Last month, Maureen Dowd wrote a thought provoking and very personal op-ed piece for The New York Times titled, “Giving Doctors Orders.” Her article sheds light on a very important issue in today’s healthcare industry – and a dilemma all of us will encounter at some point either in our lives or those of our loved ones. If you have not read her article, I highly encourage you do so.

I found Maureen’s story incredibly moving. She shared her experience of her brother, Michael, entering a hospital with pneumonia and ended up contracting four other infections in the intensive care unit, where he later died. Maureen noted in her article that she “saw infractions of the rules in the I.C.U. where Michael died, but I never called out anyone.

In this video blog, I’ll share with you some information available on the Cautious Patient Foundation website that may provide you with new ways of thinking and creative approaches to help you to get what you need from your doctor and become more effective in managing your own healthcare.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you have other tips or best practices to share, let us know in the comments.