A Guide to Getting the Best Health Care for Your Child (The Praeger Series on Contemporary Health and Living)

Roy Benaroch, M.D., explains how to find your ideal pediatrician, how to get the most out of every visit, how to schedule to your advantage, and other office tricks. Perhaps more important, he explains how to assure your pediatrician has kept up to date, and how to understand what lab reports and tests mean and whether they are necessary. The best ways to choose and use all aspects of pediatric care are covered: traditional medicine, alternative medicine, hospitals, emergency rooms, telephone calls, insurance, sources of medical information, and more.Every profession has its secrets that would make all of our lives better if we knew that inside' information. In this book, Roy Benaroch. M.D. reveals the secrets' of pediatrics that could help every parent and child. Benaroch offers practical information about choosing and using a pediatrician's office, from how to avoid waiting for an appointment to how to know a medical practice that is of poor quality. He also explains how to find your ideal pediatrician, how to get the most out of every doctor visit, and how to schedule to your advantage, as well as other office tricks. This is a practical and useful guide that tells parents exactly what they need to know. The best ways to choose and use all aspects of pediatric care are covered: traditional medicine, alternative medicine, hospitals, emergency rooms, telephone calls, insurance, sources of medical information and more.Benaroch explains how to assure your pediatrician has kept his or her knowledge up to date in the fast-changing field of medicine, how to understand what lab reports and tests mean and whether they are necessary, and how to know when medications or the use of alternative medicine may be fine - or dangerous - for your child. This pediatrician, himself a father of three, also tells us the best way to choose insurance policies for children's health care, and get the most we can out of the insurance policy chosen. Roy Benaroch, MD, explains how to find your ideal pediatrician, how to get the most out of every visit, how to schedule to your advantage, and other office tricks. Perhaps more important, he explains how to assure your pediatrician has kept up to date, and how to understand what lab reports and tests mean and whether they are necessary. The best ways to choose and use all aspects of pediatric care are traditional medicine, alternative medicine, hospitals, emergency rooms, telephone calls, insurance, sources of medical information, and more. Every profession has its secrets that would make all of our lives better if we knew that inside' information. In this book, Roy Benaroch. MD reveals the secrets' of pediatrics that could help every parent and child. Benaroch offers practical information about choosing and using a pediatrician's office, from how to avoid waiting for an appointment to how to know a medical practice that is of poor quality. He also explains how to find your ideal pediatrician, how to get the most out of every doctor visit, and how to schedule to your advantage, as well as other office tricks. This is a practical and useful guide that tells parents exactly what they need to know. The best ways to choose and use all aspects of pediatric care are traditional medicine, alternative medicine, hospitals, emergency rooms, telephone calls, insurance, sources of medical information and more. Benaroch explains how to assure your pediatrician has kept his or her knowledge up to date in the fast-changing field of medicine, how to understand what lab reports and tests mean and whether they are necessary, and how to know when medications or the use of alternative medicine may be fine - or dangerous - for your child. This pediatrician, himself a father of three, also tells us the best way to choose insurance policies for children's health care, and get the most we can out of the insurance policy chosen. Contents......Page 6 Series Foreword by Julie Silver......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 1. Find Your Dream Pediatrician......Page 14 2. The Rest of Your Child’s Health Care Team......Page 26 3. What Every Pediatrician Should Know......Page 44 4. What Every Parent Should Know......Page 54 5. Get the Most Out of Every Doctor Visit......Page 60 6. Telephone Etiquette: When and How to Call the Doctor after Hours......Page 76 7. An Inside Look at Emergency Rooms and Hospitals......Page 86 8. Happy Patients, Happy Doctor......Page 90 9. Scheduling to Your Advantage and Other Office Tricks......Page 96 10. Medicines: How to Choose Them, How to Use Them......Page 102 11. Alternatives to Medicine......Page 114 12. How to Get Reliable Health Information from the Media......Page 130 13. Revealed: The Magic of Labs and Tests......Page 142 14. Choosing Insurance and Paying Bills: How to Spend Less and Get More......Page 150 15. The Medical Malpractice Crisis and Your Children......Page 164 16. Everyone Makes Mistakes......Page 172 Appendix: Fun with Medical Statistics......Page 178 Index......Page 184