It is time to take responsibility!

We have a serious disconnect between the healthcare system in this nation and the clients that they serve. The loss of life alone, as a result, is catastrophic! As the consumer in this massive healthcare marketplace, you better understand right up front, if you want the best healthcare outcomes, take responsibility for yourself and be an educated consumer. When I say educated, I am not talking Harvard or Princeton educations, I am talking about, understanding your body, your healthcare journey in life, where all your medical records are, what illnesses you have had, vaccines you have had, family illnesses, do you have a first aid kit in the house... You, as the healthcare consumer, are the true frontline in this healthcare system, no one else! You hold the key to your healthcare outcomes. I didn't realize how very important it was to be a "educated/prepared" patient until the day, one of my family members required serious medical care. We entered into the healthcare system truly ill prepared, leaving us to whoever and whatever care providers and facilities were available. when we needed them. Leaving us with a pinball machine style of care. Bouncing from care provider to care provider, test to test, and still receiving no answers. I cannot tell you who I thought was going to be that knight in shining armor and take our hands and lead us through this emotional roller coaster. Did I think it was her doctor, the health insurance company, a combination of the two? After thousands and thousands of dollars in medical expenses and an equivalent number of test and Drs. appointments, things did not end well I am sorry to say. It was after experiencing more than one of these healthcare nightmares, did I begin to see a pattern forming. I came to the realization that we were a large part of the problem. We didn't take the lead, we had nothing for that original doctor, no comprehensive healthcare portfolio, and at the time, we probably were emotionally drained and not thinking straight, resulting in not giving fully accurate answers to those questions about her health history. We spend more time meticulously taking care of our vehicles, documenting all of their service appointments, buying the necessary protection for its undercarriage....whatever that is, than preparing for a life saving event such as this. When I took my mother to the hospital with a serious respiratory issue, we had some doctors names she had seen written down on a piece of paper along with the names of the medicines we could think of that she was taking. They asked so many vital pieces of information we could not come up with the answers for at the drop of a dime. I just assumed someone else would be keeping track of all of this for us, I was relying on someone else to do the work for me. Well, let me tell you now, do not count on anyone else to do this work for you! This is your responsibility. There are key questions you need to ask your care providers right at the beginning. If you want to be in control of you and your families healthcare outcomes, it is time to take the reins and become an educated healthcare consumer. There are tremendous care providers, healthcare institutions, educational sites, healthcare & wellness products, and medications out there, but when they do not have an actively engaged patient, and are coming in with a puzzle that is missing several key pieces, they are starting behind the eight ball right from the start. The conclusion is that successful healthcare is an active partnership between the patient and the provider.