Patient-Empowering Privacy

B'SD

4 Elul, 5775

It's a new year, may it be brimming with sweet blessings for the world at large.

I'm clinging to the marvelous moods and spiritual highs of the Rosh HaShana holiday followed by a most meaningful Shabbat spent with precious people. 

I have no words for the love shared between me and my friends, and the love that we share for the Torah-oriented life. I doubt that I'll be on the Internet much for the next day or so, as I stay with and cherish the sensations.

Privacy is so necessary when we need to bolster our emotional lives. So, I'll let Rami Klinstayn sing of those emotions for me. 

May 5775 be a source of unending blessings, worldwide. 

Here are the lyrics, in Spanish and Hebrew (I'll post the English-language version if I finish the translation task in reasonable time):

Es otro viernes, respiro el aire
la luz y la sombra juegan otra vez a atraparse
la mesa está puesta, fotos de infancia en el muro
caravanas blancas vuelven de la sinagoga
y el aroma aquel que me rasguña el corazón
se cuela se cuela y abre puertas
a una pequeña alegría a la misma vieja canción
que ha pasado por nosotros a lo largo de las generaciones

Pequeños regalos
alguien me ha enviado pequeños regalos
fragmentos de convicción, círculos de fe
pequeños regalos alguien me ha enviado
pequeños regalos

Es otro viernes, terraza y periódico
el sol tal como las preocupaciones lentamente se van borrando
melodías simples se arrastran por la ventana
y ya ninguna tormenta esconderá por aquí el silencio

Ze od yom shishi noshem et ha’avir
ha’or vehatzel mesachakim shuv tofeset
hashulchan aroch tmunot yaldut al hakir
shayarot levanot chozrot mibeit kneset
vehareach haze shesoret li et halev
mitganev mitganev vepoteach dlatot
el osher katan el oto shir yashan
she’over etzleinu bemeshech dorot

Matanot ktanot
mishehu shalach li matanot ktanot
resisim shel kavana igulim shel emuna
matanot ktanot mishehu shalach li
matanot ktanot
kmo hakoach lekabel et ma she’ein et ma sheyesh
ma od efshar kvar levakesh

Ze od yom shishi mirpeset ve’iton
hashemesh kmo hade’agot le’at nimcheket
manginot pshutot zochalot mehachalon
veshum se’ara kvar lo tastir po et hasheket

זה עוד יום שישי נושם את האוויר
האור והצל משחקים שוב תופסת
השולחן ערוך תמונות ילדות על הקיר
שיירות לבנות חוזרות מבית כנסת
והריח הזה ששורט לי את הלב
מתגנב מתגנב ופותח דלתות
אל אושר קטן אל אותו שיר ישן
שעובר אצלנו במשך דורות

מתנות קטנות
מישהו שלח לי מתנות קטנות
רסיסים של כוונה עיגולים של אמונה
מתנות קטנות מישהו שלח לי
מתנות קטנות
כמו הכוח לקבל את מה שאין את מה שיש
מה עוד אפשר כבר לבקש

זה עוד יום שישי מרפסת ועיתון
השמש כמו הדאגות לאט נמחקת
מנגינות פשוטות זוחלות מהחלון
ושום סערה כבר לא תסתיר פה את השקט

מתנות קטנות…

OK, back to the mundane business of this patient-empowering blog: I want to share a thought with you.

Be careful about the Patient Privacy initiatives you support. Privacy is a necessity. But extreme privacy can present danger to your health.

The last line of the California Medical Association Challenges drug-tracking system in court article explains the serious risk mentioned above, and the risks of rash decisions.

Empower Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge, 

using information that promotes the goal. 

Read

Click on the  image above and buy the  E-book or print edition today.

See you later this week. I'm going to reflect a bit more on the wholesome happiness I feel, first.
 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Fill your life with facts you need to know.

 

Gmail Motion can Help People with Physical Limitations?

B'SD 29 Adar 2, 5771

This isn't as elegant an old-fashioned stationer's paper but "Gmail Motion" can be far more effective if you behave sensibly with the technology.

Gmail recently launched a new technology called Gmail Motion '>"Gmail Motion" (click on the blue bar that says "Try Gmail Motion") that enables someone to do many E-mail tasks with body motions and a web camera.

After you download "Gmail Motion" you can fill out full sentences with a simple gesture e.g., to fill in the sentence "Have a nice day" simply wave your hand in front of the web camera.

It's possible to train the software to learn new gestures by using the "Configure" button inside the software. If you use specific sentences on a regular basis, you can define a new gesture to fill them out automatically for you.

Download the list of sample gestures at http://mail.google.com/mail/help/images/motion/motion_printable_guide.pdf

Get information about the technology at http://mail.google.com/mail/help/motion.html

REMEMBER: E-mail is never private. Thousands of eyeballs can see your messages whether or not you want them to. Behave sensibly online: do not divulge secrets or sensitive information.

Need more easy solutions to baffling medical problems? Get cost-cutting, stress-reducing E-book EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge at http://www.booklocker.com/books/4244.html

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

The 5-Step Plan for Getting Copies of Your Medical Records

B'SD

24 Tamuz 5770

My cyberlife includes a LinkedIn presence, where I communicate with professionals and laypersons from all walks of life.

One of those people posted a question yesterday, asking how to obtain someone else's medical records with proper authorization. She also asked if everything is in digital format these days, what's called EMR or Electronic Medical Records. My reply to her might be helpful to you, too:

A former Health Information Management
professional who helped the public while I
conferred with lawyers, insurance
companies, statisticians and in-house
personnel, I can tell you how to
accomplish your goal.

1. Electronic Medical Records
do not exist at all
medical offices. Some
practitioners still
use paper only.

2. You need to reach the person
in charge of medical records
at each & every relevant
office, ask about the procedure
for obtaining medical records
and/or abstracts (snippets/
summaries of the main
points in the patient's
medical files), and follow
the protocol as it exists.
Cutting corners won't work as
it endangers the patient's
confidentiality, the
medical office's integrity
and your trustworthiness.

3. Keep a detailed log/diary
of all communications so you
can follow up your efforts
with accurate information.
Note names, dates, contact
info and comments made by
all parties.

4. Keep whatever you receive
in confidence. DO NOT share a
hint or a peek of anything.
Patient confidentiality is a
most sensitive area. You have
no idea whom or how badly
you're hurting someone by
disclosing private medical
information. There's a reason
it's so hard to get hold of
someone else's medical files.

5. For ease of review, I
recommend that you buy a
multi-pocket binder so you
can insert each packet of
information (discs, paper
records, whatever) separately,
keeping things accessible,
readable and safe from
folding, spindling and
other mutilation. DO NOT
EAT OR DRINK near medical
records. Spills obliterate
necessary text. Usually the
part you need most.

Yocheved Golani http://www.linkedin.com/in/yochevedgolaniink http://twitter.com/yochevedgolani http://www.yochevedgolani.com/http://itsmycrisisandillcryifineedto.blogspot.com/

Self-Help coach Yocheved Golani is the author of highly acclaimed E-book "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge" (http://www.booklocker.com/books/4244.html)

Identity Theft from Local Photocopiers!

B'SD

15 Sivan 5770


It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge recommends that you make copies of your medical papers for easier sorting and record-keeping. But the New York Times warns us that you'd better use a friend's photocopy machine, or your own. Public copiers are being used to stead identities. Read

Identity Theft from Copiers

Be careful out there.

Want to learn how to simply and affordably store your medical records so you can easily find what you need for insurance purposes or medical appointments? Read EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It holds several good suggestions.

Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

Name YOUR Medical Crisis!

2 Kislev 5768

Readers of my book and blog have been contacting me about how my writings and Self-Help Coaching are helping them to cope with all kinds of medical and emotional crises. I might just post a list of all the crises (and people) helped by It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To.

Send a brief description of your "Yocheved, here’s how you/your book/your blog helped me to cope with my crisis" story to giveretgolani@gmail.com. Let me know your before and after experience about reading my book and blog or your before and after experience about hearing me speak in your community, on television or radio. I will NOT use your name if you prefer to keep it secret. Your desire to protect your privacy is fair and square.

Here's some paper to help you to think about what you want to share, with me and with visitors to my blog, about your coping and healing efforts.

Need to feel more cheerful during the holiday season? Buy It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To. Click on http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it's not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save money on large quantities of It's MY Crisis! Click https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your good health,

Yojeved Golani

Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

"I’m not sure my eye doctor did a good job!" It’s My Crisis blog Responds with Compassion to a Story of Retinal Bleeding

27 Tishrei 5768

On Sunday September 30 2007 I shared an interesting medical resource called “Patient School” with you. My journalism colleague Star Lawrence had written about it at her blog, http://healthsass.blogspot.com.

Things became more interesting after Star confided in me that she was facing a devastating medical problem with her eye: retinal detachment. I referred her to several top eye surgeons and retinal specialists within two days.

Star then sent me a message to share with visitors to my blog:

“Even though I am a health writer, I still have trouble finding an appropriate doctor and evaluating the care I’m getting…

When I had a medical emergency, bleeding in my right eye, the Emergency Department doctor consulted an ophthalmologist. That doctor recommended a retina specialist and because it was an emergency, I did not go through my usual doctor selection process. I endured four surgeries, but had issues with the way he ran his office, the anesthesiologist he used, and the fact that my vision ended up worse and my eye is cosmetically distorted.

I talked with Yocheved and other friends and she supported me in changing physicians, even at this late date. I sent the new doctor a letter ahead of time (which some of her colleagues not not approve as a tactic) and I met with him this week. He addressed every question in my letter and was candid about my overall medical situation... He hinted that my eye health might have turned out better if I’d consulted him first.

It is very threatening to even consider that things could be different. I am grateful to Yocheved for asking her physician friends about my situation and for supporting me. In the event I develop problems in my other eye,I will be seeing this new doctor.

I learned that friends can be helpful and supportive and word-of-mouth can be valuable. I appreciate Yocheved's willingness to speak to doctors on my behalf.

Despite all, I still write a health humor blog and call myself Health's Ass. I talk about doctor-patient relations sometimes--how could I not? Come visit: http://healthsass.blogspot.com.”

Star’s experience is a reminder: tact is important when we’re communicating with someone facing a medical problem. Here’s an article on how to be tactful, sent to me by a fan of this blog: www.aish.com/societyWork/society/Do_You_Mind_if_I_Ask.asp

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Stay tuned for more stories about how my book and blog are helping people around the world! Buy my book at http://www.booklocker.com/books/3067.html

Let me know what’s on your mind when you leave a comment on the blog.

Contact me, at giveretgolani@gmail.com, about what you want to know in the wide world of healing arts.

To Your Good Health, Yocheved