Secrets from a doctor - that may save you money or your life!

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

Earlier this week, the Today Show aired this segment as part of a three-part series, "Secrets from a..." where insiders share ways to help save you money. Dr. Natalie Azar, clinical assistant professor of medicine and rheumatology at NYU Medical Center shared the inside scoop about medical issues.

Here are a couple of insider tips:

Best Times for a Doctor's Appointment

The best timefor an appointment is in the morning....before your doctor has fallen behind.

(Most of us have already figured this out)

Worst Time for Elective Surgery

"July. It's called the July effect...because the academic or training year begins July 1. That means that everyone is moving up - interns become residents, residents move up in their training. So at the beginning of July, the intern is a freshly minted medical school graduate."

"Studies on medical errors suggest the odds of dying are highest in teaching hospital in July, because of medication errors. Others have refuted that and say people are more on their toes, especially nurses."

(Well this is good to know. I think I will avoid having surgery during the first couple of weeks of July!)

To view the video of this segment, go to http://www.today.com/health/secrets-doctor-may-save-you-money-or-your-life-2D79757035

[PauperRN]

Interesting is the word.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I used to working in a training hospital and it was sometimes a task to reign in the newbies while pretending they know more than you. On the other hand, many were happy to have ANY experienced person around. I liked those docs.