|
PATIENT2PATIENT NEWSLETTER
April/May 2004
Please visit our Web site: www.Patient2Patient.net
"The Guided Source to Health Information"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In This Issue:
* From the Director
* Quotation of the Month
* WebGuides Updates - Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Epilepsy
* Subscription Discounts
* Sponsorships
* Feature Article - "Comparing Drug Prices in Your Area"
* Humor
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ From the Director ~
A few months ago we stressed the importance of using drug databases
to check your medications for any possible interactions with other
drugs, herbs and even some foods. In a later newsletter we provided
information and links to sites we recommend in our WebGuides that
provide discounts for certain prescription drugs.
Since that time there has been an important development. Through its
Medicare information site: www.medicare.gov, the U.S. government has
made available a very useful database that allows you to compare the
prices of medications available in your area or by mail order (or other
sources. You can see how much different local pharmacies charge for
these drugs. You can also compare the price of drugs under different
discount drug programs.
So for this month's Featured Article, we have provided useful
information on how to use the Medicare site.
To those of you who inquired as to why you didn't receive an April
newsletter: Unfortunately, I was recently involved in a taxi accident
and suffered a fractured pelvis. (One of the hazards of living in New
York City).
While going through the recovery process, I was reminded of the need for
more Patient Best Practice primers on hospital protocols and physical
therapy practices, not to mention how to handle insurance issues. They
will be forthcoming.
Andrew Robinson, J.D.
Executive Director
Patient2Patient, LLC
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Quotation of the Month ~
"It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark."
-- Howard Ruff --
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ WebGuide Updates - Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Epilepsy ~
A reminder to our Subscribers that the Updated Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's disease WebGuides are available. To access your WebGuide, go
to the Homepage: www.Patient2Patient.net, click on the Subsciber's
button and enter your login information.
Our Epilepsy WebGuide will be available on July 1st. In addition to all
the categories that our covered in our other WebGuides, The Epilepsy
WebGuide includes sections for the special concerns of children, teens,
seniors and women with Epilepsy. It also covers important employment,
driving, and legal issues.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Subscription Discounts ~
If you are a member of a disease-related organization or group, take
advantage of the group discounts offered by Patient2Patient when
purchasing any of our Medical WebGuides.
Patient2Patient WebGuides provide quick access to the best and most
current information on the Internet for your condition. Our Alzheimer's
and Parkinson's disease WebGuides contain more than 200 interactive
pages, organized into more than twenty critical topic areas, including
detailed analysis and quick links to Web sites offering the latest
medical, treatment, support and news as well as valuable caregiver
resources.
The way our group discounts work is: The individual members of eligible
organizations can receive a discount on a one-year WebGuide
subscription. In addition, your organization or group will receive a
percentage from the sale to benefit its ongoing work.
For information, contact Andrew Robinson, Executive Director at
ajrob@Patient2Patient.net
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Sponsorships ~
Ideally, we'd like to create a WebGuide for every existing disease. So
if you know of an individual, organization or group that may be
interested in sponsoring a Patient2Patient WebGuide, please contact us
at Sponsorship@patient2patient.net. You'll be helping thousands of
patients in need of critical and credible health information.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Feature Article: Comparing Drug Prices In Your Area ~
Paying for prescription medications can be extremely burdensome. So
we're happy to see that the U.S. government has initiated a new drug
price comparison database on its Medicare website. The following will
help you examine this site to compare drug prices and discount programs.
First of all, you don't have to be a Medicare recipient to use the site.
This site allows you to compare the prices of medications that can be
purchased in your area (and by mail order) under Medicare and using
other discount card programs. It also compares the price of the same
drug at different retail sources such as pharmacies.
Although there are a number of steps involved to use the database, don't
be deterred. It is relatively easy to use and your search can be done
quickly.
To Access the Medicare drug price comparison database:
1. Go directly to the Medicare home page at: www.medicare.gov.
2. At the top of the page under the "Features" section, click on:
"Find available Medicare-approved drug discount cards, and compare
prices for your prescriptions."
3. On the "Prescription Drugs and Other Discounts" page, click on
the "Quick Search" tab.
4. On the "Quick Search" page, scroll down and enter your zip code.
5. Further down the same page, enter the names of the drugs that
you wish to include on your search. Then click on the "Continue" button.
6. Agree to the user agreement that automatically pops up in your
first search.
7. Check the dosage and number of pills you take each month and
click on "Continue."
8. Choose the radius of your search (the distance from your zip
code you are willing to travel to purchase your medications (or mail
order).
9. Scroll down and view price comparisons for prescription drug
savings programs and retail pharmacies.
While the medicare.gov database is very useful, our WebGuides provide a
broad array of online resources that can help you find prescription
discounts based on age, need and other qualifications.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Humor ~
Two cannibals are sitting at dinner eating a clown.
One cannibal turns to the other and asks: "Does this taste funny to
you?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Feel Good!
The Staff of Patient2Patient
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We welcome your comments about this newsletter and our WebGuides -
Feedback@patient2patient.net.
(c) Copyright 2004 Patient2Patient, LLC.
296 Eleventh Street, NYC 11215.
You are welcome to forward this issue to someone you know, in its
entirety (without cutting).
Back to Top
|
