OANDP-L
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The O&P EDGE
  • PECOS
  • Magazine
    • Subscription
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • News Archive
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Advertising Information
    • EDGE Flipbooks
  • O&P Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • EDGE Advantage
    • EA Homepage
    • EA Data
  • O&P Facilities
  • Resources
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Calendar
    • Contact
    • About Us
    • O&P Library
    • The Guide
    • Custom Publications
    • Advertising Information
    • EDGE Direct
    • Amplitude Media Group
  • PECOS
  • Magazine
    • Subscription
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • News Archive
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Advertising Information
    • EDGE Flipbooks
  • O&P Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • EDGE Advantage
    • EA Homepage
    • EA Data
  • O&P Facilities
  • Resources
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Calendar
    • Contact
    • About Us
    • O&P Library
    • The Guide
    • Custom Publications
    • Advertising Information
    • EDGE Direct
    • Amplitude Media Group
No Result
View All Result
The O&P EDGE Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Tips for Dealing with the Healthcare System

by The O&P EDGE
September 18, 2014
in News
0
SHARES
6
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

As they approached their golden years, one problem Philip and Ruth Barash didn’t foresee was having to struggle through their country’s healthcare system.

“Philip’s health problems began in 1988 and steadily continued until his death in 2012,” says Ruth Fenner Barash, who shares the couple’s harrowing healthcare experiences in her book, For Better or Worse: Lurching from Crisis to Crisis in America’s Medical Morass. “We were in and out of doctors’ offices, hospitals, and emergency rooms a lot, and I was shocked by the lack of compassion we frequently encountered, as well as the number of healthcare professionals who simply are not good diagnosticians.”

Barash’s cautionary tale details a medical journey fraught with mismanagement and excess, useless interventions, and a sometimes complete disregard for pain.

“The art of intuitive, compassionate healthcare is dying as doctors rely more on technology and are guided through an arbitrary template established by insurance company policies,” she says.

To help patients and their loved ones deal with the healthcare system and avoid many of the difficulties she and her husband faced, Barash offers the following suggestions from their experience:

  • Avoid the emergency room. “They’ve become very crowded…and patients might wait for hours sitting in hard plastic chairs in the waiting room,” Barash says. “For someone who’s sick or injured, this can be torture.”

  • Be skeptical-question everything. “If you have the luxury of time, take some of that time to think things through, to research and get second opinions,” Barash advises.
  • Ask about the benefits of a treatment and what it will cost-no matter who’s paying. Be as skeptical about a procedure proposed by a doctor as you would by any salesman.

    Also, whether our hospital bills are fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance, or we’re paying a portion ourselves, we should include cost in our discussions with healthcare providers.

    “Part of the blame for having the most expensive healthcare system in the world goes to us, the individuals who don’t question purchases or shop for prices as we would for groceries, clothing, or furniture,” Barash says. “If a test or consultation is ordered, understand why. Is it really necessary? You can say no!”

  • Have an advocate! Avoid dealing with the healthcare system alone; if you do, your risk for harm will increase dramatically.
  • Don’t get sick! Do not take your health for granted. Unnecessary health risks such as smoking; illegal drug use; excessive alcohol intake; and a diet filled with sugar, salt, and fat will take you sooner rather than later into the risk-filled healthcare system.

Barash warns that the U.S. healthcare system is not always the benevolent safety net many people believe it to be. It can also be abusive, incompetent, callous toward patients–and worse.

“Patients and their loved ones cannot blindly turn themselves over to this massive, technology-based system and trust that it will care-or take care of them,” says Barash. “We did experience some wonderful healthcare professionals…but they were not the rule.”

This story was adapted from material provided by News & Experts.

Ideas expressed are those of Ruth Fenner Barash and do not constitute an endorsement by Amplitude Media Group.

Related posts:

  1. The Changing Landscape: Manufacturers Enter the US Clinical Care Market
  2. Quantum Leap: Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Care
  3. Finding the Right Tech for Lower-limb Patients
  4. Improving Fit + Function for the Hip Disarticulation Patient
Previous Post

AOPA Announces 2014–2015 Board

Next Post

MIT’s Cheetah Robot Has Implications for Prosthetic Leg Development

Next Post

MIT’s Cheetah Robot Has Implications for Prosthetic Leg Development

Linkedin X-twitter Facebook

 SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE

 

RECENT NEWS

Get unlimited access!

Join EDGE ADVANTAGE and unlock The O&P EDGE's vast library of archived content.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY

O&P JOBS

Multiple Locations

CERTIFIED ORTHOTIST or PROSTHETIST/ORTHOTIST 

Central

Multiple Locations- Resident Prosthetist / Board Eligible Prosthetist CP/LP

Central

Prosthetic Technician

The O&P EDGE Magazine
 
Required 'Candidate' login to applying this job. Click here to logout And try again
 

Login to your account

  • Forgot Password? | Sign Up

Reset Password

  • Already have an account? Login

Enter the username or e-mail you used in your profile. A password reset link will be sent to you by email.

Signup to your Account

  • By clicking checkbox, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

    Already have an account? Login

Close
No Result
View All Result
  • PECOS
  • MAGAZINE
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • CURRENT ISSUE
    • ISSUE ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ARCHIVE
    • PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIRECTORY
    • ADVERTISING INFORMATION
  • O&P JOBS
    • FIND A JOB
    • POST A JOB
  • EDGE ADVANTAGE
    • EA Homepage
    • EA Data
  • FACILITIES
  • RESOURCES
    • PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIRECTORY
    • CALENDAR
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT US
    • O&P LIBRARY
    • THE GUIDE
    • CUSTOM PUBLICATIONS
    • ADVERTISING INFORMATION
    • EDGE DIRECT
    • AMPLITUDE
  • OANDP-L
  • LOGIN

© 2025 The O&P EDGE

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
 

Account Activation

Before you can login, you must activate your account with the code sent to your email address. If you did not receive this email, please check your junk/spam folder. Click here to resend the activation email. If you entered an incorrect email address, you will need to re-register with the correct email address.

 

© 2024 The O&P EDGE

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • EDGE Advantage
  • OANDP-L
  • Subscribe

CONTACT US

866-613-0257

[email protected]

201 E. 4th St.
Loveland, CO 80537

The most important industry news and events delivered directly to your inbox every week.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • EDGE Advantage
  • OANDP-L
  • Subscribe

© 2025 The O&P EDGE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
The O&P EDGE Magazine
 
Required 'Candidate' login to applying this job. Click here to logout And try again
 

Login to your account

  • Forgot Password? | Sign Up

Reset Password

  • Already have an account? Login

Enter the username or e-mail you used in your profile. A password reset link will be sent to you by email.

Signup to your Account

  • By clicking checkbox, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

    Already have an account? Login

Close
No Result
View All Result
  • PECOS
  • MAGAZINE
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • CURRENT ISSUE
    • ISSUE ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ARCHIVE
    • PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIRECTORY
    • ADVERTISING INFORMATION
  • O&P JOBS
    • FIND A JOB
    • POST A JOB
  • EDGE ADVANTAGE
    • EA Homepage
    • EA Data
  • FACILITIES
  • RESOURCES
    • PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIRECTORY
    • CALENDAR
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT US
    • O&P LIBRARY
    • THE GUIDE
    • CUSTOM PUBLICATIONS
    • ADVERTISING INFORMATION
    • EDGE DIRECT
    • AMPLITUDE
  • OANDP-L
  • LOGIN

© 2025 The O&P EDGE

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
 

Account Activation

Before you can login, you must activate your account with the code sent to your email address. If you did not receive this email, please check your junk/spam folder. Click here to resend the activation email. If you entered an incorrect email address, you will need to re-register with the correct email address.