Take control of your healthcare

Medical decisions are too important to leave in the hands of doctors. That is why Dr. Steven Z. Kussin recently launched a campaign, www.MedicalAdvocate.com, to teach Americans how to take control of their healthcare by becoming their own patient advocate.

After experiencing his own stint as a patient following a traumatic, career-ending accident in 2005, Kussin made it his mission to empower patients to become literate healthcare consumers. Passion drove Kussin to write the book, Doctor, Your Patient Will See You Now: Gaining the Upper Hand in Your Medical Care, due out in the Spring of 2011 through Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

"Americans are the ultimate consumers, researching every option before making a major purchase," Kussin explained. "However, when it comes to the life and death medical decisions for themselves and loved ones, they often take the advice of a complete stranger (their doctor) at face value."

Dependency on health professionals today is total. Only one in eight people have enough skills to manage their own healthcare proficiently. One in five people have a basic understanding of medical treatments.

Ninety million Americans are living with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson's, stroke and Alzheimer's. And the healthcare system is becoming more inundated everyday, as our 79-million-strong baby boom generation will soon be turning 65 at the rate of one every eight seconds.

At medicaladvocate.com, consumers will have access to information about how the best care is recognized, secured, valued, maintained and always made subject to a patient's negotiations. They will also receive sneak peaks at the upcoming book, useful tools for grading your healthcare provider and more.

Visitors will be encouraged to participate in the discussion by asking the questions that matter to them the most, such as choosing a doctor, choosing a hospital, how to identify and avoid hospital dangers and more.

Log on today to participate in the discussion at www.medicaladvocate.com, or follow The Medical Advocate page on Facebook and on Twitter @med_advocate.