[HTML1] There’s reading literacy. There’s computer literacy. You’re probably pretty proficient in both of those. But how’s your health literacy? And along with understanding your own health, how well do you understand your options for pursuing the healthcare you or your loved ones may need?
Today’s guest on Life Love & Health: Special Edition is Ellen Menard, author of The Not So Patient Advocate: How to Get the Healthcare You Need Without Fear or Frustration. A former healthcare executive and registered nurse, Ellen is committed to explaining why, where and when medical mistakes happen; how medical care teams interact and the lingo they use; what goes on behind the scenes in America’s hospitals, surgery and imaging centers — and what to do with this information. Using true patient stories, Ellen points out the danger zones for potential medical mistakes such as shift or room changes. Most medical mistakes are caused by basic human error, and the root cause is often a communications issue. She provides invaluable tips to the reader about how to deal with hospitals, doctors, nurses and the healthcare system effectively and constructively. The book also reviews the best ways to deal with hospital staff, medical staff on the telephone, and what to keep in mind when going to a diagnostic center, ER or hospital. Ellen offers sage advice and practical suggestions for coping with aging parents and relatives, handling mental health care situations and dealing with health insurance, too.
Segment A (0:00 – 11:00)
Life Love & Health: Special Edition producer Christopher Springmann speaks with Ellen Menard, author of The Not So Patient Advocate
Segment B (11:01 – 22:00)
Ellen Menard with Richard, a cancer patient
Segment C (22:01 – 33:00)
Ellen Menard with Michael, a health advocate for his aging mother
Segment D (33:01 – 44:00)
Ellen Menard with Gwen MacKenzie, President and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System
More about Ellen Menard
Ellen Menard is the founder of Ellen Menard, Inc., a Florida-based business consulting corporation, which focuses on health care management and patient advocacy; learning organization and transformative change; executive management and board governance; employee relations, union negotiations and union avoidance; leadership effectiveness and personal coaching; employee engagement and generational differences; human capital and organizational effectiveness; and business and career networking. Prior to this, Ellen served for 20 years as a top-tier Senior Executive and Chief Human Resources Officer for Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH; Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, ME; Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA; and Inova Health System in Falls Church, VA. She holds a BS in Nursing from Saint Anselm College and an MBA from Rivier College. She currently resides in Sarasota with her husband Arthur P. Menard, a nationally known labor and employment attorney. Their home on Siesta Key also serves as a retreat center for management conferences and executive consultations. In 2009, Ellen published her first book The Not So Patient Advocate: How to Get the Healthcare You Need Without Fear or Frustration.
More about Gwen MacKenzie
Gwen M. MacKenzie is President and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, a regional medical center consisting of an 806-bed hospital, physician practices and a network of specialized medical campuses and clinics. Sarasota Memorial has been repeatedly listed in U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s 50 Best Hospitals” issue. Since joining Sarasota Memorial in May 2005, Gwen has successfully opened a number of new outpatient facilities – including the Institute for Advanced Medicine neuroscience specialty campus – while streamlining internal operations. She shepherded the hospital through an ER initiative that resulted in a 30-minute wait time guarantee for patients and eliminated ambulance diversions. Trained as an oncology nurse, Gwen worked for 25 years at the nine-hospital Detroit Medical Center, the largest health care provider in southeast Michigan. Starting as an advanced practice nurse practitioner, she worked her way from bedside care and clinical management to executive vice president and chief operating officer. She was also President of a number of the DMC hospitals and served as interim Chief Executive Officer of the system. A native of Michigan, Gwen attended the University of Michigan, receiving a BS and Master’s in Health Services Administration. She also received a Master’s from the University of California, Los Angeles.
© 2010 by On the Path Productions, LLC. All rights reserved.
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