Tools To Make The Most Of Your Health Plan


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Patient Safety

Unity cares about your safety. We encourage you to take an active role in staying safe while receiving medical care. It is important to be educated about the treatment you are receiving. Asking questions about treatment plans, prescriptions and medical care alternatives can help you and your practitioner arrive at the best treatment plan. One of the most effective ways to stay safe and healthy is to treat your practitioner as a partner in your health care.

Follow these steps to practice patient safety:

  1. Ask questions and get explanations when you don't understand your health care practitioner
  2. Be open and honest when they ask you questions
  3. Keep a list of all the medications you are taking. Know the dose and purpose of each medication
  4. Check your prescription when you pick it up from the pharmacy
  5. Know what tests are being done, why they are being done, the risks and the anticipated results
  6. Openly discuss all your treatment options with your practitioner; do not be afraid to ask for a second opinion
  7. Talk to everyone who is providing your care
  8. Make sure everyone who handles your care in the hospital checks your ID bracelet for information
  9. Educate yourself about your condition
  10. Bring a family member or friend to your appointment; during a stressful situation, it helps to have another person present.

Patient safety resources
Leapfrog -- http://www.leapfroggroup.org
This website provides information about hospitals that voluntarily report and participate in Leapfrog initiatives. Leapfrog gathers and reports information on hospital quality and patient safety efforts to help patients make informed decisions about where to receive hospital care. View Unity’s provider participation in Leapfrog and Wisconsin CheckPoint.  

Wisconsin Health Report -- http://www.wisconsinhealthreports.org
Wisconsin Health Reports offers a centralized home for health care information for Wisconsin. Today, the site links you to the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality and the Wisconsin Hospital Association's CheckPoint Web sites. These sites contain current, reliable information about medical clinics and hospitals located throughout Wisconsin.

Madison Patient Safety -- http://www.madisonpatientsafety.org
This collaborative group of healthcare providers in Dane County have worked together to develop materials to assist you in learning about patient safety. The MPSC has many resources, including a Guide to Medication Safety Patient Information and Tip Sheets for Patient Safety.

WHA Information Center -- http://www.wipricepoint.org
A subsidiary of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the WHA Information Center is dedicated to collecting and providing information about services provided by Wisconsin Hospitals.<