Category: Columns
“In health care, one size does not fit all, and treatments that are good for one patient aren’t necessarily good, or even safe, for you,” writes Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. To try to find out which treatments are best for which patients, Clancy’s agency has been [...]
When you’re unhappy with the care you receive from a doctor or hospital, what can you do to be heard? In this month’s column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, offers tips on where you can go to find help filing a complaint.
Despite rules limiting the hours doctors-in-training can work, a recent report by the Institute of Medicine found that many of hospital interns and residents continue to work long shifts with far too little sleep. In this column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. writes about efforts to reduce [...]
How do you find long-term care for a family member? And how do you pay for it? In this column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, reviews your options. A nursing home isn’t the only answer, Dr. Clancy writes: often there are other services, such as adult day [...]
Chronic diseases such as heart failure,high blood pressure, arthritis and diabetes don’t generally go away—but they can be managed, writes Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in her latest column. “If you or a loved one has a chronic condition,” she writes, “you know that managing it can [...]
In Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure, Dr. Offit examines the the theories of those who hold that vaccines cause autism.
Even modest weight loss can make a big difference in your health and how you feel: a loss of just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight can reduce your blood pressure, lower your risk of diabetes, and improve your cholesterol levels. But how to get started? In today’s column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of [...]
When should you go to the emergency room and when is it better to wait and be seen by your regular physician? Sometimes it’s a tough call. In this column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, provides tips on when and how to use emergency rooms. Calling your doctor’s [...]
One in four patients discharged from the hospital develop medical problems, problems sometimes so serious that they end up going back to the hospital again. In many cases, these complications could have been prevented with better discharge education and planning. Hospitals, for example, could have done a better job educating patients about new medications they [...]
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re the kind of person who uses the Internet to learn about health. But not all online sources are reliable. In this column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, provides tips on some online tools that can help you find good health information.
Like the rest of the country, Washington State has a health-care crisis: costs are out of control, quality of care is uneven, and many state residents go without coverage. In “Dear Governor: About That Healthcare Crisis“, Edmonds editor and publisher D.J. Wilson has put together a highly readable collection of articles by 20 people with [...]
President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Tom Daschle to head up the Department of Health and Human Services and to be his point man on health-care reform suggests that, despite the economic turmoil and the challenges of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the incoming administration plans to move ahead on health-care reform quickly. First in [...]
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
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