{"617702":{"#nid":"617702","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Word to the Wise Health Care Consumer","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, Americans spend more time researching car purchases and new appliances than they do choosing doctors and health plans. February is National Wise Health Care Consumer Month and this month is all about encouraging people to make smart informed decisions when it comes to their healthcare. \u0026ldquo;Good healthcare is a partnership between the patient and the provider. Being a well-informed patient helps you communicate with your provider, understand your options, and effectively follow through with recommendations,\u0026rdquo; said Stamps Health Services senior director, Dr. Holton. We spoke with Dr. Holton to better understand easy tips you can use to be a wise health care consumer:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Col\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EPrepare for your doctors\u0026rsquo; appointment in advance by keeping a journal of concerns and writing down all questions ahead of time. It\u0026rsquo;s easy to forget your questions during the appointment. Preparing ahead of time allows for you to leave with the assurance you need that all concerns were addressed.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThe single best way to keep medical costs down is to detect health issues early. Physical exams at the recommended intervals are an important preventative measure you can take to stay on top of your health.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EUnderstand the medications you are taking and possible side effects that may occur. When your doctor prescribes a medication, make sure they know what else you take including prescription and non-prescription medications, herbal supplements, and home remedies.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EWhen your doctor prescribes a medication, ask if there is a generic version available that is appropriate to treat your condition. Generic versions are typically much less expensive.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EWhen your doctor prescribes a medication, take it according to the directions on the prescription, and complete the course of treatment as recommended.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThere is a lot of health information on the internet, not all of it accurate. Look for information from reliable sources, such as the CDC, WebMD, \u0026nbsp;the Mayo Clinic, and specialty societies such as the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, etc.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ol\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeing a wise health care consumer starts with individual choices that you can make before, during and after your appointments. It\u0026rsquo;s important to provide your medical team with your most current health information to help them make the best, most informed analysis when providing care. For more information about on-campus medical resources available to you go to \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/health.gatech.edu\/home\u0022\u003Ehealth.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E to learn more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETake your health into your own hands! Learn easy tips from\u0026nbsp;Stamps Health Services senior director, Dr. Holton on how to be a well informed wise health care consumer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Take your health into your own hands! Learn easy tips from\u00a0Stamps Health Services senior director, Dr. Holton on how to be a well informed wise health care consumer.\u00a0"}],"uid":"27649","created_gmt":"2019-02-12 19:03:31","changed_gmt":"2019-02-12 19:05:00","author":"Christine Kapurch","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-02-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-02-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"617704":{"id":"617704","type":"image","title":"Wise Health Care Consumer","body":null,"created":"1549998285","gmt_created":"2019-02-12 19:04:45","changed":"1549998285","gmt_changed":"2019-02-12 19:04:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"235123","name":"rawpixel-593598-unsplash.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rawpixel-593598-unsplash.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rawpixel-593598-unsplash.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":758123,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rawpixel-593598-unsplash.jpg?itok=Jcopa0ZK"}}},"media_ids":["617704"],"groups":[{"id":"111091","name":"Health Services"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"166906","name":"Stamps"},{"id":"168792","name":"health and well-being"},{"id":"178819","name":"newsroom"},{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"},{"id":"22911","name":"campus health"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:christine.lemaster@health.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EChristine Lemaster\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHealth \u0026amp; Well-Being\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}