Charles Inlander

Charles B. Inlander, a consumer advocate and health-care consultant based in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. He was the founding president of the nonprofit People’s Medical Society, a consumer-advocacy organization credited with key improvements in the quality of US health care, and is the author or coauthor of more than 20 consumer-health books.

Depersonalized Health Care
Health Care Providers

Depersonalized Health Care

The delivery of medicine has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. While you still go to a doctor for…

Patient Beware: Hospital Acquired Infections
Diseases & Conditions

Patient Beware: Hospital Acquired Infections

There’s an old axiom that the most dangerous place to be when you are sick is in a hospital. Hospitals…

Making Sense Out of Medical Information
Health Care Providers

Making Sense Out of Medical Information

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the difficulty we health-care consumers often have making sense out of medical information. For…

Medical Information You Understand
Health Care Providers

Medical Information You Understand

One of the most frequent complaints I hear from medical consumers is that they do not understand what their doctors…

Avoiding Medical Debt
Health Care Providers

Avoiding Medical Debt

A recent poll found that more than 40 percent of Americans have health-care debt. Health-care debt is one of the…

Accessing Your Medical Records
Health Care Providers

Accessing Your Medical Records

My family physician recently retired. He had been my primary care doctor for 35 years and he had coordinated my…

How to Tell If Your Doc Is a Quack
Health Care Providers

How to Tell If Your Doc Is a Quack

Trust between patient and doctor is essential, but sometimes you need to be skeptical of a diagnosis or proposed treatment.…

Hospital Helpers
Health Care Providers

Hospital Helpers

Hospital stays are getting shorter and shorter. Thirty years ago, the average stay was seven days. Today, it’s down to…

Don’t Go Alone To Your Health Appointments
Health Care Providers

Don’t Go Alone To Your Health Appointments

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on the health-care system. Thousands of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, therapists,…

Checking on Local Health Care
Personal Care

Checking on Local Health Care

The quality of a state’s health-care system doesn’t tell the whole story. Sometimes what matters is what is available close…

Second Opinions: When, Where, and How?
Health Care Providers

Second Opinions: When, Where, and How?

I’m not telling you anything you didn’t know when I recommend seeking medical second opinions. As studies point out, up…

Your Advocate
Mental Health

Your Advocate

Seeking Mental Health Services In addition to the tragic loss of life caused by COVID-19, the pandemic has taken an…

Keeping Your Own Medical Record
Advocacy

Keeping Your Own Medical Record

The longer you live, the more encounters you have with the health care system. After a while, you may forget…

A Shortage of Doctors and Nurses
Health Care Providers

A Shortage of Doctors and Nurses

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a growing shortage of doctors and nurses across America. The problem was particularly…

How to Make Sense of Hospital Pricing
Health Care Providers

How to Make Sense of Hospital Pricing

When the Affordable Care Act (ACA or “Obamacare”) was enacted in 2010, one of its major provisions was requiring hospitals…

What’s New with Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance

What’s New with Long-Term Care Insurance

Long-care insurance isn’t new, but there are recent developments everyone should know about whether you have this type of coverage or not. Read on…

Preauthorization Traps: Don’t Get Stuck with Unexpected Medical Bills
Health Insurance

Preauthorization Traps: Don’t Get Stuck with Unexpected Medical Bills

Don’t assume that every test or procedure your doctor orders will be covered by your health insurance plan. Here’s when you need preauthorization…

Is It Time to see a Geriatrician?
Health Care Providers

Is It Time to see a Geriatrician?

Once we hit our 60s, 70s and beyond, our medical needs are often quite different from what they were when we were in middle age or early adulthood.

Smart Ways to Deal with Your Loved One’s Doctors
Caregiving

Smart Ways to Deal with Your Loved One’s Doctors

For caregivers who must take charge at a patient’s doctor appointment, the “rules” aren’t always clear. What you need to know…

How to Be Heard in the Health Care Debate
Health Insurance

How to Be Heard in the Health Care Debate

Health care is vital for everyone, so it’s important to voice your concerns during this political season. Here are the best ways to be heard…