icasc advantage blog

Take Charge of Your Healthcare

As we’ve previously discussed in our blogs, exercising your patient rights is an important way to engage in your healthcare. Taking charge of your healthcare helps to ensure you are receiving the best care possible.

While this might sound like a good idea to you, if you’re like some patients, you might not be sure how to take charge of your healthcare, though.

In our previous blog we discussed patient rights—your right to choose where and from whom you receive care. These rights are vital to receiving the care you need with dignity and respect, and they can help support you in engaging with your healthcare.

Exercising your rights as a patient is the best way to engage in your care, and engaging in your care is an excellent way to ensure you stay knowledgeable and make informed decisions about your healthcare.

Patients’ Rights: What You Need to Know

In the world of healthcare, there are a lot of rules and regulations. All of the fine print and codes can be overwhelming as a patient, and healthcare can be intimidating for many.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and lost as a patient, even if you’re in need of care.

While it seems as though there are many rules you have to follow as a patient, it should be comforting to know that there are rules your care providers have to follow as well.

There are many challenges to face within the world of healthcare, especially if you’re a care provider. Patients are the number one concern, since their well-being is the top priority of healthcare. Placing priority on patients requires astute attention to detail, constant research into new modes of care, and utilizing tools and environments that will be conducive to successful outcomes.

Maybe you’ve heard of ambulatory surgical centers before, but even if you have, there’s still a high chance you are unsure whether an ASC is right for you.

For starters, it’s important to know exactly what an ASC is, even if you have some background knowledge. So let’s answer the main question: What is an ASC?

If you or one of your loved ones has had surgery, you know how stressful it can be. Stress and surgery are not an atypical pairing, and many people deal with anxiety before their procedure. In fact, there’s even a word for the fear patients experience before their surgical procedure: tomophobia. While it’s natural to experience stress and some fear before surgery, receiving the care you need doesn’t have to cause you anxiety. This is certainly more easily said than done, but you can reduce your stress by following the advice of your care provider that will make your surgery experience as comfortable and easy as possible.

By now, you’ve likely heard about Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC), but you might be a bit confused on the differences between services provided by an ASC and a regular hospital. For starters, hospitals provide a wide range of care, from everyday checkups to intensive surgeries. Hospitals are also capable of housing patients who require long-term care while they convalesce from cancer treatment or surgeries.

In our past blogs, we’ve outlined how Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) are an affordable solution in our age of rising costs of healthcare. At Iowa City ASC, we’re proud to offer patients excellent care for their outpatient surgical procedures, while also helping them save money. Our team recognizes the need for affordable and accessible healthcare, and we are continually looking for ways to help make care for our patients cost-effective.

In our last blog, we outlined the differences between inpatient and outpatient care and why Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) are a reasonable choice, and in this blog, we’ll be looking at the cost-effectiveness. Cost-effectiveness is a major pull for many patients who choose to have their procedure done at an ASC, because the savings are often astronomical between a traditional hospital and an ASC.

Although it’s necessary in many cases, the process of undergoing surgery can be a frightening thought. Everyone’s reaction will be different when they find out they need a surgical procedure, but thankfully the ways in which you can mentally prepare for surgery work for nearly all individuals.

The team at Iowa City ASC knows that surgery can bring up a lot of unanswered questions, and by far the most essential element to consider is how you are feeling mentally and emotionally during the days leading up to the procedure. Here are 5 ways you can get yourself ready for surgery.