Research Anything Medical or Healthcare

A to Z Categories 

Advance Directives

www.healthinaging.org/public_education/pef/advance_directives.php: Patient Education Forum.
The American Geriatric Society. The Empire State Building. 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801, New York, NY 10118, 1-800-563-4916 or 212-308-1414.

Aging

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.nihseniorhealth.gov: National Institutes of Health

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.aarp.org/families/housing_choices: AARP, 601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049, 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277)

Children of Aging Parents

 www.caps4caregivers.org: P.O. Box 167, Richboro, PA 18954-0167, 1-800-227-7294

www.eldercare.gov: Eldercare Locator Service, 1-800-677-1116 (bilingual/TTY)

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.

Connecting to Other Patients

www.webmd.com/community/boards; More than 100 message boards from the leading web site WebMD

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

Genetics

23andMe: Learn about your DNA

Grief, Mourning, and Depression

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

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:  5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD. 20857. National Helpline 800-662-4357

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

World Health Organization Avenue Appia 20, 1211 geneva. By phone 41-22-7912111

Hospice

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

www.clevelandclinic.org; One of America’s top hospitals provides health information.

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

Additional Resources

208-727-6880  Cancer Connect

649-476-8500 Drugs.com

  

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