The Essential Patient Handbook was written for the millions of Americans who are dissatisfied with their medical care and are looking for a practical no-nonsense way to get the help they need from their Doctors. It contains lessons learned by two Doctors (husband and wife) who endured immense challenges on the patient side of the medical care system. Here are the secrets to:

getting your Doctor to listen
Preparing information your Doctor needs to know
Understanding the reasoning behind your Doctor's questions
Asking the essential questions about tests, diagnoses, medications, surgery and second opinions
Checking for medication side effects and drug interactions
Dealing with confusing insurance and billing forms
Working with your Doctor when considering alternative and complementary medicines
Handling difficult Doctor-patient interactions
Dealing with a hospital stay

The Essential Patient Handbook will walk readers through the entire medical evaluation process, from the first question to the last. It gives them a guide to thoroughly prepare medical information before seeing a Doctor and explains why each piece of information is crucial. The information prepared with the aid of this book are symptom-specific and will help Physicians to arrive at a differential diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is established, it will help readers prepare further information that your Doctors need to learn to remain on top of your medical condition.