For Consumers of Healthcare Services - Archive
Good Questions for Your Good Health
Words to Watch
Advance Directive for Health CareAs a competent adult, you have the right to refuse any medical or surgical treatment for yourself for any reason. The best way for you to be in control of your medical treatment is to record your wishes in advance. You can make legal valid decisions about future medical treatments through a Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care. Click here to learn more about this tool and planning for your final health care. English
Directiva Anticipada de
Georgia referente a Atenci n Médica
Como una persona
adulta y competente, usted tiene el derecho de rechazar por cualquier motivo
todo tratamiento médico o quirúrgico ofrecido a usted. La major forma de tomar
las riendas de su tratamiento medico es indicar por escrito y por adelantado
sus preferencias. Por medio de una Directiva Anticipada de Georgia referente a
Atención Médica, usted puede tomar decisions con validez de ley con respecto a
cualesquier tratamientos médicos del futuro. Spanish
Having Surgery? Here's what you need to know 
Be Prepared for Your Doctor's Visit - Brochure
The State of Georgia and Together RX Access announce landmark co-promotion to improve prescription access for uninsured Georgians
It's easy for eligible people to enroll in Together Rx Access(r), the free program that offers prescription savings on hundreds of brand-name products. In fact, about 10,000 people enroll every week. The simple application process, in both English and Spanish, allows eligible people to quickly sign up for a Together Rx Access Card so they can begin saving on their prescription medicines immediately.
Joint Commission issues patient brochure on pain management
The Joint Commission has released a brochure to help patients work with their health care professionals to better manage pain. The brochure encourages patients to ask their caregiver specific questions about pain medication, including doses and when to take it, side effects, how long the medication will take to work and what to do if it doesn’t. The campaign is part of the Commission’s Speak Up program to help patients become more involved in their health care.
http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/SpeakUp/Speak_up_pain_managment.htm
Health literacy is the ability to read, understand and make use of basic medical information.
Low health literacy can affect anyone of any age, ethnicity, background or educational level. Although few are aware of it, low health literacy is one of the chief challenges to attaining better health outcomes and lowering healthcare costs in the United States.
The information on this page provides guides and other resources to assist patients in achieving more control over their health by improving their ability to communicate with their healthcare provider.
Free Hispanic Prenatal Helpline
The National Hispanic Prenatal Helpline (1-800-504-7081) provides free, reliable and confidential information in Spanish and English. Hispanic consumers call from anywhere in the nation, and by providing their zip code to bilingual health information specialists, they can receive a referral to a culturally and linguistically proficient prenatal care provider in their community. A comprehensive bilingual prenatal guide "Atención prenatal temprana y periódica Guía para tener un bebé saludable (Early and Regular Prenatal Care Helping You Have a Health Baby)" is available to both consumers and providers. In addition numerous fact sheets are available on all aspects of prenatal care. For more information, see http://www.hispanichealth.org/prenatal
Hospital Mortality Data
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Sercives (CMS) has released its best estimates of hospital death rates across the nation. The figures, which are available on hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, include deaths from heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia, covering two years. One expert says the data will help empower consumers to influence the quality of their medical care. Federal officials last year released a comparison of death rates for heart attacks and heart failure, reports USA Today, but did not release hospital-specific death rates. Included in the data are rates from hospitals in Southwest Health District.
Understanding Healthcare Information
Understanding the often complex medical information your doctor or other caregivers give to you can be difficult, and the consequences of misunderstanding this information can be life threatening. A new campaign by the Joint Commission gives you the tools you need to better understand healthcare information. To find out more, click here: Understanding Your Caregivers
AHRQ Helps Patients Take Medications Safely
AHRQ's How to Create a Pill Card provides step-by-step instructions for making a pill card using a computer and printer. One in four Americans do not take prescription medicines as prescribed. Many people who fail to adhere to medication instructions do so because they do not understand how to take their medicines. Research has shown that using a pill card-which uses pictures and simple phrases to show each medicine, its purpose, how much to take, and when to take it, reduces misunderstandings. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pillcard/pillcard.htm
Today’s medicines cure infectious diseases, prevent problems from chronic diseases, and alleviate pain and suffering for millions of Americans every day. But medicines can also cause harm, and adverse drug events cause over 700,000 emergency department visits each year. To learn more about who is at risk and ways to avoid medication errors, go to http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/medicationsafety.html
