By Lorie A. Parch
From Health magazine
From Health magazine
In 1999, Susan Sheridan’s husband, Pat, went in for surgery to remove a tumor in his neck. After the surgery, the neurosurgeon gave the Eagle, Idaho, couple great news: The mass was benign—a fact the neurosurgeon confirmed after looking at the pathology report two weeks later.
“Little did we know that the pathologist had been conducting ongoing stains on the tumor and had released a final pathology report 21 days after the surgery,” says Susan, now 48. “It said ‘malignant sarcoma.’” Cancer. But the Sheridans never got this critical update because it was mistakenly filed away at Pat’s doctor’s office without the physician or patient ever seeing it. Read More
It’s a scary fact: Doctors screw up. But their mistakes—which could be as serious as a misdiagnosis or the wrong prescription or as simple as not calling back with the results of a test—can have terrifying consequences. Has your doctor ever made a mistake with your care? Take our poll and share your story with us (instructions below). 
Health insurance companies like to keep secrets. And they like to save money. Example: You have surgery, and weeks later you get a bill for using an out-of-network anesthesiologist. Ridiculous, right? You didn’t choose who put you under, so you shouldn’t have to pay extra. But your insurer sent the bill anyway, hoping you wouldn’t notice.
Your hand and wrist ache after working at the computer all day, and they sometimes start feeling numb. Maybe the pain is centered on your forearms. Uh-oh: It’s carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and soon you’ll need a date with the surgeon, right?
