www.nia.nih.gov: National Institute on Aging, NIA Information Center, P.O. Box 8057, Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057, 1-800-222-2225 or 1-800-222-4225 (TTY)
www.aarp.org: AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), 601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049, 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277)
Alcohol
www.niaaa.nih.gov: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9304, Bethesda, MD 20892-9304, 301-443-3860
www.samhsa.gov: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, DHHS P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345, 1-800-729-6686 or 1-800-487-4889 (TTY)
Ambulatory/Outpatient Surgery
http://www.aaahc.org: Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. To locate outpatient health care services, such as freestanding surgery centers, radiology facilities, podiatrists, pain management clinics, and many other types of outpatient facilities accredited by the Association. Phone 1-847-853-6060.
Assisted Living
www.alfa.org: Assisted Living Federation of America, 1650 King Street, Suite 602, Alexandria, VA 22314-2747, 703-894-1805
www.ncal.org: National Center for Assisted Living, 1201 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005, 202-842-4444
www.ncea.aoa.gov: National Center on Elder Abuse, University of Delaware 297 Graham Hall, Newark, DE 19716, 302-831-3525
Clinical Trials
www.clinicaltrials.gov: This is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials is a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health
www.centerwatch.com/: There are more than 875 clinical research centers and 600 companies offering a variety of services to the clinical trials community are profiled on this site.
http://www.nih.gov: National Institutes of Health (NIH). The website of the U.S. government’s primary source for conducting and funding clinical research.
www.healthboards.com/; This web site offers more than 150 message boards on diseases, conditions, and health topics., and a large audience of registered users.
Doctors
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/3158.html: American Medical Association (AMA). To access AMA’s “DoctorFinder,” with information about virtually every licensed physician in the United States, as well as links to other helpful information. Phone 1-800-621-8335.
http://www.docboard.org: National Organization for State Medical and Osteopathic Board Executive Directors. Provides the “DocFinder” physician database, which contains information from State government licensing boards on the licensing background and disciplinary information of physicians and other health care providers.
http://www.docinfo.org: Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The Federation collects information on disciplinary actions taken against physicians by regulatory and licensing agencies, such as State medical boards, the National Board of Medical Examiners, various Federal agencies, and other licensing authorities. Phone 1-817-868-4000.
Exercise
www.acsm.org: American College of Sports Medicine, 401 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3233, 317-637-9200
www.fitness.gov: The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Department W, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 738-H, Washington, DC 20201-0004, 202-690-9000
Mental Health America: 500 Montgomery St., Suite 820, Alexandria, VA. 22314. Phone (703) 684-7722
National Institute of Mental Health, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663, Bethesda, MD 20892-9663, 1-866-615-6464 or 301-443-8431 (TTY) Health Insurance
http://www.ahip.org/content/default.aspx?bc=41. America’s Health Insurance Plans. Provides guides on health insurance coverage and links to many other sources of information about choosing a health insurance plan. Phone 1-202-778-3200.
http://www.naic.org/consumer_home.htm: National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Provides information about different types of health insurance, your rights as a consumer, consumer fact sheets, and other information. Phone 1-816-842-3600.
HIV/AIDS
HIV.gov Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Prevention. 330 C Street, S.W., Rm L600, Washington, D.C. 20024. 800-232-4636
www.nhpco.org: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 625, Alexandria, VA 22314-2844, 1-800-658-8898
http://www.nahc.org/: National Association for Home Care and Hospice. To locate home care, hospice services, and other resources in your State. Phone 1-202-547-7424.
Hospitals
https://www.qualitycheck.org/: Locate hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and quality rankings. Contact by phone at 1-630-792-5000.
Incontinence
www.nafc.org: National Association for Continence, P.O. Box 1019, Charleston, SC 29402-1019, 1-800-BLADDER (1-800-252-3337)
www.simonfoundation.org: The Simon Foundation for Continence, P.O. Box 815, Wilmette, IL 60091, 1-800-23-SIMON (1-800-237-4666) Medications and Prescription Drugs
Medications and Prescription Drugs
www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/: FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research: Consumer Information, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857-0001, 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
www.medicare.gov: Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card Program, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
Memory Problems
www.alz.org: Alzheimer’s Association, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60601-7633, 1-800-272-3900
www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers: Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center, P.O. Box 8250, Silver Spring, MD 20907-8250, 1-800-438-4380
Problems with Family/Caregiving
Resources under review.
Patient Advocacy
A Patients Place: Free help, advocacy and support for patients and caregivers. Phone: (303) 885-2525
http://www.patientadvocate.org/: Provide patients with arbitration, mediation, and negotiation to settle issues related to access to care, medical debt, and job retention. Phone: (800) 532-5274.
Report Cards and Quality Measures
http://www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/searchQCR.aspx: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). To locate JCAHO accredited hospitals, assisted living facilities, laboratories, and other types of health care facilities and services in your area. Phone 1-630-792-5000.
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). For information and resources on quality of care, medical errors and patient safety, various clinical conditions, prevention and wellness, prescription medicines, smoking cessation, choosing a health plan, and many other topics. 1-800-358-9295.
www.talkingquality.gov/compendium/index.html; This searchable directory of health care “report cards” is from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The site provides comparative information on the quality of health plans, hospitals, medical groups, individual physicians, nursing homes, and other providers of care.
Researching Conditions and Treatments
www.healthfinder.gov/ This site is from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It is one of the most comprehensive sites available for research on almost any condition
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ One of the most comprehensive health sites on the web from the U.S. National Library of medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
www.Mayoclinic.com More than 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers from Mayo Clinic share their expertise to empower you to manage your health
http://www.guideline.gov: National Guideline Clearinghouse.™ Links to many Web sites that feature science-based health information, go to the Patient Resources page.
Second Opinions Online
www.eclevelandclinic.org/myConsultHome; This fee-based service from the world famous Cleveland Clinic connects you to a specialty physician who, provides a review of your medical records and diagnostic tests, and offers a second opinion that includes treatment options or alternatives, and recommendations for you to consider.
www.econsults.partners.org; This fee-based group is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. The consultation process is managed by Center for Connected Health and draws on the expertise of the physicians of all of the Partners hospitals including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care. At the time of researching this kit, the basic cost is $495 for a specialist opinion. Radiology and Pathology reviews cost an additional $200 and $250 respectively.
Sexuality
www.siecus.org: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, 90 John Street, Suite 704, New York, NY 10038, 212-819-9770
