The patients are assisted with some the top surgeons in the world. To know more about medical tourism in India visit www.forerunnershealthcare.com or mail your queries at enquiry@forerunnershealthcare.com
