Welcome to HealthDame
Dear HealthDame Visitor:
We stand at one of the most hopeful but uncertain times in the history of health care. President Obama is expected to try and push through major health care reforms – perhaps even a public health plan to compete with the private health insurance industry. That would be the biggest change the U.S. health care system has seen in decades. Meanwhile, fantastic breakthroughs are taking place in dozens of medical fields including e-health, personalized medicine, stem cell therapy, and medical imaging.
The possibilities seem infinite. The choices will be difficult, because we can’t pay for everything.
The one thing I am certain of is this: Going forward, the patients who get the best care will be those who become the most informed and take charge of their own health. This is true not only in the U.S., but everywhere. Because no matter what else happens, health care will keep getting more complicated, doctors will be flooded with even more information, and pressure to cut costs will increase. To ensure optimal care, patients have to arm themselves with information.
That’s why I’ve started this blog. HealthDame offers insights on new health tools, such as online health records, genome scans, high deductible health plans, mobile phone health applications, targeted cancer therapies, and more. I’ll keep you abreast of breakthrough tests and cures, cost-effective services, and important changes in our health care system. HealthDame will help you start your own “personal health portfolio” – a folder well stocked with valuable information sources such as doctor and hospital rating sites, new product reviews, patient social networks, and advocacy group sites.
HealthDame is your GPS for the high-tech health highway.
For example, what if your family has a history of colon cancer? Are you thinking about getting your genome scanned? Can you share the information with your health insurance provider and feel secure? Will getting the scan help you to avoid cancer or just tell you that you are doomed? Do you need one scan only, or will another be needed down the road? How should you pick the company that does the scan?
Or, what if you’re facing a major surgery? How can you get reliable information about who is the best doctor to do the surgery, or which hospitals have the highest mortality rates for that procedure? Are there great support groups out there that could not only help you feel prepared, but also help you after? Is Googling sufficient to answer a life-or-death question like that?
These questions seem daunting to many of us. I know how you feel. Sometimes, I’d rather just sit back and let the doctors make all the decisions — but that’s just not possible anymore. As costs rise, everyone is looking for ways to save money. Doctors and their assistants are busier, health plans are less generous (even public ones), and there is an overwhelming amount of information.
Politicians and interest groups argue ceaselessly about how to fix the health care mess, but it’s really patients who have the most at stake. We can either start making a little effort to manage our own health care, or, we can settle for whatever care we get.
So, don’t wait for change. Make change happen today. Join HealthDame and start learning to make better health care decisions and giving your feedback to our growing HealthDame community.
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