The Not So Patient Advocate: How to Get the Health Care You Need Without Fear or Frustration

The Not So Patient Advocate provides a much needed antidote to the fear, anxiety and stress of having to deal with sometimes less than responsive health care providers. Ellen Menard, an award winning senior health care executive, BSN,MBA, upends the notion of patients as passive and powerless consumers, and through true stories that provide context, the author discusses a host of do's and dont's for successful collaboration with the health care team-including the right questions to ask doctors and specialists, the best way to deal with medical staff on the phone, and what to keep in mind when going to a diagnostic lab, the ER or the hospital. There is also sound advice for coping with aging parents and relatives, handling mental health care situations and dealing with health insurance. As a three time neurosurgery patient, the author also shares her know-how from a patient's perspective, and in the process speaks to our vulnerabilities and fears, and gives us the courage and hope, as well as the tools for partnering with our health care providers to obtain optimal care. This is an uplifiting book that unites rather than polarizes, empowering the readers to become active contributors to their health and wellbeing.