Taking Charge of Your Own Health: Navigating Your Way Through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Insurance

By Lisa Hall, Lisa Hall, Ronald Wyatt

Book Overview

Offers guidance on how to: find the right kind of doctor, check physician credentials, and increase benefits of office visits; maximize Internet research; navigate medical insurance, Medicare,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 1616643226
• ISBN13: 9781616643225
• Release Date: January 2009
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent health care reference for anyone concerned about their health

Lisa Hall is a great advocate for people who have been failed by the medical establishment and for those who need guidance so as to not fall victims. She shares her personal experiences with how she not only struggled with her misdiagnosises but her struggles and finally victory, in finding someone to finally help her! Her story gives hope to others in similar situations and brings awareness to the problems that occur too often with doctor/patient issues. I think most readers will find this book hits home with them in some form, and gives them direction in finding medical resolutions. It's wonderful that she not only shares her own personal experiences, but that she provides the readers with guidelines for their own abilities to "take charge" of their health in an easy yet organized format. I hope to see more books written by this author as she is one of those "it only takes one person to make a difference" type people. Great Job!

Fabulous Information!!

My husband is a surgeon and we both found Lisa Hall's book to be a truly fabulous patient resource. I know from my own personal experience with several medical problems how difficult it can be to navigate the current health care system; I wish I had this book years ago! Lisa covers everything you need to know to help you get the proper diagnosis, seek the appropriate treatment (she even discusses natural therapies) and deal with your insurance company. The book guides you every step of the way so you can regain your health...and your life.

Comprehensive and Inspiring!

Author Lisa Hall faced a battle which took her to places and through experiences no one wants to endure. After nine long years (and 37 medical practitioners later) this woman who had literally been hit by lightening, found substantive help through her PCP Dr. Ronald Wyatt. Lisa's journey is harrowing not only because she suffered so deeply but also because her story is all too common. Read along with Lisa to learn how to best navigate these current tumultuous medical waters...whether you're healthy or not, you'll come away with something to use (or pass along). Lisa's medicine is of the best sort...it educates, comforts, and cures. Highly recommended!

Educational and Empowering.

This book provides an honest look at the reality of all aspects of health care. It provides invaluable information that we should all have whether going through a personal health care crisis or just arming yourself with the information to be prepared for it. I enjoyed how comprehensive the book was covering everything from living healthy through proper nutrition and excerise, dealing with Doctors and Insurance Companies to living a quality life after diagnosis. Definitely a must read and one to share with with all friends and family.

Achieve Health Reform Now by Controlling Costs in Meaningful Way

I've been following all the news in the press and on television about health care reform and one of the major issues has been cost containment. One of the elements overlooked in the trillions of dollars being tossed around is the importance of controlling costs in our present system as a means of immediate reform. Taking Charge of Your Own Health: Navigating Your Way Through *Diagnosis *Treatment *Insurance *And More This comes to mind because a friend of mine, who is very good at tracking his own health, talked about a book that was a very valuable resource for him. So I borrowed a copy of Taking Charge of Your Own Health by Lisa Hall. The author challenges readers to take responsibility for their own health care and to be accountable for tests doctors order, prescriptions given, and treatments suggested. Lisa Hall was misdiagnosed 37 times before a doctor discovered she had an autonomic nervous system dysfunction, likely caused when she was struck by lightning at age 15. Through that entire experience she learned the importance of seeking second opinions, understanding her health insurance coverage, and taking steps to avoid duplicate tests, thus reducing costs. Among the cost-saving suggestions the author makes are to: * Manage medications to prevent costly and unnecessary medical interventions. * Use outpatient clinics instead of ERs when appropriate. * Avoid costly duplication of tests by maintaining and bringing to the doctor's office your own diagnostic history. Hall makes sense to me when she argues that it is the patient's responsibility to keep records of their health care and be an active partner in reducing the costs of your own care. She suggests forms to use for medical record keeping in the book and offers the forms for download at her website, [...]. If this approach were followed by thousands of patients the cost savings would be astronomical. In this way we could get an effective head-start on health care reform before the government's complicated package takes effect two and three years from now. If you are interested in being a participant in health reform now by containing costs in a meaningful way, pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Own Health by Lisa Hall. It's good reading and makes a lot of sense to me, as it will to you also. By Emory Daniels