4 Health and Hospital Sites, Organizations and Resources

We’ve put together a starter list of health and hospital resources to help you out.

1. Hospital and Physician Information

1. American Medical Association – Doctor Finder
   • DoctorFinder is an online physician locator to help you find a perfect match for your medical needs. DoctorFinder provides you with basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States. This includes more than 814,000 doctors.
2. AIM DocFinder
   • The AIM DocFinder was the only online physician directory of its kind when it was launched in 1996. The DocFinder is still recognized for its easy-to-use search engine. DocFinder contains the licensing background and disciplinary information of physicians and other health care practitioners from those states that practice. In addition, DocFinder includes physician profile information from states that have passed physician profile laws.
   • Administrators in Medicine (AIM), a not-for-profit organization, is the national organization for state medical and osteopathic board executives. Founded in 1984, the mission of AIM is to assist and support administrators for medical licensing and regulatory authorities to achieve administrative excellence and ultimately advance public safety.
3. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
   • American Academy of Pediatrics – an organization of 67,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Its HealthyChildren.org site is the only parenting website backed by 67,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
4. American College of Surgeons
   • The Patients and Family section provides the information you can use to more fully understand some common surgical procedures. Our resources include home skills kits to prepare you for surgical care once you leave the hospital and information on various surgical procedures.
   • There is also an online “Find a Surgeon” search tool available. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.
5. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)
   • The ASA’s When Seconds Count website provides everything you need to know about anesthesia, pain management and the medical experts committed to patient safety and high-quality care. When Seconds Count is the public-focused website of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
   • The American Society of Anesthesiologists is an educational, research and scientific association of physicians organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of the patient.
6. Hospital Compare
   • Hospital Compare is a consumer-oriented website that provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to their patients.
   • The information can help consumers make informed decisions about where to go for health care and allows consumers to select multiple hospitals and directly compare performance measure information related to heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgery and other conditions.

2. Health and Medical Information

1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
   • The Patients & Consumers section provides a variety of health-related information for consumers. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) mission is to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable, and to work within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and with other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used.
2. Healthfinder.gov
   • This portal from the National Health Information Center of The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), offers a health library, information about health care and links to health organizations. HHS is the principal U.S. government agency for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services.
3. Medline Plus
   • MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health’s Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.
4. National Women’s Health Research Center
   • This site includes information on a range of health topics. HealthyWomen is the nation’s leading independent, nonprofit health information source for women. Our mission is to educate women to make informed health choices for themselves and for their families.
5. PDR Health
   • The Physicians’ Desk Reference® (PDR) delivers innovative health knowledge products and services that support prescribing decisions and patient adherence to improve health.
   • Its suite of services provides healthcare professionals multichannel access to important drug information: interactive drug information services for EHR/EMR systems; digital communication services; PDR.net®; and mobilePDR®. Type in your drug name in PDR Search for medication information.
6. Web MD
   • At this site, you can learn about health conditions, check your symptoms and find a doctor or specialist nearest you. The Health Insurance and Medicare section provides information on different types of medical coverage. Web MD is a public portal designed to help consumers take an active role in managing their health by providing objective healthcare and lifestyle information.
   • WebMD Health Network, an Internet Brands company, is a leading provider of health information services to consumers, physicians and other healthcare professionals, employers and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms and health-focused publications.
7. WholeHealthMD
   • WholeHealthMD.com is dedicated to providing the best in complementary and alternative medicine. All of our information is developed by a team of leading board-certified doctors and specialists.

3. Health Insurance Information

1. America’s Health Insurance Plans
   • America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) advocates for the health insurance community and the consumers they serve®. The Issues section provides information on the types of health insurance coverage.
2. AARP
   • AARP’s Medicare Resource Center provides information on Medicare and Medicaid. AARP is a nonprofit membership organization of persons 50 and older dedicated to addressing their needs and interests.

4. General Information

1. CaringBridge
   • CaringBridge™ is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering free personalized Web sites to those wishing to stay in touch with family and friends during significant life events. CaringBridge authors quickly and easily create personalized websites that display journal entries and photographs. Well-wishers visit the site to read updates and leave messages in the Guestbook.
2. WhatFriendsDo.com
   • WhatFriendsDo.com helps family and friends form a “Team” and respond to multiple life-changing events in an organized and helpful way for those they love and care about. The site provides great ideas to help your team be there with its understanding, love and uplifting support.