Latest / Get Savvy...Demystifying Healthcare / Episode 142: The Prepared Patient: Your Guide to Navigating Healthcare

Transcript

Episode 142: The Prepared Patient: Your Guide to Navigating Healthcare · Get Savvy...Demystifying Healthcare

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes there isn't that one person coordinating all of their care.
0:04
SPEAKER_00: So you can imagine if you have a chronic condition and you need to have a cardiologist, you need an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, and a primary care doctor.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Your primary care doctor is supposed to be that person coordinating your care, but these days you have 15-20 minutes with that clinician, which is not just frustrating for a patient, but also for the physician.
0:35
SPEAKER_01: If healthcare has ever left you feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or stuck, this show is for you.
0:40
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Get Stabby, the Mystify Healthcare weekly podcast, where we take complicated healthcare topics and make them simple.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: We bring you experts in real-world strategies, from using health insurance to lowering prescription costs to patient advocacy and the latest healthcare trends.
0:58
SPEAKER_01: So you give more options on your turn.
1:00
SPEAKER_01: Get Stabby with your host, Andy Kiblick, changing how healthcare knowledge is shared.
1:10
SPEAKER_02: Hello everyone, before we get into the show, just a quick 90-second update.
1:15
SPEAKER_02: What could you accomplish if you could gain five or even 10 hours every week?
1:20
SPEAKER_02: And bonus, are you looking for a new podcast?
1:23
SPEAKER_02: Well, if you haven't heard, I do have a second podcast called Playbook AI Partners.
1:28
SPEAKER_02: Yes, it's that AI topic.
1:30
SPEAKER_02: But here's the thing.
1:31
SPEAKER_02: I believe that AI should make your life easier, not leave you buried in confusing tools, technical jargon, and endless tutorials.
1:40
SPEAKER_02: As always, I am doing what I do best, and that is demystifying those confusing topics and making them simple.
1:48
SPEAKER_02: At Playbook AI Partners, I deliver practical conversations, expert insights, and simple AI knowledge nuggets that you can put to work in your business or personal goals right away without becoming a technology expert.
2:02
SPEAKER_02: And if you're ready to go from listening to doing, Playbook AI Partners also offers an AI Mini Solution Locker that's going to give you that focused, easy-to-follow solutions designed to help you solve a specific problem and accomplish a real goal in 20 minutes or less.
2:19
SPEAKER_02: And if the topic of AI gives you overwhelmed, guess what?
2:23
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to do it alone.
2:25
SPEAKER_02: We also have a community called the Huddle.
2:27
SPEAKER_02: It is a group of business owners and professionals learning how to use AI with greater clarity and confidence.
2:33
SPEAKER_02: I don't know about you, but that sounds good to me.
2:36
SPEAKER_02: Stop spending those hours trying to understand AI on your own.
2:40
SPEAKER_02: Start using it to get your hours back.
2:42
SPEAKER_02: Check out Playbook AI Partners Podcast, the AI Solution Locker, and join us in the huddle.
2:48
SPEAKER_02: I'll drop a link to it.
2:49
SPEAKER_02: Check it out in the show notes.
2:51
SPEAKER_02: Let's demystify AI together.
2:54
SPEAKER_02: And now on with the show.
2:56
SPEAKER_02: Alright, okay.
2:57
SPEAKER_02: Well, hello everyone, and welcome to the show.
2:59
SPEAKER_02: Here's a question that probably frustrates you as much as it frustrates the rest of us.
3:03
SPEAKER_02: Is American healthcare truly broken?
3:06
SPEAKER_02: Or is it working exactly as designed, just not for patients?
3:11
SPEAKER_02: Healthcare is expensive, confusing, and for many people, one hospital bill can create financial crisis.
3:17
SPEAKER_02: Even worse, some avoid getting the care they need because the very system meant to help them feels too difficult, overwhelming, and costly to navigate.
3:26
SPEAKER_02: To help us get into this topic today is Dr.
3:28
SPEAKER_02: Terry Adirum.
3:30
SPEAKER_02: Dr.
3:30
SPEAKER_02: Adirum is a board-certified pediatric emergency physician and physician executive with more than 30 years of experience spanning academic medicine, federal health leadership, and health policy.
3:42
SPEAKER_02: She's the author of the Prepared Patient, Your Guide to Surviving a Healthcare System from Johns Hopkins University Press, and editor and lead author of digital health, AI and Generative AI and Healthcare.
3:53
SPEAKER_02: She is currently a chief medical officer and advisor to healthcare startup companies, an author and expert consultant on health system transformation.
4:01
SPEAKER_02: What I appreciate about her expertise is Dr.
4:04
SPEAKER_02: Adirum translates all of it into plain practical advice you can use the next time you're staring at a hospital bill or a denied claim.
4:13
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the show, Dr.
4:14
SPEAKER_02: Adirum, or I shall now call you Terry.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: Yes, thank you so much, Sandy.
4:18
SPEAKER_00: It's such an honor to be here with you to have this conversation.
4:22
SPEAKER_02: Well, the honor is mine.
4:23
SPEAKER_02: I mean, what an incredible bio.
4:25
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate your expertise and thank you for personalizing this conversation.
4:30
SPEAKER_02: Let's get into it.
4:31
SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about sharing your story and how it really has led you on the journey you are on today.
4:35
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you so much.
4:37
SPEAKER_00: Um first of all, um, I have a career where I've been able to view the healthcare system from a 360-degree angle.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: I've seen it from all sides.
4:48
SPEAKER_00: I've seen it in academic medicine, as you mentioned, seen it as a policymaker in the federal government.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: We're all patients, we've all been patients.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: And more importantly, as a frontline physician working in pediatric emergency departments for over 25 years.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: So I've had the opportunity to see it from all angles.
5:08
SPEAKER_00: And yes, to answer your question, the healthcare system is broken and it's not really working for patients or for physicians and many providers.
5:19
SPEAKER_00: So I kind of avoid saying, is it designed that way?
5:23
SPEAKER_00: Because if we look historically, it's really not meant to be this way.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: It's really multiple layers and overtime, you know, laws, regulations, and everything just kind of pile up, creating this complex, fragmented and opaque system that it seems like nobody really likes.
5:45
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate that.
5:46
SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, we're in my broker habit.
5:48
SPEAKER_02: Some people right, wrong or indifferent.
5:50
SPEAKER_02: I feel like the system is working against them or has been designed that way.
5:53
SPEAKER_02: And I think people feel that way as they try to navigate that.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: So and it is uh incredibly frustrating and expensive.
6:01
SPEAKER_02: Um so tell us more about how it's broken today, maybe from what you're seeing from a patient perspective and a provider perspective, so we can have both both views.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: Yes, no, and thank you very much.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: I think for patients, uh access to care is a huge issue and coordinating care is a huge issue.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: More than 50% of people in this country have a chronic condition, so have to access the healthcare system.
6:27
SPEAKER_00: And the rest of us, even if you uh don't have a chronic condition, will at some point in your life access it.
6:35
SPEAKER_00: Newborns at birth, children have to access it frequently for their care, all the way through to the end of our life.
6:44
SPEAKER_00: And getting appointments is frustrating.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: Finding a primary care provider, especially these days, is really, really frustrating.
6:54
SPEAKER_00: And just the whole package is very frustrating for patients.
6:59
SPEAKER_00: I think too, I mean, and I could tell stories about patients and their expectations, but oftentimes there isn't that one person coordinating all of their care.
7:09
SPEAKER_00: So you can imagine if you have a chronic condition and you need to have a cardiologist, you need an endocrinologist, a gastroenterologist, and a primary care doctor.
7:20
SPEAKER_00: Your primary care doctor is supposed to be that person coordinating your care, but these days you have 15, 20 minutes with that clinician, which is not just frustrating for a patient, but also for the physicians themselves.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: I know having that little bit of time is just not enough to really see somebody, a patient, and all of their issues that they may have.
7:45
SPEAKER_00: And this is why I wrote my book, The Prepared Patient, Your Guide to Surviving the Healthcare System, because unfortunately, in such a fragmented, broken system, it's one small step to feeling empowered to be that full partner with your physician and with your providers.
8:05
SPEAKER_00: It gives you that information that you need to coordinate your care, to understand the difference between an explanation of benefits and a bill.
8:15
SPEAKER_00: Most people don't understand that.
8:17
SPEAKER_00: And the statistic that inspired me is that only 12% of people in this country are fully health literate.
8:25
SPEAKER_00: And this has impacts on not only your health outcomes, but something you alluded to on your finances.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: So you make wrong decisions.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: I hate to use the word wrong, but you make decisions about your care, it could have a negative financial impact.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: So I think the first step, and it's a small step, is to have this information and gain this knowledge so that you could do what's best for you and your family.
8:54
SPEAKER_00: Now for Kalina, you asked also about physicians.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: Let me just tell you a little bit about that.
9:00
SPEAKER_00: It is supremely frustrating for physicians to only have 15 to 20 minutes with the patient for a visit, right?
9:09
SPEAKER_00: That's number one.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: Number two, the whole coordination of care is also frustrating.
9:14
SPEAKER_00: That part is is broken.
9:17
SPEAKER_00: I think the relationship with payers is very frustrating.
9:22
SPEAKER_00: You have something called pre pre-authorization, pre-approvals, and also denial of care.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: Now, the original intent for pre-authorization, I think, was probably right.
9:36
SPEAKER_00: Like you don't, you know, payers don't want to pay for care.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: That's a waste or is not going to help patients.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: But I think it's become for physicians where the payer, the insurance companies are dictating what care can and cannot be uh recommended by their clinicians, or what uh clinicians are saying is that insurance companies are practicing medicine.
10:01
SPEAKER_00: So all these things have kind of gone very far in order to deny care, reduce costs, and it's doing it in the wrong way.
10:10
SPEAKER_00: So it's frustrating for both patients and for physicians.
10:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, there's a lot to unpack in that.
10:16
SPEAKER_02: So thank you for sharing that.
10:17
SPEAKER_02: Because you know, when I think about a couple of things, I think about a dear friend of mine recently needing to see a neurologist.
10:24
SPEAKER_02: It is a six-month wait.
10:26
SPEAKER_02: Now, here she is concerned about dizzy spells, having passed out, those kinds of things.
10:31
SPEAKER_02: This isn't something minor.
10:33
SPEAKER_02: Six months to see a neurologist.
10:35
SPEAKER_02: You know, I try to get into a dermatologist for a skin check, six-month wait.
10:40
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it is so frustrating, I think, for consumers, and it's so hard to find those options that I hear, and I think I always always keep it real on this podcast.
10:49
SPEAKER_02: So many people have they've listened to several, they know.
10:52
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I see a retina specialist for a condition.
10:55
SPEAKER_02: I literally see my retina specialist.
10:57
SPEAKER_02: I've timed it, no fault of my retina specialist, three minutes.
11:00
SPEAKER_02: That's it.
11:01
SPEAKER_02: Three minutes, and they're running to the next room because, and this happens to be a group now owned by private equity, which is another topic.
11:08
SPEAKER_02: And I don't blame the provider, but as a patient, you could imagine just kind of honing in on that for a minute.
11:13
SPEAKER_02: You can't get in to see someone for six months or a retina condition, you know, is something very concerning.
11:19
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you're at a sub-specialist at that point, but at that point, you get three minutes, and I'm thinking, okay, how can I take notes on my phone or how can I ask the question that I need to, but not feel this pressure because they're running out the door.
11:32
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it it's just incredibly frustrating for for the consumer.
11:36
SPEAKER_02: Are there any options?
11:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, you bring up so many excellent points that there's so much there for what you're talking about.
11:43
SPEAKER_00: It is a frustration for consumers and patients as well as physicians, right?
11:49
SPEAKER_00: We don't want to have, you know, we don't want that pressure to only spend three minutes, right?
11:54
SPEAKER_00: But the way that physicians are measured are by numbers of patients seen, how many RVUs.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: So it's the amount of not only the number of patients, but how much you can bill for those patients.
12:08
SPEAKER_00: So those pressures are on the clinicians.
12:11
SPEAKER_00: The other um issue is that we have a maldistribution of subspecialists and also not enough subspecialists.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: So what does that mean?
12:23
SPEAKER_00: That means that if you don't have enough neurologists, especially in your particular community, and it's especially bad in rural communities, then you're gonna have long wait times.
12:35
SPEAKER_00: And for a number of conditions, that's just not right.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: And not only that, but consumers expect, you know, quicker uh reactions from you know the services that they're paying for.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: So you're a hundred percent right.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: That just isn't right.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: And some of these really speak to the need for bigger policy issues, uh, not just within communities and states, but just nationally.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: So that that is a frustration.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the things that my book does is is a couple of things.
13:06
SPEAKER_00: One, it's how do you find your primary care and your specialists?
13:11
SPEAKER_00: So it gives different ways that you can try and find them.
13:15
SPEAKER_00: Are there academic medical centers near you?
13:18
SPEAKER_00: Look on your insurance site to see who is in network versus out of network.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: Now, that could be a decision point.
13:25
SPEAKER_00: You could say all the ones that you looked at, for example, your dermatology example, you could look to see who's in network.
13:32
SPEAKER_00: If you can't get an appointment as soon as you feel you need it, then you may need to look out a network and determine whether or not you're willing to pay more to have that appointment sooner.
13:43
SPEAKER_00: And that that's a shame, but uh that that's an option.
13:46
SPEAKER_00: The other thing too, it that my book does is it describes what is considered an emergency, what is considered urgent versus what's something that can wait.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: So there are appointments that can wait six months.
14:00
SPEAKER_00: You don't want to wait six months, but you need to be aware that if it's something that's urgent, then you need to call that office and say, this has come up and I really need to see somebody sooner.
14:13
SPEAKER_00: And that practice should be able to get somebody in who has an urgent issue.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't mean it happens, but that's an option.
14:21
SPEAKER_00: So the other thing that my book does is it not only empowers people with information, but it stresses that um that you need to be your advocate or you need to engage advocates around you to push for what you need.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: So those are some of the things that people can do.
14:39
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate that.
14:40
SPEAKER_02: What I hear as well, you talked about uh just the amount of subspecialists that are out there, but what I'm uh seeing as well as providers are getting more frustrated with insurance companies, and we we're beginning to hear a lot more out there to add further to the confusion of concierge medicine, direct primary care, direct specialty care, lemonade, all of these different groups that are out there that are offering alternatives to consumers as well.
15:07
SPEAKER_02: Because what we also experience, when you talked about clinicians not being able to always practice in the way in which they choose, because they get bought out by big hospital systems or they get out by private equity, which are these big organizations by specialty that buy up these groups to make them profitable.
15:24
SPEAKER_02: And so when that happens, sometimes I I've seen that patient care is not always top of mind, but that leads them to leave and kind of go to that coincier, direct primary care, direct specialty care, which I think also lends itself to the availability to get that appointment because now you are having to pay out of pocket in some cases for that.
15:42
SPEAKER_02: So but any thoughts where you think that's going and and if we're going to see an increase?
15:46
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
15:47
SPEAKER_00: It's a safe bet to say that that is only going to increase.
15:51
SPEAKER_00: And I'll just tell you a little anecdote about myself.
15:54
SPEAKER_00: You know, like most women, I saw for most of my life a gynecologist, right?
15:59
SPEAKER_00: We all see RGYNs, there are primary care, but as you get older, I thought, you know what, I really should have an internal medicine doctor.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: I know I'm healthy now, but I really want to see an internal medicine doctor.
16:10
SPEAKER_00: Well, I waited so long in my area, there were no board-certified internal medicine doctors that were not concierge.
16:18
SPEAKER_00: That was not an option, right?
16:20
SPEAKER_00: I looked around, I looked at my insurance companies uh in network, and I I couldn't find anybody.
16:27
SPEAKER_00: And one of the things I advocate for is asking your friends, right?
16:31
SPEAKER_00: You know, who do you see?
16:32
SPEAKER_00: Right.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: And I always tell people, encourage them to say, well, what do you like about your doctor?
16:36
SPEAKER_00: So to make sure that whoever they are recommending you're aligned with.
16:41
SPEAKER_00: But I didn't have that choice.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: Um, I need a primary care physician, so I had to go with a concierge physician.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's only gonna grow because as you said, uh, and you said it very well, physicians too want to practice the way that we want to practice.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we didn't go into medicine to make money for private equity, right?
16:59
SPEAKER_00: We went into medicine to help people, that's really true.
17:02
SPEAKER_00: And we want to have that time with our patients.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: We want to give them the time that they need.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: And if the model of care is concierge or direct pay, there's a a little bit of differences there.
17:17
SPEAKER_00: Then I think, you know, we're gonna see more of that.
17:19
SPEAKER_00: The other thing I'm seeing, and you may appreciate this being the work that you've done, is that these concierge practices, some of them, or even just uh practices that are not concierge, are not accepting Medicare, either assignment or they're just opting out totally.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: So what does that mean?
17:40
SPEAKER_00: For those people that are approaching 65 and becoming 65, that limits the practices where you can be seen.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: And right now it's a small number, but it my crystal ball is saying that that's only gonna grow, especially as they cut Medicare rates for physicians.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: It hasn't kept up at all over the last 20 years with the cost of living.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: And if you can't even get a cost of living adjustment, you know, that's you know, people are gonna want to opt out uh of that.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: So I unless something happens on the national level, um, a come to Jesus moment, as you'd call it, you know, payers are unhappy, uh, physicians are unhappy, patients are unhappy, it we're gonna be in a really bad place.
18:27
SPEAKER_02: Well, speaking of that, if you could change one policy tomorrow, given, I mean, because there's there's a lot of going on.
18:32
SPEAKER_02: If I'm driving or jogging and listening to this, I'm like, tell me there has to be solutions or hope on the horizons.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: And I think we're gonna we're gonna talk about that in your book in just a minute.
18:40
SPEAKER_02: But it but let's talk about policy for one minute.
18:43
SPEAKER_02: If you could change one policy tomorrow to make healthcare easier for folks like you and me and the listeners, what would it be and why?
18:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I wish it was just one policy that we need fixed.
18:55
SPEAKER_00: There's a whole list of policies that need fixed, but I think the policies that we should be focusing on for the benefit of the greater good would be access to care.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: I think, you know, the payment policies and those that impact how we're able to get care.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: People talk about AI as being that solution for a healthcare system, and it's AI is going to help reduce some friction, but it's not the solution.
19:24
SPEAKER_00: As you say, it's going to be national policy.
19:27
SPEAKER_00: And I think we need to simplify care.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: I think we need to uh reduce that complexity.
19:34
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think we need to make it easier for people to access care.
19:39
SPEAKER_00: Right now we're at a place where people are losing care.
19:43
SPEAKER_00: People are choosing not to purchase health insurance because they can't afford it.
19:47
SPEAKER_00: They can't afford the premiums.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: People are choosing health care plans that they're finding are high deductible, and this is all explained in my book, which is more than they ever expected,$10,000,$15,000 before the insurance kicks in.
20:03
SPEAKER_00: So I think we need to think about how do we simplify healthcare and make it more accessible for everybody.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: So those are the policies that need attention.
20:14
SPEAKER_02: They do.
20:14
SPEAKER_02: And you know, my heart aches on this.
20:16
SPEAKER_02: We talked about this in our pre-talk, and and uh I kind of want to segue that into your book, The Prepared Patient, too.
20:22
SPEAKER_02: But one of the biggest issues and saddest ones truly, because I deal with Medicare folks shopping for insurance as a health insurance broker and also individual family, but you know, so often that it is, it's heart-wrenching.
20:35
SPEAKER_02: I'm in the state of Colorado.
20:36
SPEAKER_02: So to tell an individual family that it's$900 to$1,200 with an$8,000 deductible or Medicare, where the copays go up every year.
20:47
SPEAKER_02: For my mom who lives on her social security of a mere$2,000 a month, a hospital stay with a copay of$300, that's$1,500 for her for copay.
20:58
SPEAKER_02: And that's heart-wrenching as I look at her and her sweet little eyes, and as she tears up and says, I have no money coming in.
21:05
SPEAKER_02: The only thing I have is money going out.
21:07
SPEAKER_02: And it is a common, common theme across we hear, and it's just a sad one at that.
21:12
SPEAKER_02: So with that, why don't you share with us more about your book, The Prepared Patient?
21:17
SPEAKER_02: What can people expect in your book?
21:20
SPEAKER_02: Uh, any guidance, literacy, you know, hope.
21:22
SPEAKER_02: Uh, tell us more about your book.
21:24
SPEAKER_00: Yes, no, thank you.
21:25
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for that opportunity.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: I think, though, based on the examples that you gave, I think the other thing we need to do is work on policies to not allow healthcare institutions to price gouge.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: I mean, prices are just way high.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: And the amount that we spend for healthcare as part of our expenditures and our economy is just ridiculous.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: But back to my book.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: Again, it's only a small little piece of a solution to help people, and it's Starts with explaining all the terms and the jargon that people generally do not understand.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: My biggest chapter is probably on health insurance, right?
22:11
SPEAKER_00: How to choose a plan, what are all the different components?
22:14
SPEAKER_00: What's a deductible, what's a coinsurance, what's a premium, what what's an explanation of benefits versus a bill, all these terms that you and I are used to hearing, but most people in this country don't know what they are.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: So how do you make a choice for a health plan if you don't even know how to compare them and what these terms are?
22:36
SPEAKER_00: Again, I get back to only 12% of people in this country, no matter how smart and educated you are, are fully health literate.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: I also talk about how to find a physician, what the different types of providers, their background, how to choose one, how to prepare for your appointments.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: It's best to take a step back before your appointment and say, what do I want to get out of this appointment?
23:02
SPEAKER_00: What are the questions I need to ask?
23:05
SPEAKER_00: It also talks about having advocates with you, especially when getting bad news.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: So there's also the preparation for appointments.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: There's also what to expect across your lifespan with regard to your health care.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: If you're turning 40 years old as a woman, you should expect that you would uh your that you would get a mammogram, right?
23:27
SPEAKER_00: You should understand even as an adult that you need vaccines.
23:30
SPEAKER_00: So it goes through all of that from birth all the way to end of life.
23:36
SPEAKER_00: And it also has some chapters on knowing your rights, right?
23:40
SPEAKER_00: I really push people, even though it's time consuming, you don't have the energy, you're tired, you're sick, to advocate for your rights.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: Appeal bills that are incorrect.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of bills are incorrect.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: Most people do not appeal them.
23:55
SPEAKER_00: Most people do not ask for itemized bills.
23:58
SPEAKER_00: Most people do not appeal a denial of payment for their care.
24:03
SPEAKER_00: So it goes into how to do that.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: And I and we it's unfortunate that people who may be tired and sick, as I said, have to do that.
24:13
SPEAKER_00: But I think it's important.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: And that's why I wrote the a prepared patient to give people information so that they could advocate for themselves and be full partners in their care.
24:25
SPEAKER_02: Well, first of all, thank you for writing the book.
24:27
SPEAKER_02: And what I always say, and I never want to come up preachy, but I would say this, and having been an insurance broker, a consultant in healthcare, and certainly, you know, I'm coming up on 140 episodes on this one.
24:39
SPEAKER_02: And believe me, this podcast, so I've had a lot of guests on.
24:42
SPEAKER_02: And if there's one thing I know as one resonating truth, is you have to be informed.
24:47
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I think that people, you can read a book, you can listen to an audio book.
24:52
SPEAKER_02: There's so many things that you can do.
24:53
SPEAKER_02: But being armed and ready, especially given all the things we talked about, maybe the policy change isn't on the horizon, or as we continue to see these changes within the healthcare industry, being informed is you're really your best car to play for your getting living your best life and getting the healthcare you deserve, would be my final statement on that.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, that's exactly right.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: Because an individual cannot change our messed up healthcare system, but you can take care of yourself and your family.
25:20
SPEAKER_00: So that's exactly right.
25:21
SPEAKER_00: Like most books, you can get it on Amazon.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you can also get it from the Johns Hopkins University Press website.
25:29
SPEAKER_00: You could get it from Barnes and Noble, and there's a a lot of other booksellers.
25:33
SPEAKER_00: But Amazon may be your best bet since most people have access to that.
25:38
SPEAKER_02: We'll make sure and link to that as well so people can get access to that.
25:42
SPEAKER_02: So as we draw to a close, what are some final thoughts that that you could leave listeners with?
25:48
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, what I would like to say is that it's not you, it's the system.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: And I think being armed with information and knowing how to navigate it puts you steps ahead of most people.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: And I I think until we can make the ma big changes that need to be made in our healthcare system, you need to have that knowledge to take care of yourself.
26:13
SPEAKER_00: So that's what I want to leave people with.
26:16
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you, Terry.
26:17
SPEAKER_02: It has been such a um enlightening conversation.
26:20
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate uh you taking time out of your busy schedule to provide your thoughts and expertise.
26:25
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
26:29
SPEAKER_00: Your podcast is amazing and it's doing a major public service.
26:33
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for that.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
26:35
SPEAKER_02: I enjoyed having Dr.
26:36
SPEAKER_02: Adirum on the show.
26:38
SPEAKER_02: She has such a vast wealth of knowledge, and we could only touch on a few of those topics in the podcast.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: So make sure and check out her website and her book, The Prepared Patient.
26:48
SPEAKER_02: Links are in the show notes.
26:51
SPEAKER_02: In our next episode, what happens in the exam room goes far beyond a diagnosis or treatment plan.
26:57
SPEAKER_02: The words a physician chooses, the questions left unasked, and the level of trust between doctor and patient can shape how families understand their options and the decisions they ultimately make.
27:08
SPEAKER_02: In a healthcare system that often feels complex and impersonal, communication can become one of the most powerful and overlooked parts of care.
27:17
SPEAKER_02: To discuss this more, I am bringing Dr.
27:19
SPEAKER_02: Emily Boss on the show.
27:20
SPEAKER_02: Dr.
27:20
SPEAKER_02: Boss has a master's of public health, is a pediatric ENT surgeon and director of pediatric otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins University.
27:30
SPEAKER_02: Dr.
27:30
SPEAKER_02: Boss is a surgeon, a scientist, and health systems leader.
27:33
SPEAKER_02: She studies how families, physicians, and institutions navigate decisions about children's health.
27:39
SPEAKER_02: Dr.
27:40
SPEAKER_02: Boss is a mother, a physician, and brings evidence, empathy, and clarity to the conversations patients and families struggle with the most.
27:48
SPEAKER_02: Make sure you follow the podcast so you don't miss any of the episodes.
27:53
SPEAKER_02: And especially if this topic is of interest to you, you don't miss this one.
27:56
SPEAKER_02: Until next time, get savvy.