|
|
| Medicine Information |
|
|
Talking Money with Your Doctor: Drugs and Tests for Less
Would you buy groceries without knowing their prices? I suspect not. You probably compare the costs of different boxes of cereal in order to get the best deal. But when it comes to medical care, do you even ask for the prices involved? While it's true that good health is priceless, and cutting corners on health care is risky, there is still much you can do in order to obtain the same good value in medical care that you insist upon in other areas of your life. If you lack a prescription plan that pays for your medications, it's high time you discussed the cost of drugs with your doctor. Your doctor's number-one choice in medication for your medical condition might be expensive. There are usually reasonable alternatives that cost less. You should take advantage of your doctor's expertise in estimating trade-offs involved with each of your options. Apart from prices, your doctor is already balancing a number of important factors in making a drug recommendation. First, of course, the drug needs to be medically effective-otherwise, why bother? The doctor also takes into consideration what other medications you are taking, what other illnesses you have, your age, your gender, the drug's side-effect spectrum, and also its convenience aspects, like how many times per day it has to be taken and whether or not blood-tests are required to monitor it. A drug that might score high on effectiveness and side-effects might still be inconvenient. An alterative might be both convenient and effective, but pose a higher risk of side-effects. So the truth of the matter is that your doctor is already sorting through all sorts of trade-offs in choosing a medication to prescribe. Factoring in the prices of alternative drugs just builds on the comparing-apples-to-oranges process you are paying your doctor to do for you in the first place. But if the doctor doesn't know that you lack a prescription plan, he or she might not include the cost of drugs in these reckonings and you might be stuck with a prescription that wrecks your budget. The next step in obtaining maximum value for your investment in medication is to shop it around. Let your fingers do the walking by phoning several pharmacies for a price-check. I even write out a script for my shy patients who get nervous when they talk to medical personnel. It goes something like this: "Hi, I'd like to do a price-check on my prescription medication. How much would it cost to buy thirty furosemide 20 milligram (or whatever) pills? Thank you very much. Have a great day!" In repeating this process with different pharmacies you will discover there can be quite a spread among even nearby drugstores. Suppose that your ten minutes on the phone saves you $20 on your prescription. Then you have just earned money at a rate of $120 per hour each month for your efforts. It is time well spent. Cost-consciousness is also valuable when it comes to medical tests. If the cost of a medical test is prohibitive (as is often the case) and you don't have the luxury of letting someone else pay for it, then encourage your doctor to talk through your alternatives with you. Does the same test cost less at one facility than at another? How important is the test? What could go wrong if you skip it, delay it or substitute a less expensive test? What are the chances of a serious repercussion? Unfortunately, your doctor usually has less latitude when cost-optimizing your medical tests, but what could it hurt to ask? You might be glad you did. And how about optimizing the doctor's fee? This is also a fair topic for discussion. When you are considering an appointment with a new doctor it is certainly appropriate to ask for typical fees. However, in the current U.S. medical marketplace, the doctor's time is usually the least expensive component of medical care. The doctor's fee is usually much less than the costs of medications and tests. So while it is perfectly reasonable to shop around for affordable doctor fees, when it comes to choosing a doctor, quality issues should come first. (C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles see his website at: http://www.cordingleyneurology.com
Medicine - Google News |
|
|
|
Alternative Medicine Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Steroid Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome What is the role of steroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome? Viagra Users - Overcome NAION Fear NAION is the latest side effect linked to Viagra and other ED drugs. It is a condition which results from a painless swelling of the optic nerve that causes rapid reduction in vision. Those who suffer from NAION wake up with vision loss and it may worsen in one or two weeks. The main risk factors include hypertension, diabetes or fever and a different appearance of the optic nerve which an ophthalmologist can recognize. Cold-Eeze Side Effects Lawyer: Zinc Destroys Sense of Smell! Cold-Eeze is a homeopathic solution to the common cold. It is a zinc-based solution that can be taken as a tablet or a nasal spray. Limited studies have found that the nasal spray reduces the duration of the common cold to less than three days, down from an average nine days. These amazing results have lead thousands of Americans to try this new medication, with terrible results. Lunesta For Insomnia: A Guide To Compare Generic Lunesta ( Eszopiclone ) We all know that there's no such thing as cheap Lunesta, but if you would like to save money without sacrificing quality, you may want to buy Eszopiclone instead. Eszopiclone is the generic version of Lunesta, the only prescription sleep aid approved for long term use. Warning: Taking Bextra May Harm Your Health Another Vioxx-like occurrence may be on the rise, as warnings about Pfizer's arthritis pain drug, Bextra, continue to mount. How To Medically Treat Nail Fungus Warning: This article is for information only and can not be used to supplement your doctor's advice. You should contact your doctor for nail fungus treatment. Protopic Cancer Risk Lawyer The FDA issued a warning in July of 2005 on two skin creams, Elidel (pimecrolimus) and Protopic (tacrolimus) to all ages. Recent animal studies have found that Protopic causes lymphomas and skin cancers in an unknown percentage of users. The FDA recommends that healthcare providers be very careful prescribing and applying these medications. Buy with confidence at Online Mexican Pharmacy The foremost benefit of buying prescription medicines and other medical supplies from a Mexican pharmacy is the secure buying procedure and easy on the pocket rates. The health and medical care laws in Mexico are not that strict infact completely different and relaxed as compared to the US laws. Most of the medicines can be bought and sold without an authentic prescription except narcotic agents and some of the other restricted and controlled prescription items in Mexico therefore purchase of prescription drugs in Mexico is considered a unproblematic, easy procedure. The easy purchase method and easily accessible medicines in Mexico may put you to some degree of risk but what about internet frauds and counterfeit pharmaceutical preparations? The world of internet is not much reliable either, but you can save your time when you shop online and in order to secure the money you spend on online buying you should keep you up to date and alert. The text that follows provides you a easy and simple but technical guide line for online shopping of your medications and getting the optimum advantage from online ordering and buying. Your Kidney Function Really Matters: A Lighter Look at What You Need to Know to Prevent Adverse Dru When you (or loved ones) are taking prescription or over the counter medications...there is a lot you should be worried about, and a lot that your pharmacist may not be telling you. 10 Reasons To Buy Drugs From An Online Canadian Pharmacy 1. Online Canadian pharmacies offer overall best prices on Canadian drugs, as well as on international drugs. This is due to the fact that there are many online Canadian pharmacies and they lower their prices to increase the sales number. Can Mexican Pharmacy Purchases Be Trusted? Purchasing drugs from a Mexican pharmacy is, for the most part, a very safe and inexpensive way of getting the medical supplies that you require. Since the laws in Mexico are very different than in the US, as most drugs are readily available without a prescription (except for some controlled substances and all narcotics), purchasing drugs from a Mexican pharmacy should be a fairly painless process. Parasites In Your Colon Your colon is a place for other parasites and organisms to breed and live. Many are harmful to your health and enter the body in various ways foods we eat, through the bottom of your feet, air you breathe, the water you drink, and through sexual activity. Signs of Suicide : Learn What They are and How to Deal with Them The true numbers are probably much higher because many suicides are reported as accidents or illnesses. Suicides are usually the result of a complex combination of emotional, social, and biological factors. For that reason, learning about the warning signs of suicide can be difficult yet so important. UltraCET: The Dynamic Duo Of Prescription Pain Control Medications Remember the last time you stubbed your toe? OUCH! It's painful. But a stubbed toe usually doesn't send us running to the medicine cabinet, since we know that the pain will pass within a few minutes. The Last Line of Defense Against Medication Errors: What You Need to Know to Keep your Family Safe This is a true story. What Not to Tell Your Doctor? For many years since medicine has been established as an ethical profession and gained widespread credence people have believed that they could and should tell their doctor everything even remotely pertinent to their health and that it was held in the strictest confidence. Furthermore, how can the physician make accurate judgments when important or significant information is missing? This system worked very well until relatively recently but there now exists a breach of this confidence that people should know about and this breach has developed from the advent of third party investigations into people's backgrounds. Your medical records are no longer confidential because you are forced to reveal them. Let us look at some scenarios. Dangerous Drugs Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra: An editorial regarding dangerous drugs How Do I Choose The Best Arthritis Medicine? Are you spending a fortune on prescription arthritis medicines? Are they helping? Are you concerned about side effects? You may think a particular drug is a miraculous godsend. Yet, someone you know may take the same dose only to experience little relief and life-threatening side effects. All of the choices can be confusing. Emollients and Lubricant Drugstore Laxatives Stool Softener Laxatives - Emollients Patient Communication: Picking Up Where Medicine Leaves Off We've all seen patients who were far beyond the reach of medical treatment suddenly defy the odds and recover. We've also seen patients who were well on the road to recovery, take a turn for the worse for seemingly no reason at all. No matter what the technology or how terrific we are at our jobs, sometimes medicine just isn't enough.
|
| home | site map | |
© 2006 www.elearn-university.org |
