14 Ways To Avoid Getting Screwed Over By Your Health Care

The U.S. health care system can feel disempowering and intimidating. Here are some ways to take control of your care.

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When it comes to our health, it's easy to feel too intimidated or overwhelmed to question treatments, challenge practitioners, or hold the system itself accountable. But medical professionals insist that the lack of active participation by the patient in their care can be costly — not just financially, but in their actual well-being. U.S. News reported just last year that up to 98,000 hospital patients die annually as a result of medical errors, 7,000 of which are due to medication mistakes. Below, experts share tips for proactively working to prevent this, and ensuring the best possible care.

This might be the most overwhelming decision to make as a patient, but it's a crucial one — you're putting your health in this person's hands. Consider multiple factors: Do you have a recommendation from someone you trust? Is the doctor experienced in treating your disease? How is the hospital's reputation? And, when it comes down to it, how does the physician make you feel?

"Your doctor should be someone you feel comfortable sharing anything with," says Dr. Daniel Neides, family practice physician at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute.

Your relationship with your physician is a two-way street, and the importance of regular, positive communication between doctor and patient can't be overstated. Be forthright and honest — if you feel hesitant to share potentially embarrassing information, this could be a sign that you need a different doctor that you're more comfortable with — and do some prep work before you meet.

Stacey Huber, American Cancer Society patient manager at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, recommends drafting a list of questions and concerns you want to address, and then taking precautions against forgetting the responses.

"It is helpful to have someone else go with you as a second set of ears," she says. "Take notes as the doctor is talking to you and if you have a hard time remembering things, take a recorder and ask the doctor if he minds if you record the conversation."

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