For More Information
Here are some places you can get more
information.
Surgery
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has free
pamphlets on When You Need an Operation. For copies, write to:
The American College of Surgeons
Office of Public Information
633 N. St. Clair Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 202-5000 (toll free: 1-800-621-4111)
This group has pamphlets that give general information about
surgery and other pamphlets that describe specific surgical
procedures. These pamphlets are also available on the ACS Web site
at http://www.facs.org/public_info/ppserv.html.
Second Opinion
For the free brochure, Getting a Second Opinion
Before Surgery: Your Choices and Medicare Coverage, write to:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Room 555, East High
Rise Building
6325 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21207
Ask
for Publication No. CMS 02173.
The brochure can also be found on
the CMS Web site at http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/home.asp.
For the name of a specialist in your area who can give you a second
opinion, ask your primary care doctor or surgeon, the local medical
society, or your health insurance company. Medicare beneficiaries
may also obtain information from the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services' Medicare hotline; call toll-free 1-800-633-4227.
Anesthesia
Free booklets on what you should know about
anesthesia are available from the American Society of
Anesthesiologists (ASA) or the American Association of Nurse
Anesthetists (AANA). For copies, write to:
The American Society of Anesthesiologists
520 North
Northwest Highway
Park Ridge, IL 60068
Phone: (847) 825-5586
Or:
The American Association of Nurse
Anesthetists
222 S. Prospect Avenue
Park Ridge, IL 60068-4001
Phone: (847) 692-7050.
General
For almost every disease, there is a national or local
association or society that publishes patient information. Check your
local telephone directory.
There are also organized groups of patients
with certain illnesses that may be able to provide information about a
condition, alternative treatments, and experiences with local doctors
and hospitals. Ask your hospital or doctors if they know of any
patient groups related to your condition.
Also, your local public
library has medical reference materials about health care treatments.
Many libraries now have Health Information Centers, special
sections with books and pamphlets on health and disease. Your
librarian also can help you find trusted sources of medical
information on the Internet. One such site is healthfinder™
(http://www.healthfinder.gov).
AHRQ Publication No. 05(06)-0074
Current as of October 2005
Previous Section
Contents
Internet Citation:
Having Surgery? What You Need to Know. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. AHRQ Publication No. 05(06)-0074, October 2005. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/surgery/surgery.htm