The practice of medicine has advanced dramatically in recent years, but the language used to discuss illness – by medical practitioners, patients and carers – has not kept pace. As a result, clinicians and, just as importantly, patients and their relatives and carers, are not able to communicate clearly in relation to illness. The upshot is misunderstanding and confusion on all sides. In this ground-breaking book, Dr Fergus Shanahan, an eminent gastroenterologist who has practised in Ireland, the United States and Canada, and published widely around the world, looks at memoirs of illness, and outlines the lessons we can learn from a better understanding of the words we use to describe illness. He looks at the ways in which language can act as a barrier with regard to illness, and proposes practical ways in which we can dismantle these barriers. The book is written for the general reader: as Dr Shanahan puts it himself, he is "enough of an expert to be wary of experts". The Language of Illness, part manifesto, part memoir, and part instruction manual, is an appeal for the use of clearer, more holistic language, by all those involved with, and affected by, illness. Like the great American poet-doctor William Carlos Williams, he aims to help us develop a new language by means of which we can develop a new way of living with illness – which is an integral part of the human condition. Put simply, it is a book for all those who care about caring.

This comprehensive book thoroughly addresses every aspect of Independent Medical Evaluations, an important part of many medical specialty disciplines where forensic opinions are needed by patients, physicians, insurers, and attorneys. Independent Medical Evaluation: A Practical Guide begins by defining the IME product and the IME evaluator themselves, explaining the medicolegal systems, and providing guidance towards establishing these professional services. Following this, the book describes how to best use medical records, and best-practices for taking an IME history and conducting an examination. The final few chapters cover developing an IME report, the common challenges and pitfalls encountered, with strategies and pearls shared to illustrate how to avoid them. Structured in a concise, practical format, this essential guide includes a large selection of sample models and templates, for additional teaching purposes. The first of its kind, Independent Medical Evaluation: A Practical Guide is a unique and ideal reference text for any physician working with IME’s, from the physician conducting their first exam, to the experienced physician alike.

Career opportunities abound in medical transcription, & two experienced independent medical transcriptionists share their secrets of success in this third edition of their best-selling reference book. This comprehensive manual includes information about time-saving equipment, marketing tips, software, voice recognition, Internet networking, professional issues, education, resources & references. Tables show standard regional billing rates & number of hours of daily transcription needed to generate $80,000 a year in billings in order to make $40,000 net income.

In this long-awaited updated edition of his groundbreaking work Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis, renowned healthcare economist John Goodman ("father" of Health Savings Accounts) analyzes America's ongoing healthcare fiasco—including, for this edition, the failed promises of Obamacare. Goodman then provides what many critics of our healthcare system neglect: solutions. And not a moment too soon. Americans are entangled in a system with perverse incentives that raise costs, reduce quality, and make care less accessible. It's not just patients that need liberation from this labyrinth of confusion—it's doctors, businessmen, and institutions as well. Read this new work and discover: why no one sees a real price for anything: no patient, no doctor, no employer, no employee; how Obamacare's perverse incentives cause insurance companies to seek to attract the healthy and avoid the sick; why having a preexisting condition is actually WORSE under Obamacare than it was before—despite rosy political promises to the contrary; why emergency-room traffic and long waits for care have actually increased under Obamacare; how Medicaid expansion spends new money insuring healthy, single adults, while doing nothing for the developmentally disabled who languish on waiting lists and children who aren't getting the pediatric care they need; how the market for medical care COULD be as efficient and consumer-friendly as the market for cell phone repair... and what it would take to make that happen; how to create centers of medical excellence, which compete to meet the needs of the chronically ill; and much, much more... Thoroughly researched, clearly written, and decidedly humane in its concern for the health of all Americans, John Goodman has written the healthcare book to read to understand today's healthcare crisis. His proposed solutions are bold, crucial, and most importantly, caring. Healthcare is complex. But this book isn't. It's clear, it's satisfying, and it's refreshingly human. If you read even one book about healthcare policy in America, this is the one to read.

Organized by subspecialty, this case-based review covers all the information students are expected to learn during their internal medicine clerkship. Each topic begins with a brief patient history and a question about the most likely diagnosis or next step in management followed by a discussion of alternative diagnoses and management strategies. The user-friendly approach includes numerous algorithms, images, mnemonics, and tables. A companion Website will offer the fully searchable text.