Ask your surgeon for a printout of his statistics. He should keep them on a computer. If not, run out of the office. insist they list you as “inpatient.” If you’re outpatient, insurance won’t cover as much. Choose the best hospital for your specialty. We’ve recommended many times about going to the best cancer care center for the type of cancer you have. You can find our original article on this right here. For other problems, we recommend following the rankings from U.S. News & World Report. It has an annual ranking of the best hospitals nationwide as well as by region. It looks at data such as survival rates for procedures, number of beds, staffing, and medical errors and oversights. You can find its ratings based on area here. Medicare.gov also offers a hospital comparison tool. The breadth of data is larger and includes payments and value of care. Take a look at the closest hospitals to you, right here. We recommend combining both this tool along with the specialties through U.S. News & World Report. Some hospitals for Medicare may rank lower overall but have the best in a specialty, like cardiology. Making an because they went to an out-of-network center. Similarly, if you unexpectedly wind up going to the hospital and doctors keep you overnight,
informed decision is the best course for any pre-planned medical visit.
3. RESEARCH YOUR DOCTOR The right doctor can mean the difference between life and death. Surgical complications affect about 2% to 4% of most common surgeries. But according to Stanford University, the worst 1% of surgeons are responsible for nearly a third of all malpractice claims. As I’ve advised before, ask your surgeon for a printout of his statistics. He should keep them on a computer. If not, run out of the office. In addition, check his status with the American Board of Medical Specialties. He should be up to date on his exams and certified in surgery. You can find that right here. You can also search by state for criminal convictions and malpractice claims against your surgeon. Go here to get started. Dr. David Eifrig worked in arbitrage and trading groups with major Wall Street investment banks, including Goldman Sachs, Chase Manhattan, and Yamaichi in Japan. In 1995, Dr. Eifrig retired from Wall Street, went to UNC-Chapel Hill medical school, and became an ophthalmologist.
Today, he publishes a 100% free daily e-letter on both health and wealth that shows readers how to live a millionaire lifestyle for far, far less. Click here to learn more. DLIEST PLACES IN THE U.S.
American Consequences
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