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General Tools for Managing Your Health and Health Care
Tracking Your Health Care
Talking to Your Doctor
Checklists for Health
Tips for Safer Surgery
Finding Health Information
Researching Your Care
Other Health Topics
Tracking Your Health and Health Care
Download, print and keep track of your health care and drugs with these forms:
My Health Record: A Workbook (PDF)
My Medication List (PDF)
Medication Wallet Card (PDF)
(Source: The Joint Commission)
Care Organizing Tools
These tools are designed for families of children with special needs but also can be used for more general purposes. You can download the entire Care Notebook or select individual forms.
Complete Care Notebook (PDF)
Appointment Log (PDF)
Emergency Information Form (PDF)
Medical Bill Tracking Form (PDF)
(Source: The Center for Children with Special Needs, Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center)
HealthVault
This website allows you to track your health records online, upload medical records, and log your physical activities and medical test results. You can give access to this information to family members or health care providers.
(Source: Microsoft HealthVault)
Talking With Your Doctor or Other Members of Your Health Care Team
Quick Tips Checklist (PDF)
Use this simple checklist to make the most out of your HRA and your next health care visit.
(Source: Puget Sound Health Alliance)
Making the Most of Your Visit
Easy steps to get ready for a visit to your doctor. Includes lists of questions to prepare for different kinds of visits.
(Source: Group Health Cooperative)
AskMe3 Patient brochure (PDF)
Pregúntame 3: Tres preguntas que usted debe hacer sobre su salud (PDF)
Print these tips for three easy questions to help you talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist about your HRA results and other health matters.
(Source: Partnership for Clear Health Communication)
Questions Are the Answer
Tips for what questions to ask when you are thinking about a new treatment, surgery or test; picking a new doctor, and more. Click here for the "Question Builder"--an interactive tool to help you develop a list of questions related to your specific health concerns.
(Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Speak Up! / ¡Hable! (PDF)
Tips for talking with your doctors and other caregivers.
(Source: The Joint Commission)
Be a Partner in Your Care
Tips on choosing a doctor, getting ready for a doctor's appointment and more.
(Source: Partnership for Healthcare Excellence)
Creating a Care Plan
Guidelines to help you develop a care plan with your doctor. These forms were designed for families of children with special needs but will also work for other purposes. Also available in Spanish.
Getting to Know Me /
Acerca de Mi
What is the Plan? /
¿Cual Es El Plan?
In Case of Emergency / En Caso de Emergencia
(Source: The Center for Children with Special Needs, Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center)
Checklists for Health
Women: Stay Healthy at Any Age (PDF)
Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age (PDF)
(Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Tips for Safer Surgery
Tips for Safer Surgery
What you should know and what you should do to lower your risk of problems from a surgical procedure.
(Source: Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality)
Finding Health Information
Health Website Ratings
Ratings of the 20 most popular health information websites based on 10 measures, including ease of use, privacy and corrections and currency. Six websites received a rating of "excellent:"
Aetna InteliHealth
Drugs.com
KidsHealth
MayoClinic.com
MedicineNet.com
National Institutes of Health
(Source: Consumer Reports WebWatch and the Health Improvement Institute)
Patient 101: How to Find Reliable Health Information (PDF)
(Source: The Joint Commission)
Guía de MedlinePlus para una búsqueda saludable en Internet
¿Qué debo buscar cuando evalúe la calidad de la información de salud que ofrecen los portales de Internet?
Navigating the Health Care System
Advice Columns from Dr. Carolyn Clancy
(Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Health News Review
This website rates health news stories based on whether they are fair and accurate and tell the whole story.
(Source: Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making)
Health Care 411: News and Information
Weekly audio and video programs featuring news and information on current health care topics (read, listen, or download).
(Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Healia--Your Health Search
Web search tool focused on health topics that allows you to tailor results. Enter a word in the "search" box and click on search. Then you can pick the kind of results you want--for example, basic or advanced reading level, results for women or men, kids or teens, etc.
(Source: Healia)
HealthVault Search
Health search tool that allows you to tailor your results. You can keep track of your searches, and pick searches that are basic, research-oriented, etc.
(Source: Microsoft HealthVault)
Researching Your Care
Questions and Answers About Health Insurance (PDF)
A consumer guide on the basics, from why you need health insurance to how to decide what kind you need.
(Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Health Care Options Matrix (PDF)
This table lists health care options available to residents of the State of Washington.
(Source: Foundation for Health Coverage Education)
Health Insurance Help for Parents
This website helps you find out if you qualify for help with health insurance or for food assistance in Washington State. It also can help you find and apply for health insurance or food assistance.
(Source: Parent Help 123, A Program of Within Reach)
Assistance Programs and Other Resources
A list of resources for help with health insurance and prescription drugs.
(Source: National Network of Libraries of Medicine)
Health Care Quality: How to Know it When You See It (PDF)
(Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Compare Your Care
This website asks questions to help you think about whether you are getting the care you need.
(Source: Health Grades)
Compare Experience in Your Hospital
Federal government site comparing hospitals on how often they provide the recommended treatments for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical patients.
(Source: Department of Health and Human Services)
Assess Quality and Safety in Your Hospital
A coalition of large companies rates hospitals to see which have quality and safety "leaps" for intensive care unit staffing, reduction of medical errors and more.
(Source: The Leapfrog Group)
Get Information on Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Doctors
Five-star rating system of hospitals, nursing homes and doctors. Some of the information on the site is free, but there is a fee for detailed reports.
(Source: Health Grades)
Other Health Topics
Visit these pages on the Alliance website for more tools and information on these health topics:
Asthma Management Plan
Tools and information in several languages about managing asthma
Generics and Other Prescription Drugs
Includes resources for find help to access or afford prescription drugs
Health Risk Assessments and Other Health Tools
Tools, tips and strategies to enjoy better health
Health in Plain Terms
Health talk without all the big words
Diabetes Resources
Tools and information for people with diabetes
Heart Disease Resources
Tools and information for people with heart disease
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
This website provides information and evidence on a variety of complementary and alternative therapies.
(Source: Natural Standard)
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Let us know what you think. If you have other useful tools or information that you believe would be of value to share with people to manage personal health more easily and effectively, let us know. If you find any of these resources particularly helpful or if you have questions or concerns, send us your comments.
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