Today’s Proactive Patient: How to Take Control of Your Health When patients become sick, they face dual challenges: managing their illness and navigating the often-indecipherable American healthcare system. Even healthy people struggle to find care that’s both accessible and trustworthy. Orly Avitzur, M.D., MBA, a practicing neurologist with a keen understanding of the business side of medicine, has served for the past 10 years as medical director at Consumer Reports. Her advice, in the enclosed compendium of Proactive Patient columns, counsels readers on how to communicate better with their physicians, get the most out of doctor’s visits, and take charge of the critical financial side of their care. When You Need Help at Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 When Do You Need a Specialist? . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Finding Doctor Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Don’t-Miss Medical Tax Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Is Better Care in Your Future?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Why Family History Matters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Coping With Drug Side Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Overcharged? Fix That Medical Bill. . . . . . . . . . 18 Are Your Doctors a Good Team?. . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Talking Costs With Your Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Get Your Test Results on Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Create Your Own Medical Record. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A Medicare Change to Know About. . . . . . . . . . 4 Why You Need Informed Consent. . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Is Your Medication ‘Off-Label?’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4 Questions to Ask About Surgery. . . . . . . . . . . . 7 When Your Doctor Has a New Boss. . . . . . . . . . . 8 Is Your Doctor Attentive?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 When to Change Health Insurance . . . . . . . . . . 10 Table of Contents