Bonnie Friedman is the author of Hospital Warrior: How to Get the Best Care for Your Loved One and can be reached at Hospital Warrior.

The advocate’s sword stands polished and ready

Patient
September 8, 2021

“The weapon of the advocate is the sword of the soldier, not the dagger of the assassin,” according to journalist and writer, Alexander Cockburn.

The sword of the advocate, whether used for oneself or a loved one, may also end up opening doors that can benefit others. My work involves promoting the importance of family involvement in patient advocacy. But on occasion, I have needed to advocate for myself; I hope …

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The advocate’s sword stands polished and ready

Medicare for all: a campaign promise, catchy bumper sticker, or viable program?

Policy
March 20, 2019

With the 2020 election cycle already moving into high gear, we are hearing a lot about Medicare for all. But is it a serious campaign promise, a catchy bumper sticker or a viable national program?

Supporters suggest it will be a panacea for our nation’s health insurance needs. Others are less sure. And some are downright opposed. So where do we go? As a starting point, there are things we can …

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Medicare for all: a campaign promise, catchy bumper sticker, or viable program?

What is one thing that separates good doctors from great ones?

Education
August 19, 2018

What makes a good doctor or, for that matter, a great one? Most patients want physicians who are excellent clinicians and diagnosticians. But we also want doctors who are caring, empathetic and maybe even telepathic — doctors who seem to know intuitively what we need without any awkward discussion of sensitive issues.

After all, patients may not want or know how to talk about substance abuse, domestic violence, sexually transmitted disease …

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What is one thing that separates good doctors from great ones?

Care coordination is more than a T-shirt slogan

Patient
April 2, 2018

A T-shirt advertised online reads, “Keep calm and let the patient care coordinator handle it.” The shirt must be popular, or maybe just a source of gallows humor, for those engaged in this noble pursuit.

But the underlying question of who is coordinating our medical care is a serious one. By one estimate, inadequate care coordination costs between $25 to $45 billion annually. For the individual patient with a chronic illness, …

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Care coordination is more than a T-shirt slogan

Who coordinates patient care? Maybe no one.         

Patient
January 20, 2017

“Who’s in charge of the case?” the doctor asked a bit impatiently.

My husband was in the hospital, and his care seemed disjointed and fragmented. I was concerned and called his primary care physician (PCP) to ask advice. He hadn’t known my husband was in the hospital again and seemed frustrated.

I thought about his question for a minute and answered, “I guess I am. I am the one who talks to …

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Who coordinates patient care? Maybe no one.         

Doctors need to partner with families to save lives

Patient
June 22, 2016

“Hey, doc, you’re killing me.” Or, more specifically, us.

A recent report from researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine points to medical errors as the third leading cause of death in this country. Despite the many safeguards put in place by the government, hospitals, and doctors, themselves, more than 250,000 people a year in the U.S. die from hospital-acquired infections, wrong-site surgeries, medication mistakes and a host of …

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Doctors need to partner with families to save lives