mi’s Reviews > The Empowered Patient: How to Get the Right Diagnosis, Buy the Cheapest Drugs, Beat Your Insurance Company, and Get the Best Medical Care Every Time > Status Update

"Especially with a long, complicated illness, you're going to have lots of doctors traipsing in and out of your hospital room. ...pick [your] favorite doctor and instruct everyone else to talk to her [so she] could then screen what each doctor said and tell [you] exactly what [you] need to know in terms [you] can understand."

"...you can find a medical billing advocate to help you. To find one, visit the website of Medical Billing Advocates of America. The Fairness Foundation, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and the Patient Advocate Foundation also offer help to those in debt."

"People think they have to pay the amount on the bill. But doctors and hospitals are very willing to negotiate. For more tips on negotiating, read the book 'My Healthcare Is Killing Me'; there's a free version online (www.myhealthcareiskillingme.com)."

"...ask for an itemized copy of your bill to check for accuracy."

"A 2008 report from the Commonwealth Fund found that more than 1 in 4 Americans is paying off medical debt. Nearly one-third of those with medical debt were unable to pay for food, rent, or heat, and some even took out a mortgage or a loan against their home in order to pay this debt."

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3. Office of the Inspector General (www.oig.hhs.gov): Part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services [and] keeps a list of doctors who have been kicked out of the federal Medicaid or Medicare program because they've been convicted of fraud or patient abuse or have defaulted on their loans.

Websites for Checking Out Your Doctor:
1. Federation of State Medical Boards (www.fsmb.org): Go here to find out if there have been any disciplinary actions against a doctor.
2. American Board of Medical Specialists (www.abms.org): [In addition to a license to practice medicine,] some [doctors] receive board certification in their particular specialty (pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, etc.).

"You want to personally see hospital staff members wash or sanitize their hands every time they touch you."

"Central venous catheters (or central lines) are inserted into a large vein leading to the heart and used to deliver medications, fluid, or blood. ...about 250,000 people get central line-associated bloodstream infections each year, and an estimated 30,000 to 62,000 infected patients die. If the hospital wants to give you a central line, ask if it's necessary, and, if it is, ask how quickly it can be removed."

"A catheter can become a breeding ground for bacteria. If you or a loved one has a urinary catheter in the hospital, ask if [it] is truly necessary. If the patient is awake and oriented and alert and can use a bedpan, it may not be needed. If [it is necessary], make sure it comes out ASAP, since the longer it's in, the riskier it becomes."