People with Medicare
If you or a loved one is covered by Medicare, part of taking care of yourself and your family is understanding what it really means to be a Medicare beneficiary. More than ever, patients are now taking a hands-on approach to their health care. They are speaking up when they do not understand a recommended procedure, a test result or a diagnosis. And, by participating in matters affecting their own health, they are indirectly helping millions of other patients across the U.S. by educating practitioners and other providers on the value patients can bring into the doctor-patient relationship.
Mountain-Pacific Quality Health is a quality innovation network-quality improvement organization (QIN-QIO). Funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), we serve Montana, Wyoming, Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In these U.S. states and territories, we bring communities together to improve the quality of care you receive. We are also a Medicare and health care resource, and can help you become an educated and empowered member of your health care team.
What are the benefits of being an “empowered patient?”
Empowered patients have a better chance of getting the right diagnosis, the right treatment and the right care from their doctors.
An empowered patient is a person who has the information needed to make the best health care decisions for him or her. It is easy to be an empowered patient, but it can take practice.
- Be honest with your doctor, another provider or your pharmacist about any health care concerns you have.
- Ask questions – and write down the answers, if you have trouble remembering.
- Only agree to treatments, medications or procedures after you understand what they will do for you and any risks that might be involved.
Take these three steps every time you have an appointment or a health care concern, and you will be an empowered patient in no time.