Question: Which part of osteochondritis is the word root?
From: Dannette C

Answer: There are actually 2 root terms-osteo referring to bone and chondro referring to cartilage. Itis means inflammation so this would mean inflammation of bone and cartilage. The question I would ask is inflammation of what-for example, is it costochonritis which is inflammation of the rib cartilage. I would suggest you review some basic medical terminology guides from a previous post on the basics of medical terminology.  You will find some helpful root terms, prefixes, and suffixes on the website. You will also note that not every medical term has all three components.

I've always said that focusing on the positive will lead to the best results and the same holds true for healthcare.  Based on feedback from talking with patients while researching my current book and on the results of several surveys I've conducted I found that most people, while they may have had hurdles to overcome in a particular situation, often shared a story about a single person or event that was positive and helped them get through.  I've launched a new site, Happy Time of the Day that shares one of these stories each day with you both online and through email.

So many times people focus on the negative aspects of the healthcare system, HappyTimeOfTheDay.com embraces what's right with healthcare by providing short positive stories about the US healthcare system submitted by real people.

The job of protecting your medical records or health information should be of paramount importance to every healthcare provider, but what we find, in fact, is that there is an army of individuals, known as health information managers, who are primarily charged with this duty across the country.

The association that credentials health information professionals, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is 51,000 members strong. You can experience for yourself the zealousness and fortitude of these professionals when you request your medical records from a hospital. The health information management department, or the medical record department, of every acute care hospital is managed by staunch protectors of your health information. The first clue about how firm their grip on your information is will be the release of information (ROI) form that you must complete to obtain your own records. Proof of identification as well as a completed form, including why you want the information, is required in all cases. If someone else, like your spouse, child or parent is requesting the information on your behalf, then you will have to sign an ROI form for them to obtain the information for you.

Obtaining your records on your own behalf is, ironically, only half of the story. You are not the only one with an interest in your health information. Others who have an interest in your information include doctors and hospitals who treat you....and that makes sense, right? Even your insurance company who pays your bills, they have a legitimate interest in seeing what they are paying for. But there are others, like companies who do business with hospitals, researchers, accounting or consulting firms, and data clearing houses (who house electronic data) who also have access to your health information. Under HIPAA, which is the law that governs the protection of medical records, these other organizations can obtain access to your information as “business associates” of the hospital or doctor. Under HIPAA, these business associates are still bound by the same protections as the hospital or doctor they received the information from. But, the bigger issue for most of us is that they have the information to begin with. We may have a greater comfort with some of these groups using our information than others, like medical researchers.

Today’s version of Moore’s law, conceived in 1965 by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, states that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits will double approximately every 18 months. The significance of Moore’s law is that we can expect technology to outpace itself every 18 months. Roughly every year and a half, we have seen, and will continue to see significant upgrades in technology. The relevance for HIPAA and health information security is that since HIPAA was passed 10 years ago, technology has advanced 15 fold. The security and privacy protections inherent in 10 year old technology are not the protections of today. And, for healthcare, this is even more relevant. While some may argue that computer upgrades in healthcare are much less common, in fact, most healthcare providers are constantly on top of new trends in technology. There are many reasons for this.

The mountain of documentation leading up to the passing of any federal law is evidence of the pain that many, many individuals and groups have endured to get to the final end. While books can be, and have been, written about what can go wrong with passing legislation in a democratic bi-partisan, interest group dominated society like America, much, much more good than bad comes out of this process. The common balance that we seek to achieve in a democracy is one that benefits both society as a whole and individual. This is not an easy feat and usually requires tireless hours of debate and re-framing until a solution is reached. Even then, we have protections against laws that may violate individual rights in the form of our executive branch (the President can veto a law) and the Supreme Court (which can overturn a law as unconstitutional). More importantly, we have the people who elect our legislators as a sounding board for the effectiveness of the laws that are going to be, or have been passed. Strong enough opposition from “we the people” can lead to amendments or even dissolution of laws.

Question: Where can I find a directory of doctors?
From: Jessica S. of Tulsa, Oklahoma

Answer: So often, we look to family or friends to give us the name of a physician. You can certainly gain insight into that person’s experience and feelings about the physician. Other options are to check into your health insurance plan’s list of providers, contact your local medical association, check into the American Medical Association website, or check the local hospital physician directories. Most hospitals will list physicians by specialty as well. You may want to check whether the physician is board certified, years in practice, where the physician trained and you may consider visiting the doctor’s office to observe the environment and office operations. In my book, 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare, I provide some practical questions to ask of the staff and the physician and things to observe.

Question:  Where can I find information about Medicare for my grandma?

From:  Garrett B. of Ontario, NY

Answer:  You do not specify what specific Medicare information your grandmother needs.  Medicare is the government sponsored health insurance available to people 65 and older, people who are disabled and have been on Social Security Disability for 2 years, and people with End Stage Renal Disease and have had a kidney transplant or require dialysis.  Part A of Medicare provides coverage for inpatient hospitalization, skilled nursing facility, home care and hospice.  Part B provides coverage for physician services and outpatient care.  To learn more about the specific number of days covered, criteria that must be met to receive the coverage, annual deductibles, etc., you may access several websites and government agencies.  Your local social security office should have information available.  You may want to check into the Department of Health and Human Services website on Medicare by typing www.medicare.gov or www.cms.gov (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid).  Each site provides information on eligibility, covered services (and not covered services) and has many of the Frequently Asked Questions.

The Happy Times in Healthcare Podcast is here to help healthcare consumers become better educated in order to receive the best possible healthcare available to them. This podcast series covers a wide variety of topics including paying for healthcare - when you are insured and when you are not insured, selecting a new physician , using healthcare quality rating tools, and understanding your medical record. In this episode:

Stories Behind the Steps Excerpt - Vera - In an excerpt from her upcoming release of The Stories Behind the Steps, Dr Russo is joined by Vera who shares her story of when she first learned of her breast cancer diagnosis and discusses the frustrations Vera has with the healthcare system for not detecting her cancer earlier and how the system can be improved.  For a free sample chapter of 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare or to purchase a copy of the book please visit http://www.7stepshealth.com.

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Happy Times in Healthcare in association with 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare, is sponsoring the 6 Days at Disney contest to celebrate the launch of its newly re-designed website. In addition to a grand prize of Walt Disney World vacation for 4, other great daily, weekly, and monthly prizes are being awarded.

Please congratulate the following Daily Prize Winners for the week of 1/28, each of whom will be receiving a free t-shirt compliments of 7stepshealth.com:

• Shellie S of Duluth, MN
• Wesley H of Sweeny, TX
• Jodi B of Lansdale, PA
• Stephen S of Ridgeway, VA
• Paul K of Tallahassee, FL
• Elke S of Killeen, TX
• Angie P of South Elgin IL

Also Dave S. of Lorain, OH was the Weekly Winner for the week of 1/28 and will be receiving a copy my new book, 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare.

The Happy Times in Healthcare Podcast is here to help healthcare consumers become better educated in order to receive the best possible healthcare available to them. This podcast series covers a wide variety of topics including paying for healthcare - when you are insured and when you are not insured, selecting a new physician, using healthcare quality rating tools, and understanding your medical record. In this episode:

Jay and Christine on Selecting a Specialist - In an excerpt from her upcoming release of The Stories Behind the Steps, Dr. Russo is joined by Jay and Christine who discuss the successes and challenges they have faced with the healthcare system. As a long time sufferer from Type I diabetes Jay shares his story of finding a specialist when faced with diabetic retinothopy.  For a free sample chapter of 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare or to purchase a copy of the book please visit http://www.7stepshealth.com.

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Please congratulate the following Daily Prize Winners for the week of 02/04, each of whom will be receiving a free t-shirt compliments of 7stepshealth.com:

• Patricia Mansker of Junction City, KS
• Lynda Dwyer of Leesburg, FL
• Tarah Pessel of Clarkston, MI
• Cortney Fowler of Arlington, TX
• Gayle Grantham of Escondido, CA
• Lisa Weidknech of Pflugerville, TX
• Kathryn Thacker of Portland, OR

Also Katherine Keller. of Ormond Beach, FL  was the Weekly Winner for the week of 02/04and will be receiving a copy my new book, 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare.

I am happy to announce that I will be appearing at the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA on March 8th from 1 to 3 PM.  I will be giving a short presentation on my new book, 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare, followed by a question and answer session and book signing.

About Moravian Book Shop

The Moravian Book Shop, the oldest bookstore in the world, was founded in 1745 when the Moravian Church appointed Samuel Powell of the Church's Crown Inn on the South Side of the Lehigh River to operate a book store. After several locations, the Moravian Book Shop was moved to the church's publications building near the Central Moravian Church in 1871. Today, the Moravian Book Shop's home is this same site on Historic Main Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Moravian Book Shop
428 Main St
Bethlehem, PA 18018-5869
P: 610-866-5481
www.moravianbookshop.com

The Happy Times in Healthcare Podcast is here to help healthcare consumers become better educated in order to receive the best possible healthcare available to them. This podcast series covers a wide variety of topics including paying for healthcare - when you are insured and when you are not insured, selecting a new physician, using healthcare quality rating tools, and understanding your medical record. In this episode:

Take Control of Your Specialists - Dr. Russo is joined by Jay and Christine who share their story of coordinating multiple specialists after Jay was hospitalized with a diabetic foot ulcer, and how as a patient they learned the important lesson that they need to take a greater role in managing there own health and providing a continuity of care between specialists.  For a free sample chapter of 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare or to purchase a copy of the book please visit http://www.7stepshealth.com.

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• Download / Listen in web browser
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Question: Why do you have to wait to go see the doctor for 1 year if you have a preexisting condition, especially when you are currently paying $200 a month for insurance that you can’t even use?
From: Leslie BB of Rantoul, Il

Answer: A pre-existing condition is any medical condition diagnosed or treated before you join a new health plan. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) limits a health plan from denying payment for care for a pre-existing condition. Previously, a health plan required a waiting period for pre-existing conditions for new members (e.g., 1 year). Obviously, this could have a detrimental impact on the member’s health and lead to high financial burden for the member. Under HIPAA, if you have been insured for 12 uninterrupted months before joining the new plan, no waiting period is required for the pre-existing condition.

Question: Can I find out more about medicaid?
From: Brittany T. of Burleson, Texas

Answer: There are 2 types of government sponsored health insurance-Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is funded by the federal government and provides coverage for patients 65 and older and for disabled individuals who meet certain criteria. Medicaid is funded by both the federal and state governments and it is available to those at or below the state-determined maximum income levels. Each state administers its own Medicaid program and so each state’s details vary. Medicaid insures individuals who are economically needy, medically needy, and/or have a certain diagnosis. To find the eligibility requirements for your state, go to www.govbenefits.gov. Under “Benefits Quick Search,” select Medicare/Medicaid, then select your state. Since 1997, Medicaid covers children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP).

Question: How long do they have to keep your medical records in the doctor’s
office?
From: Heidi E.

Answer: Most states require that providers, hospitals and physicians, keep medical records for 7 to 10 years, depending on the state. My own primary care physician retired several years ago and he had my records for the entire time I had gone to him-almost 30 years. Upon my request, he forwarded records to my new physician. I would suggest that you ask your physician how long he keeps records. As you can imagine, the record from a hospital visit will be much longer than a physician’s office visit and so storage has been a problem. As hospitals and even some physicians make the transition to electronic medical records, some of this will be alleviated. In January 2005, the Bush Administration called for the establishment of a national network of electronic health records within 10 years. There are certainly advantages in accessing records quickly in cases of disaster but confidentiality and security must also be protected.

Question: Very often, doctors don’t give instructions on taking medicines-time, with other medicines, side effects. It gets very confusing when taking several medications, what can I do?
From: M.K of Bethlehem, PA

Answer: I have found myself in this situation also. I have called the pharmacist for instructions and/or read the leaflet that comes with the medicine. But even that does not always completely help if taking multiple medications. As I stress in my book, it is important to get clear and preferably written instructions from the physician. Make sure the doctor is aware of all medications you are currently taking. Take a list with you. Ask about side effects, best time of the day to take the medicine, with or without food, impact on or from other medicines you are currently taking..