PATIENT ADVOCACY
History of Events with Jess Joseph at the Isaacs Center
POSTPONED: Monday, January 27, 2020 at 1:15pm
Dr. Paul Brown on Bone Health
Readings:
• Bone Diseases – MedlinePlus
• Osteoporosis Overview – NIH PDF
• Medications that can cause bone loss – American Bone Health PDF
Monday, December 16, 2019 at 2:15 PM
Dr. Paul Brown on Vitamins and OTC Remedies
Readings:
• Should We Toss Our Vitamin Pills? | NY Times
• Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements | Annals of Internal Medicine
• Best over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for common ailments | Consumer Reports
Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 1:15 PM
7th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop With Jess Joseph
Focus on Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare
Readings:
• The good, the bad and the ugly of picking Medicare Advantage plans | PBS NewsHour
• Medicare Advantage Checkup | Center for Medicare Advocacy
• Even Researchers Don’t Know Which Doctors Medicare Advantage Covers | NY Times
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 1:15 PM
7th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop With Jess Joseph
Focus on Part D Prescription Drug Plans
Readings:
• Want to Save Hundreds of Dollars Each Year? Choose the Right Medicare Part D Drug Plan. | Consumer Reports
• It Pays to Shop: Variation in Out-of-Pocket Costs for Medicare Part D Enrollees | Kaiser Family Foundation
September 2019
Dr. Paul Brown on Using the New Choosing Wisely App
Downloads:
• To download the app for iPhone and iPad, click here.
• To download the app for Android (Google) smartphones click here.
• To use Choosing Wisely on your laptop or desktop computer go here.
July 2019
Dr. Paul Brown on How to Tell if You are Having a Heart Attack or Stroke
Readings:
• Warning Signs of a Heart Attack | American Heart Association
• Stroke Symptoms | American Stroke Association
June 2019
Dr. Paul Brown on How to Get Rid Of Lower Back Pain
Readings:
• Imaging Tests for Back Pain | Choosing Wisely
• Low Back Pain Fact Sheet | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
May 2019
Jess Joseph, BCPA on How Medicare Pays for Psychotherapy and Mental Health
Readings:
• Medicare & Your Mental Health Benefits | CMS PDF Download
• Medicare Coverage of Substance and Abuse Services | CMS PDF Download
March 2019
Dr. Paul Brown on High Blood Pressure
Readings:
• High Blood Pressure Facts | US Centers for Disease Control
• Are blood pressure measurement mistakes making you chronically ill? | American Heart Association
January 2019
Dr. Paul Brown on Chronic Pain
Readings:
• Chronic Pain: In-Depth | National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
• 6 Things You Should Know: The Science of Chronic Pain and Complementary Health Practices | NCCIH
December 2018
Jess Joseph on Medicare Advantage
Readings:
• Important Health Policy Article Published In New England Journal of Medicine: “Medicare Advantage Checkup” || Center for Medicare Advocacy
• Phillip Moeller – Medicare: The Hidden Risk of Medicare Advantage Plans | Money
November 2018
6th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 2) with Jess Joseph
October 2018
6th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 1) with Jess Joseph
September 2018
Why You Shouldn’t Trust Health Care Advertising
Readings:
• Study Finds Most Drug Commercials Misleading | Scientific American
• Playing On Fear And Fun, Hospitals Follow Pharma In Direct-To-Consumer Advertising | Kaiser Health News
August 2018
Secrets of a Patient Advocate
Readings:
• Dr. Otis Brawley: ‘The System Really Is Not Failing … Failure Is The System’ | Kaiser Health News
• The Day of the Passive Patient is Over | Toby Cosgrove, CEO Cleveland Clinic | LinkedIn
July 2018.
Using the Five Wishes Advance Directive.
Readings:
• Five Wishes advance directive
• Myths and Facts About Health Care Advance Directives | Charles Sabatino, ABA Commission on Law and Aging
June 2018
Dr. Paul Brown on What Every Senior Should Know About Arthritis
Readings:
• Feeling Out of Joint – The Aches of Arthritis | NIH News in Health
• Over-the-Counter Pain Medicines | Arthritis Foundation
May 2018
Do you know the difference between a ☐ Living Will? ☐ Advance Directive? ☐ Health Care Proxy?
Readings:
• Myths and Facts About Health Care Advance Directives | American Barr Association
• Seven Legal Barriers to End-of-Life Care – Myths, Realities, and Grains of Truth | Journal of the American Medical Association
April 2018
Medicare Limits on Outpatient Physical Therapy – What You Need to Know
Readings:
• What’s Going On with the 2018 Therapy Cap? | WebPT
• Outpatient physical, speech, and occupational therapy | MedicareInteractive
March 2018
Understanding Your Medicare Medical Bills
Readings:
• Sample Part A Medicare Summary Notice (CMS PDF)
• Sample Part B Medicare Summary Notice (CMS PDF)
January 2018
Medicare for All – How Single-Payer Would Affect Seniors
Readings:
• Is Single-Payer the Answer for the US Health Care System? | Victor Fuchs | Journal of the American Medical Association
• Single-Payer Is Not a Principle | Harold Pollack| Democracy: A Journal of Ideas
December 2017
Medicare Premium Increases and Premium Supports
Readings:
• Turning Medicare Into a Premium Support System: Frequently Asked Questions | Gretchen Jacobson and Tricia Neuman KFF
• A Battle to Change Medicare Is Brewing, Whether Trump Wants It or Not | Robert Pear | NY Times
November 2017
5th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 2) with Jess Joseph
October 2017
5th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 1) with Jess Joseph
September 2017
Medicare Supplements (Medigap): Facts You Need to Know
Readings:
• Why seniors should choose wisely when selecting Medigap supplement insurance | Chicago Tribune
• New York State Information for Medicare Beneficiaries | New York State Dept. of Financial Services
• Choosing s Medigap Polic | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services PDF
July 2017
Do Medicare Advantage Plans Cheat the Government?
Readings:
• UnitedHealth Overbilled Medicare by Billions, U.S. Says in Suit | Mary Williams Walsh | NY Times
• United States of America v, UnitedHealthcare Group | Case 2:16-cv-08697-MWF-SS Document 114 Filed 05/16/17
May 2017
Dental Insurance: Is It Worth It?
Readings:
• Why your dentist costs so much | CBS News
• Is Your Dentist Ripping You Off? | CBS News
April 2017
How to Choose a Good Doctor
Readings:
• Talking With Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People| National Institute on Aging PDF
• What doctors wished their patients knew | Consumer Reports
March 2017
How to Survive as a Hospital Patient
Readings:
• Empowered Patient Hospital Guide for Patients and Families | Dr. Julia Hallisy | Empowered Patient Hospital Guide for Patients and Families (Free PDF book. Registration required but well worth it)
• How to Be an Empowered Patient in the Emergency Room | Trisha Torrey | verywell health
December 2016
How Would Repeal of Obamacare Affect Medicare?
Readings:
• What Are the Implications of Repealing the Affordable Care Act for Medicare Spending and Beneficiaries? | KFF
• Did Obamacare Help or Hurt Medicare? | Tanya Feke | verywell health
November 2016
4th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 2) with Jess Joseph
October 2016
4th Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 1) with Jess Joseph
September 2016
Clinton vs. Trump and the Future of Medicare
Readings:
• Democratic and Republican Party Platforms: Side-by-Side Comparison of Issues Important to Medicare Beneficiaries | Center for Medicare Advocacy
• From Obamacare to Hillarycare — Democrats’ Health Care Reform Agenda | Jonathan Oberlander, Ph.D. | NEJM
July 2016
Don’t Get Fooled by “Junk” Health News
Readings:
• A Guide to Reading Health Care News Stories | Gary Schwitzer | JAMA Intern Med
• Tips for analyzing studies, medical evidence, and health care claims | Health News Review
June 2016
Clinical Skills and Medical Progress
Readings:
• Hyposkillia: Deficiency of Clinical Skills | Herbert L. Fred, MD, MACP
• The Downside of Medical Progress: The Mourning of a Medical Dinosaur | Herbert L. Fred, MD, MACP
May 2016
How to Find Medical Help You Can Trust Online
Readings:
• Medline Plus | U.S. National Library of Medicine | National Institutes of Health
• MedlinePlus Health Topics • MedlinePlus Drugs, Herbs and Supplements Topics
April 2016
Can You Trust Prescription Drug Advertising?
Readings:
• Study Finds Most Drug Commercials Misleading | Scientific American
• Do not get sold on drug advertising | Harvard Health Publishing
March 2016
What You Should Know About Palliative Care
Readings:
• Interview With Diane Meier: Manage the Person, Not the Prognosis | Medscape
• How hospice works | U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
February 2016
Are Your Vitamins Safe?
Readings:
• New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers | NY Times
• 10 surprising dangers of vitamins and supplements | Consumer Reports
January 2016
Going Digital: How to Find Reliable Medical and Insurance Information on the Internet
Readings:
• Online Health Information: Is It Reliable? | National Institute on Aging
• Finding and Evaluating Online Resources | National Institutes of Health
December 2015
Urgent Care vs the Emergency Room
Readings:
• Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room: What’s the Difference? | verywell health
• When You Should Go to an Urgent Care or Walk-in Health Clinic | Consumer Reports
November 2016
3rd Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 2) with Jess Joseph
October 2016
3rd Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Workshop (Part 1) with Jess Joseph
September 2015
Pay Less for Prescription Drugs
Readings:
• Use MedicarePlan Finder at medicare.gov
• See if you qualify for Extra Help | ssa.gov
• Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program – New York State Only | health.ny.gov
August 2015
How Doctors Participate or Don’t Participate in Medicare
Readings:
• What to Do if Your Doctor Won’t Take Medicare | nextavenue
• Participating, non-participating, and opt-out providers| MedicareInteractive
July 2015
All About Patient Advocates
Readings:
• Why It’s Wise to Use a Health Advocate | Former AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy, M.D
• Patient Advocates Help Navigate Health Care | NY Times
June 2015
How Medicare Pays Doctors
Readings:
• The Secret Committee Behind Our Soaring Health Care Costs | Politico
• A Primer on Medicare: How does Medicare pay providers in traditional Medicare? | KFF
May 2015
Overtesting, Overdiagnosis, and Overtreatment
Readings:
• America’s Epidemic of Unnecessary Care | Atul Gawande | The New Yorker
• Patient Resources | Choosing Wisely
April 2015
Advance Directives
Readings:
• Advance Directives: Making Your Wishes Known And Honored | NY State Office of the Attorney General PDF
• NY State Health Care Proxy Form| Downloadable PDF
March 2015
Atul Gawande on Medicine
Readings:
• Why Do Doctors Fail | Atul Gawande, MD | The Reith Lectures 2014
• Harvard Medical School Commencement Address: “Cowboys and Pit Crews” | Atul Gawande | The New Yorker
February 2015
10 Signs It May Be Time to Change Doctors
Readings:
• 10 reasons why you need to change doctors |KevinMD.com
• Reasons for Switching Doctors | Trisha Torrey | verywell
January 2015
Drug Safety for Seniors
Readings:
• Medicines and You: A Guide for Older Adults | U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Adverse Effects of Overmedication | atrainceu.com
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