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Licensing Boards
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| Doctors | Managed Care (HMOs, Hospitals, etc.) |
| Medical Bills | Rules, Regulations & Complaints |
| Traditional | Medicine Recalls |
| Alternative |
| Health & Life | Workers Compensation |
| Medicare/Medicaid | Insurance Regulations & Complaints |
| Social Security | Where Else To Go For Help |
Managed Care (HMOs, PPOs, etc.)
Choosing A Health Plan
Getting Top Care/Complaints
Where Else To Go For
Help
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Choosing A Health Plan
There are many things to consider when choosing a health plan. Some of
these include, the plan's comprehensiveness, i.e. what it covers, the cost of
this coverage, the limits on your choice of doctors or hospitals and the
complaint record of each provider.
FAQs, Tips & Advice
Profiles For Health Plans, Doctors & Hospitals
Referral Agencies
Choosing Quality Medical Care (Tips)
A list of questions consumers should ask when choosing a HMOs.
How
To Choose A Health Plan (Summary with lots of other links.)
Choosing An HMO
(BBB)
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Health Plan, Doctor
& Hospital Profiles
www.healthgrades.com
Free profiles on 600,000 doctors, 5,000 hospitals, 400 health plans, 17,000
nursing homes and more. Learn about the doctor's specialties, years
in practice, instances of misconduct, and ratings by their patients.
Hospitals-The
Top Ones In Each State (U.S. News & World Report)
Once you've found the best Hospitals in your state for your condition, choose a
plan with doctors who have privileges to work in these hospitals.
The site will provide a detailed report on the hospital's characteristics, financial reports, costs, and specialties. This directory can be searched by hospital name, city, state, area code and zip code. Click on the icon for "free services", and to gain entry to the sections accept the liability statement.
United Way Help Line (For All 50 States, DC & Puerto Rico)
Choose your state, select your city, and look up help agencies galore!!! Their stellar search engine can lead you to any social service topic you can think of. Just type in the words "Health" and either "Managed Care" or "HMO".
Contacts
On Medicaid, Children's Health & Managed Care.
For state-by-state- information on the above, select your state from their drop
box and hit "GO".
Health Care Choices
For more information on doctors and hospitals, e-mail this consumer-advocate
group.
Getting Top Care/Complaints
FAQs, Tips &
Articles
Where To Get Help (Patient Advocates)
10 Ways To Avoid Outrageous Hospital Overcharges
Profit-hungry hospitals are overcharging consumers an estimated
$10 billion a year. Some deliberately work to keep bills indecipherable.
Here's how to fight back.
Making
Healthcare Agencies Publicly Accountable
Articles and links on how to make your healthcare agency accountable and where you
to get help when they won't cooperate.
Health Care
Quality-Patient Rights & Responsibilities
Fighting
Insurance Companies When They Deny Your Claim
How to protect yourself,
establish contacts, gather allies and write your appeals and grievance letters.
How To Avoid A Health Insurance
Claim
denial—And What To Do When You Can't
Tips, advice and appeals form
letters.
Informal Guide To
Appealing Health Insurance Claims
Advice from a regular guy who took on his HMO and won.
Where To Report A Complaint Against Your Health Care Provider (All 50 States & DC)
Keeping
Your Medical Records Private
Know what protections and rights you have and what you can do if you believe
they have been violated.
Regulators
Governing Health & Ins. Plans (All 50 States & DC)
For Both Managed Care Plans and Fee For Service Plans.
Rules, Regulations & Complaints
(Consumer-SOS)
Patient
Advocacy Links
Scroll down the page for organizations that can help you in your battle
against your provider.
Find
Your Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Give them a little bad press and you're bargaining power increases tremendously.
Select Texas, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to
report to. (DC Not Included).
Where Else To Go For Help
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Doctors
Finding & Choosing
Talking To Your Doctor
Complaints
Finding & Choosing
FAQs Tips & Advice
Finding By Specialty
Doctor Profiles & Credentials
Choosing
A Doctor (General Tips)
For a checklist of what to consider, click Here
Other Helpful Links
(Consumer-SOS)
Relating to help for the poor, doctor accountability and patient education.
Back To Top
Finding By Specialty
Certified Doctor Locator Service
(All 50 States & DC)
To locate a board certified physician by geographic area and specialty.
AMA Physician
Select
Look up physicians by name or by state and medical specialty to find their
address, educational background, gender, and
specialty.
www.bestdoctors.com
Boasts a database supposedly made up of 30,000 of America's top-rated doctors.
Find A Doctor (National)
Search by name, Zip code or metropolitan area.
www.healthgrades.com
Free profiles on 600,000 doctors, 5,000 hospitals, 400 health plans, 17,000
nursing homes and more. Learn about the doctor's specialties, years
in practice, instances of misconduct, and ratings by their patients.
Verifying
If A Doctor's Been Disciplined (Consumer-SOS)
Check your state's medical licensing board to see if your
doctor has been disciplined. This is also where you can file complaints.
Profiles For Health
Plans, Doctors & Hospitals (Consumer-SOS)
Having good doctors is not enough. To have access to the latest equipment, make
sure they have privileges to work in the best hospitals.
ABMS Website
Find out about your doctor's credentials. Type in "Bruce
Bagley," for instance, and you'll learn that the president of
the American Academy of Family Physicians is indeed
certified in family practice.
The American Board Of Medical
Specialties
Details on who treats what and to find out whether the doctor has been
disciplined. To see if your doctor has lost any malpractice suits, check
the local courts.
Other Helpful Links
(Consumer-SOS)
Relating to help for the poor, doctor accountability and patient education.
What To Ask
& Tell Your Doctor (Consumer-SOS)
Basics on preparing for your meeting, writing things down and getting feedback
from your doctor.
Geared for seniors or the terminally ill, the site tells you the basics on how to make the most of your visit.
What To Ask Your Doctor Before Office Surgery
Getting
Top Care From Your Doctor
What to ask about your condition, treatments, tests and more.
Making The Most Of Your Medical Visit
Medical Bills
10 Ways To Avoid Outrageous Hospital Overcharges
Profit-hungry hospitals are overcharging consumers an estimated
$10 billion a year. Some deliberately work to keep bills indecipherable.
Here's how to fight back.
Medical Billing Advocates To Help Cut Down Healthcare Costs (Consumer-SOS)
Fighting Insurance Companies When They Deny Your Claim
How to protect
yourself, establish contacts, gather allies and write your appeals and grievance
letters.
Patient Advocacy Groups In California (Google)
United
Way Help Line (For all 50 States, DC & Puerto Rico)
Choose
your state, select your city, and look up help agencies galore!!!
Their stellar search engine can lead you to any social service topic you can
think of. Just type in the
words "medical bills" and "assistance"
Medical Billing
Advocates
Billing
advocates negotiate with healthcare providers and insurance companies to lower
your medical bills, or increase what they'll pay for your expenses. Savings can
be in the thousands of dollars. Some charge by the hour, others bill based on
what they saved you in costs. Some may even be free.
The Patient Advocate Foundation
Negotiates medical bills and insurance for those with chronic, debilitating and
life-threatening conditions.
Medical Billing Advocates of America
Online directory of more than 30 services around the country that specialize in
individual cases. Has patient guide for detecting overcharges, billing errors
and insurance underpayments.
For more help Google Medical Billing Advocates (and the name of your state or city).
Partnership
for Prescription Assistance (All States-1-888-477-2669)
Many of the prescription drug programs listed by the
Partnership offer free or low-price medicines. Each medicine savings program has
its own guidelines. These are prescription assistance programs offered by drug
companies, states, and other resources. If you're in need, fill out their
Hardship Form.
Together
Rx Access
1-800-444-4106
(50 States & DC, PR)
See their
Site Map
for more details.
Check Walmart and Sam's for Their $4.00 Generic Drug List (All States)
ACRX Prescription Card (All
States)
Offers 40-60% off generic and name brand drugs. One card will take care of a
whole family. Cards are good at 50K stores from Walgreen, Walmart, Eckerd's
Droger, K Mart, Publix, and many others.
Rules, Regulations &
Complaints
Summary Of Medical Malpractice Laws (DC & All 50 States)
Excellent!!!
Complaints Against Doctors, Health Plans,
Insurers & More (Consumer-SOS)
Keeping
Your Medical Records Private
Know what protections and rights you have and what you can do if you believe
they have been violated.
Complaints Against Your Doctor
(Consumer-SOS)
May include nurses and other healthcare workers too.
Complaints Against Your Health Plan (Consumer-SOS)
Takes you to Getting Top Care/Complaints.
Insurance
Related Complaints (Consumer-SOS)
Takes you to Consumer-SOS/Insurance for
where to complaint to, insurance
regulators and where to get help for almost every insurance issue.
Report Adverse Reactions & Medical Product
Problems To the FDA
Find
Your Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Give them a little bad press and you're bargaining power increases tremendously.
Select Texas, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to
report to. (DC Not Included).
Patient
Advocacy Links
For More See Occupational Licensing Boards
Back To Top
Complaints Against Your Doctor
Almost Everything You Have Wanted To Know About Medical Malpractice (CA)
Frequently Asked Questions About Medical or Dental Malpractice Cases (CA)
California
Medical Board
Where and how to file a complaint against doctors, request for public
records and other information.
FAQs About Medical
Assistants (CA)
Learn if they need to be licensed and other facts about their qualifications.
Complaining About A Business
(CA)
Learn about the complaint process for particular businesses ranging from doctors to real estate agencies. Directory of
hundreds of businesses and where to complaint to.
Medical
Licensing Boards (Consumer-SOS)
Check the medical licensing boards in your state to learn
if your doctor has been disciplined, or what rules he must abide by. You can
also lodge a complaint against the doctor yourself.