11/20/2009 Q. I am having surgery on my ankle and would like to find and compare Orthopaedic Surgeons in my area.
The Florida Department of Health licenses and regulates health care professionals. On their website you will find a list of licensed professionals and their profiles. On the FloridaHealthFinder.gov homepage click Find Doctors and Specialists located under Locate a Facility or Provider. A link to the DOH website will be displayed. Click on www.FLHealthSource.com, then Citizen/Consumer. To search for a practitioner click on Search Practitioner Profile located under Health Information Services. This feature will allow searches by various information sources, including specialty and location.
11/13/2009 My family and I are concerned about the care given to my father in a Florida nursing home. We believe that the facility is out of compliance. How do I file a complaint?
The Agency regulates 41 types of health care service providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home health agencies. Health care consumers can search FloridaHealthFinder.gov to see if a health care facility is regulated by the Agency. If a consumer has a complaint or would like to report a suspicious activity, they can anonymously complete the Agency’s online complaint form at FloridaHealthFinder.gov and click on File a Complaint. The only information needed to file a complaint is the name of the health care facility, address, date of the incident, and the patient/resident’s name and date of birth, if available. For Floridians who do not have access to the Internet, but would like to file a complaint, they can call the Agency toll-free at (888) 419-3456. 8/17/2009 I live in New York and I’m trying to help my Dad get some additional care. I don’t even know if he can continue to live in his own home or if he needs to be placed somewhere. Is there anything online that can help me prepare before I come down to Florid
There are several resources on FloridaHealthFinder.gov that can help you. On the homepage click “Senior Health.” On this page you’ll find: (1) Brochures and Guides where you can view the brochures Assisted Living in Florida, Home Health Care in Florida, and Long-Term Care. These present a general idea of these providers as well as questions to consider in making a choice, should that be needed for your father. (2) The CARES program can provide an assessment of your father’s condition and needs. (3) Should your father need a nursing home, the Florida Nursing Home Guide can help you compare nursing homes. (4) Other information on this page may also be helpful to you.
Additionally, on the FloridaHealthFinder.gov homepage click “Find Facilities or Providers” to locate and learn more about Florida health care facilities and providers. A Glossary on the search tool describes the services they offer. 8/3/2009 A friend of mine just started at a job where they don’t offer health insurance for her or her two kids. She’s worried about what she can do if any of them get sick.
On the homepage of FloridaHealthFinder.gov click “Medical Help Resources” to find information and programs that provide help to people with no insurance or low coverage. In the “Medical Help Resources” section click the Insurance link to read about Cover Florida (basic insurance coverage for lower cost), KidCare (a program for children under age 19), Medicaid (a program for people who meet the low-income requirements), and other programs listed there. Additionally, should your friend or her children need health care before they have health insurance they can find many other programs in “Medical Help Resources” that provide information, referral, and direct medical care. 6/25/2009 Welcome!
We welcome you to visit the FloridaHealthFinder Health News and Announcements page, sponsored by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, to get news bits, insider information, and learn more about how people are using the resources available at the FloridaHealthFinder.gov website!
- A complete medical encyclopedia
- Quality indicators for facilities throughout for ALL Florida hospitals
6/24/2009 Upcoming Shoulder Surgery
My husband is scheduled to have surgery on his shoulder next month to repair a torn muscle. I've been using FloridaHealthFinder to learn about the type of surgery he will be having, what the expectations are for recovery and what his convalescence might involve. The ADAM article on the FloridaHealthFinder website pertaining to Shoulder arthroscopy was very clear and helpful - and the data related to the length of stay and readmission rates was very helpful in determining at which facility we will schedule his surgery. 6/22/2009 More information about pancreatitis
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My mom had to go to the emergency room, was diagnosed with pancreatitis, and admitted to the hospital. It seemed serious, but none of us knew what to expect. I went to FloridaHealthFinder.gov and did a search for pancreatitis from the home page. |
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There were several results, so I looked at the first one. It explained that pancreatitis is typically caused by alcohol abuse or a gallbladder problem. I figured my mom probably had a gallbladder problem, and two days later I learned that this was indeed the case when she was diagnosed with a gallbladder blockage.
While learning about her condition, I clicked on the Health Outcome Data link and viewed the results for adults in Leon County, where we live. I learned that the hospital where my mom was admitted had more than twice as many admissions for pancreatitis than the other hospital in our county. The charges and length of stay outcomes were comparable—so overall I felt that she was in a hospital that was well equipped to help her get better.
5/18/2009 In looking at this website for Hip Replacements, what is Total Hospitalizations and how is this information helpful to me?
Total hospitalizations (volume) is the total number of patients treated at that hospital for a particular condition or procedure, or if a condition or procedure is not selected, then the total number of hospitalizations at the facility.
While volume of hospitalizations is not a direct measure of quality of care, it is useful in seeing how much experience a hospital has for a given procedure or condition. Generally, the higher the volume the better. If you have a condition that is not very common or involves complex procedures, you should consider the volume of similar cases your hospital handles, or find a facility with more experience with treating your condition. |
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