CommonHealth: Clear Instructions For Patients, Not Just Pets

April 10, 2012

Technicians use ultrasound to check a pet cat for cancer at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, in Grafton, Mass. in 2008. (AP)

Every time CommonHealth guest-blogger Ken Farbstein takes his dog Jackson to see his veterinarian, Ken leaves with a printed summary of notes from Jackson’s visit.

That recently got him thinking; if my dog gets a printed summary of health tips, why shouldn’t I?

A professional patient advocate at Patient AdvoCare, Farbstein wrote the book “Getting Your Best Health Care: Real-World Stories for Patient Empowerment.” He joined Radio Boston to discuss the benefits of and obstacles to getting this kind of service from your doctor.

Guests

Ken Farbstein, patient advocate at Patient AdvoCare, author of “Getting Your Best Health Care: Real-World Stories for Patient Empowerment.”
Carey Goldberg, CommonHealth co-host

More:

CommonHealth: My Dog Gets A Print-Out From His Doctor, Why Don’t I?

Other stories from this show:

Barbara Handel

I was pleased to hear about the dog’s extensive medical printout after a visit to the vet. Not only have my cats been recipients of these records, but I too have received these helpful accounts following my medical exams for a long time. Perhaps it would be helpful for you to know that this has been a feature at each Harvard Vanguard Medical Center so that you may clarify this for your listeners. So our pets are not the only ones who receive these helpful records.

Barbara Handel
Newton,MA

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CommonHealth: Clear Instructions For Patients, Not Just Pets