Do you have a health care or related question? Do you want information about one or more medical conditions or tests? Are you concerned that your diagnosis is not complete or maybe not accurate? Which doctors and hospitals are most experienced in treating your medical conditions? Does doctor and hospital experience make a difference? What questions should you ask your doctor about your condition? Your personal doctor should be your first source of advice about your condition and the possible treatments available through your health plan. Your health plan or insurer may also offer special supporting programs that will help meet specific needs. Xerox’s NEW Health Advocacy resource is designed to help employees and their family members receive the information they need to make informed health care decisions. Informed health care “consumers,” who have been prepared with objective, understandable and independent information, can more easily form true partnerships with their doctors and the other providers on their health care teams. Most people contact this confidential and voluntary resource when they are confronted with a serious, (perhaps life threatening) medical condition or injury. The medical condition may be “acute” (i.e., the serious diagnosis is completely unexpected; you may not even feel ill). Examples include a diagnosis of cancer, a heart, lung, or vascular condition, kidney or liver disease, or perhaps a rare condition that you never knew “existed.” You may also have questions about a chronic medical problem that you have been treating over a period of time. Perhaps your symptoms are not improving or you are wondering if there are other treatment avenues to explore. The Xerox Health Advocacy Program also helps you in other ways. Perhaps you are scheduled for a physical examination. You want to have all your concerns addressed but understand that your doctor has limited time. We have effective ways to help you address these common concerns. Use of this resource is totally voluntary and confidential. You can choose to use the resource at any time. The following provides some examples where you might want to use this resource. When you or someone in your immediate family has a serious medical condition. For example: If there is a possibility that your heart, kidneys, liver, or lungs might fail. You want more information about the condition and what causes it. Perhaps you (or a family member) were recently told by a doctor that you have cancer. Possibly you have not been treated for your condition and you want to find out what treatments are available that might benefit. You are concerned that your doctor or hospital may not be experienced in treating your condition or you want to find out who is the most experienced doctor or hospital. You are a diabetic and have difficulty controlling your diabetes with medication. Perhaps you have kidney or eye problems that are related to your diabetes. What resources are available to help? The very best time to use this resource is immediately after your doctor first reports that you have a serious illness that demands treatment. If you suspect you are having a heart attack or some other acute life threatening medical problem, you should call 911 immediately!!! Home | About Us | Contact Us