Medicine.org - Patient Advocacy

Google Will Start Storing Medical Records Online, Allowing Private Web Access to Patient Records and Prescription Info

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:34:19 -0500

Google Inc. has announced it will start storing medical records online. The search giant will begin testing the new program by storing medical records from several thousand Cleveland Clinic patients who volunteered for an electronic transfer of their personal health records to Google. The new medical records service won't be open to the general public.

Even Health Care May Show Disparate Treatment to Those with Disabilties

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:41:15 -0400

People with disabilities face obstacles almost everywhere they turn. Yes, the American Disability Act has paved the road to clear some of these obstacles, but many others remain. The attitude of others towards their disability is possibly the most significant roadblock to quality of life.

One area where hindrances to services would not be expected would be in the medical arena. Certainly, doctors and nurses would be the most compassionate, and also assure all benefits of care were provided, regardless of the person's infirmities.

Choosing the Correct Nursing Home

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:53:20 -0400

What are one’s choices when Mom (or perhaps Dad) just is not able to live alone. Perhaps, minimal caretakers to provide food and some personal care may be the answer. Sometimes, that is not enough, and the home situation becomes unsafe for the elder parent to live in alone.

A Nursing Home may be one of the options chosen. But how do you choose the best nursing home for your aging parent?

Conversation After Diagnosis

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 23:06:51 -0400

Before you can make a decision about your care, you first need to understand your diagnosis and the different treatment options that may improve your health. It is important to know what each treatment involves and what it will and will not do. Ask your doctor to have the information about the treatment choices written down.

Once you know your treatment choices, learn the pros and cons of each one. Ask your doctor what are the benefits and risks of each treatment option. For example, find out what side effects may occur, how long the treatment would take, and how likely it is that the treatment would work for you.

Doctor-Patient Relationships: Planning Your Visit

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:55:44 -0400

How well you and your doctor talk to each other is one of the most important parts of getting good health care. Unfortunately, talking with your doctor isn't always easy. In the past, the doctor typically took the lead and the patient followed. Today, a good patient-doctor relationship is a partnership. You and your doctor can work as a team.

Creating a basic plan before you go to the doctor can help you make the most of your visit. The following tips will make it easier for you and your doctor to cover everything you need to talk about.

Sixty Five Percent of Older Adults Obtain Health Info from Internet

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:10:10 -0400

One of the fastest growing age groups using the Internet, older Americans increasingly turn to the World Wide Web for health information. In fact, 68 percent of wired seniors surf for health and medical information when they go online.

is based on the latest research on cognition and aging. It features short, easy-to-read segments of information that can be accessed in a variety of formats, including various large-print type sizes, open-captioned videos and an audio version. The site also links to MedlinePlus , the National Library of Medicine's premier, more detailed site for consumer health information.

Internet for Health Information

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:07:03 -0400

"Most people know that communicating with their doctor is important to their health care, especially as they age and are more likely to have health conditions and treatments to discuss," says Judith A. Salerno, M.D., NIA deputy director. "The key is to know how to have that conversation."

Older adults can turn to this newest feature on the NIHSeniorHealth Web site for information on managing conversations with their doctor. How to prepare for a doctor visit, what to ask, what information to provide, and how to understand what the doctor says are among the many helpful tips older adults can find on the site.

Talking with your Doctor

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 21:55:58 -0400

How do you talk about a sensitive subject with your doctor? What if you forget to ask an important question? What if you feel rushed during your visit? How can you get the most out of your visit with your health care provider? Being able to communicate openly, comfortably and assertively with your doctor can help you make good health decisions and stay well. But some older people shy away from this approach and hesitate to ask questions or take the doctor's time.

Moving is Always Difficult: Even More So for the Elderly.

Tue, 29 May 2007 12:01:49 -0400

Moving is always a challenge; transitioning to an assisted living home or nursing home is even more-so. Moving into a nursing home is usually not something someone does willingly and with any degree of excitement. Indeed, the move is usually a wrenching experience from the family home of many years, and is done by others.

Studies exist which indicate that a move into a nursing home increases one’s mortality due to the adverse impact of the change.

Unfair Advantage of Our Elderly by Pushy Sales People

Sat, 19 May 2007 13:13:16 -0400

U.S. Senate investigators have found that insurance agents in at least 39 states used illegal or unethical methods to sell private Medicare Advantage plans, the Washington Post reported.

The underhanded tactics included enrolling dead or mentally incompetent people, using personal information stolen from federal records, and impersonating Medicare representatives.

The Senate Special Committee on Aging is scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday to look into the issue, the Post reported.

Embryonic Stem Cells vs. Adult Stem Cells

Sat, 05 May 2007 01:29:18 -0400

An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ, can renew itself, and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Some scientists now use the term somatic stem cell instead of adult stem cell. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are defined by their origin (the inner cell mass of the blastocyst), the origin of adult stem cells in mature tissues is unknown.

What Are the Unique Properties of Stem Cells?

Sat, 05 May 2007 01:13:22 -0400

Stem cells differ from other kinds of cells in the body. All stem cells—regardless of their source—have three general properties: they are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types.

Scientists are trying to understand two fundamental properties of stem cells that relate to their long-term self-renewal:

Parkinson's May Be the First Disease Cured Through Stem Cell Research

Sat, 05 May 2007 01:08:08 -0400

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a very common neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 2% of the population over 65 years of age. PD is caused by a progressive degeneration and loss of dopamine (DA)-producing neurons, which leads to tremor, rigidity, and hypokinesia (abnormally decreased mobility). It is thought that PD may be the first disease to be amenable to treatment using stem cell transplantation. Factors that support this notion include the knowledge of the specific cell type (DA neurons) needed to relieve the symptoms of the disease. In addition, several laboratories have been successful in developing methods to induce embryonic stem cells to differentiate into cells with many of the functions of DA neurons.

What Are Stem Cells? It's Important for All Americans to Know

Sat, 05 May 2007 01:03:43 -0400

It's important for all Americans to understand what stem cells are all about, and why the issue has taken central stage in the Presidential Race for 2008.

Stem cells have two important characteristics that distinguish them from other types of cells.

First, they are unspecialized cells that renew themselves for long periods through cell division.
The second is that under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become cells with special functions such as the beating cells of the heart muscle or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

How Safe Are Hospitalized Patients?

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:19:23 -0400

Three years of Medicare data was used to identify the current status of patient safety in American hospitals.

The Institute of Medicine released a landmine study in approximately 2000; countless errors were occurring in hospitals which were leading to patient deaths. Since then, the accrediting body of hospitals has joined forces with others to establish standards of patient safety which hospitals must meet, or risk being placed on a non-accredited status (with all the associated reduction in monies as a consequence). So, one could reasonably expect that safety has improved. Not so!