Charles B. 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.

The Disease of Loneliness
Diseases & Conditions

The Disease of Loneliness

Charles B. Inlander | November 8, 2023

You have probably never thought of loneliness as a disease, but, more and more, loneliness is being viewed as a…

Health-Care Advertising
Diseases & Conditions

Health-Care Advertising

Charles B. Inlander | October 8, 2023

Prior to the 1980s, health-care advertising was barely noticeable. The bulk of the products advertised on television or in magazines…

Health Screening Tests
Diseases & Conditions

Health Screening Tests

Charles B. Inlander | September 7, 2023

Health screening tests are designed to identify serious medical conditions early. The earlier a condition is identified, the better the…

Finding A Caregiver

Finding A Caregiver

Charles B. Inlander | July 9, 2023

Finding a competent and honest caregiver to help take care of a family member or loved one is a complicated…

Depersonalized Health Care

Depersonalized Health Care

Charles B. Inlander | June 2, 2023

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

Charles B. Inlander | May 7, 2023

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

Making Sense Out of Medical Information

Charles B. Inlander | April 5, 2023

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

Medical Information You Understand

Charles B. Inlander | February 8, 2023

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

Avoiding Medical Debt

Avoiding Medical Debt

Charles B. Inlander | January 8, 2023

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

Accessing Your Medical Records

Charles B. Inlander | November 10, 2022

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

How to Tell If Your Doc Is a Quack

Charles B. Inlander | October 23, 2022

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

Hospital Helpers

Hospital Helpers

Charles B. Inlander | September 9, 2022

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

Don’t Go Alone To Your Health Appointments

Charles B. Inlander | July 10, 2022

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

Checking on Local Health Care

Charles B. Inlander | June 19, 2022

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?

Second Opinions: When, Where, and How?

Charles B. Inlander | May 9, 2022

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

Charles B. Inlander | April 7, 2022

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

Keeping Your Own Medical Record

Charles B. Inlander | November 6, 2021

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

A Shortage of Doctors and Nurses

Charles B. Inlander | September 9, 2021

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

How to Make Sense of Hospital Pricing

Charles B. Inlander | August 17, 2021

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

What’s New with Long-Term Care Insurance

Charles B. Inlander | July 29, 2020

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…