Take an Active Role in Your Healthcare

In the words of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Director Carolyn Clancy, MD, "Being an involved consumer is easy when you're buying a new car. It's much harder when you're trying to find high-quality healthcare."

While our healthcare system can be confusing and intimidating, nowhere else are the stakes so high. By taking an active role in your healthcare, you can stay healthy longer, heal more quickly, and reduce risks overall. Use the following resources to take the first steps.

Jump down to resources related to:

• Making healthcare decisions
• Protecting your health

You might also want to join the Partnership for Patients and pledge your support for safer, more affordable care across the U.S.
 

Making Healthcare Decisions

Medicare publishes a variety of resources designed to help you better manage your healthcare. Browse through the information listed below, or for further assistance with any of these topics, please call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or TTY/TTD 1-877-486-2048 for the hearing and speech impaired.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) also maintains an extensive library of materials for people looking for information about navigating the healthcare system and staying healthy.

Choosing a Hospital

As part of of your decision-making process, you may want to search Medicare's Hospital Compare website. Here, you can see how well local hospitals performed on key quality measures related to heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgeries.

Choosing a Nursing Home

Deciding which nursing home will be best for you or your loved ones can be challenging. For help in considering all the issues, refer to the Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home—available in English or Spanish.

The Medicare website, Nursing Home Compare, is another important tool. This searchable database allows you to see how well local nursing homes performed on quality-of-care measures related to pressure ulcers, pain, mobility, and more.

A brief overview of payment options that may be available to you is also provided online.

Choosing a Dialysis Facility

The Medicare website, Dialysis Facility Compare, can help you in your initial search to find the dialysis facility that is right for your care.

Choosing a Home Health Agency

Learn how a home health agency may be able to assist you, and what services are covered by Medicare, in the guide Medicare and Home Health Care.

The Medicare website, Home Health Compare, is also a valuable resource. Here, you can see how well local agencies performed on quality indicators related to patients' recovery.

Finding a Doctor that Accepts Medicare

Search for physicians in your area using Medicare's Physician Compare website.

Understanding Medicare’s Prescription Drug Benefit

Review detailed information about Medicare prescription drug coverage, including tips to consider when enrolling in a plan.
 

Protecting Your Health

The following resources can help you learn more about taking care of yourself and your loved ones—but no website is a substitute for the expertise of your doctor. Be sure to ask your doctor if you have any questions about managing your health.

Planning for a Discharge from a Healthcare Facility

To avoid unneccessary return visits to a hospital or nursing home, it’s important for patients and families to play an active role. Make sure that these four important steps are completed before being discharged.

If you are concerned that you or a family member is being discharged too soon, please review this information outlining Medicare's appeal process.

Understanding Various Health Conditions

The National Institutes of Health has compiled resources about diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, and many other health conditions at the SeniorHealth website.

Free Preventive Care

If you have Medicare Part B—and you go to a participating provider—you can now receive an annual wellness visit as well as recommended preventive services without paying a deductible or co-insurance. Learn more about this Medicare benefit.

Keeping Up-to-Date with Immunizations

Protect yourself against serious, preventable diseases by getting immunized. Learn which immunizations are recommended for seniors and use this form to track your immunization history.

Managing Your Medications

It's crucial to your health to understand when, why, and how to take your medications. It's also important to set up a system to manage those medications and keep a written list that can be accessed by caregivers and family members. Learn more by viewing these publications:

National Institute on Aging, Safe Use of Medicines

NIH SeniorHealth, Taking Medicines Safely

Personal Health Record

Your health information is probably scattered across many different providers and facilities. Keeping complete, updated, and easily accessible health records means you can play a more active role in your healthcare. Sharing this information with providers is especially helpful during care transitions (for instance, when being discharged from a hospital). Learn more about the imporantance of keeping a personal health record by reading articles provided by Medicare and the American Health Information Management Association.

Examples of personal health records include:

The Shared Care Plan, an electronic health record that was developed in Whatcom County, WA. It is free, safe, secure, and can be accessed from any computer with internet access. There is also a paper version available.

Paper-based forms are also offered by the Care Transitions Program and the Amercian Health Information Management Association (English version or Spanish version).

Getting Information in Other Languages

Health-related educational materials are available in dozens of languages at the MedlinePlus website.