How To Smoothly Transition To A New Doctor

 Whether you’re moving, or are ditching a bad doctor, you want to make the transition to a new doctor as smooth as you can, to make sure you don’t experience a break in your care. Here’s how to do it. 

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To make the transition from your old doctor to your new one go a smoothly as you can, you want to carry out a few steps. 

Find A New Doctor First

If you’re choosing to find a new doctor, then make sure you can get in with the new one before you leave your existing surgery. You might not always be able to because:

• They may not be accepting new patients

• They don’t accept Medicaid patients

• Specialists are all booked up

When you find a new doctor, set up an introductory appointment before you leave your old one. 

Have A Final Visit

Book in one last appointment with the doctor that you are leaving. In this appointment, you can:

• Ask for a status report on current or recurring health conditions. Take notes, if you can. 

• Discuss your reasons for leaving, if you wish to. Try not to burn any bridges as the medical community is a small one. Making your old doctor angry could make it harder to find a new one. 

• Get copies of your medical records for the past several years, especially ones that relate to current or chronic problems, so your new doctor will have access to your notes, test results, and other information that will be useful to them. Ask your new doctor if they will take care of this step, as many do. 

Get Your Medical Records

You have a right to your medical records under HIPAA. However, each state does have it own laws about how you have to make a formal request to get them, so check first. You will probably need to:

• Make the request in writing

• Pay for copies

• Give them time to comply

If your old doctor uses an electronic medical record-keeping system and your old one doesn’t, or has a system that is very different, this might change the process. 

Do I Have To Say Why I’m Leaving

No. if you’re leaving because you’re unhappy, you don’t have to share. 

If you’re leaving because you don’t have a choice, such as because you are moving away or your insurance has changed, it can be nice to let your doctor know, so they know there wasn’t a problem with their care. 

If you’re leaving due to problems with the doctor, and you think this information would be valuable to them, you can tell them, although it’s best to stay away if you’re seeking advice from a medical malpractice attorney. This conversation will be awkward, but if you can manage it, it might help other patients. 

You could choose to write them a letter or an email, if you’re angry and upset and would rather not face them. Explaining your reasons might feel cathartic, and could help your doctor o change their habits to better care for their other patients. 

5 Situations When Your Life Insurance Policy Won't Pay Out

 Life insurance is something that a lot of people don't think about, especially when they are younger. However, disaster could strike at any time and it's important that your family is protected, so you need to think about taking out a policy. 

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But one thing that people don't always realize when they first get life insurance is that it's not guaranteed to pay out. In fact, there are certain situations where your insurance company will refuse to pay a settlement to your family. Understanding your policy and knowing what situations are covered is the only way to make sure your family is protected. These are some of the situations when your life insurance policy won't pay out. 

Unlawful Denials

There are certain reasons for denied payments that are written into your contract, and we'll get on to those. But it's important to note that insurance companies will sometimes deny a claim without a legitimate reason. In this situation, you need to contact insurance claim attorneys and explain your situation to them. Knowing your policy inside out is the best way to avoid and fight unlawful denials, so read it properly before you sign anything.

False Information On Applications

The majority of life insurance applications ask if the person applying has any serious medical conditions. This is because certain illnesses can mean that someone won't live as long, which means they're more likely to die during the term of the policy. If you fail to mention something on your application then this could invalidate your claim. This doesn't just apply to health conditions either, any false information is grounds for denying your claim, so always double-check your forms before submitting. You also need to make sure you update your policy after any major changes to your life circumstances or your health. 

Terminal Illness

Some policies will not cover you if you have a terminal illness. This means that you have a very serious illness with no chance of recovery. Your insurer may decide to pay out a smaller amount, but they won't pay out the full amount. If you're buying life insurance then it's worth asking about their policy on terminal illnesses and which health problems will result in them not paying out. 

Suicide

If you commit suicide during the term of your policy then it will not pay out. Depending on when this happens, it could invalidate the policy completely. However, if you take out a policy and then attempt suicide but fail then this won't necessarily be considered to be a suicide attempt unless there is proof that you intended to end your life.

Outliving Your Policy

Most life insurance policies only cover you for a certain amount of time. If you outlive your policy then your insurance company won't pay you out, because the term is now over. That's why it's crucial to check your policy regularly and update it when needed. 

Knowing when your life insurance policy won't pay out is so important if you want to prepare for the future and protect your family. 

Workout Tips For The New Mom

Congratulations on your newborn baby! Right now, you’re probably on a total high from the labor experience while feeling totally exhausted. That tiny bundle in your arms is about to keep you feeling exhausted for a few years, so it’s rather important that you know how to get back to feeling more of yourself. There is a lot of things that your baby needs and the most important is a happy and healthy parent. This doesn’t mean snapping back to a pre-baby body that you gently nurtured and cared for, it’s about giving yourself the right amount of energy so that the demanding night feeds don’t take too much of a toll on your body.

There is an absolute ton of information out there about getting back into fitness when you’ve had a baby. Some of it is helpful, some of it is unrealistic. All of it is going to depend on how you feel and the type of birth that you’ve had. Mom’s who have had a c-section, you know the rules about waiting to get fit after you’ve had your baby, so step on back for a few more weeks and allow yourselves to heal properly so that you don’t do any damage. For those who are able to start easing themselves into exercise, don’t push yourself too hard. Your body just made, carried and birthed a child; it needs time to heal, too. So, how can you get back to feeling energized and ready to take on the night feeds?

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Be Happy. Firstly, your body has gone through a lot. It took nine months to change, so you need that much time at the very minimum to change it back again. You’ve got a brand-new little person in your life to enjoy, so focus on breathing in that scent. The workouts will still be there after your six-week check.

Equip Yourself. Working out after birth doesn’t mean you will be heading to the gym to start pumping iron. If you invest in the right double jogging stroller, you can add weight with a toddler as well as the baby and go to the park. Even doing your daily errands can give you a little bit of a workout boost – as long as you slowly get your heart rate up, you’re going to be burning off some calories.

Do SOMETHING. It’s hard to get up and go when you’re pinned to the sofa on the fourth breastfeed of the day and you’re still in your pajamas. However, there is a big wide world out there and you need fresh air as much as the baby needs vitamin D. Get up, get dressed and go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be a long one, just enough to get you moving. Go further every day.

Be Real. You’ve just had your baby. You cannot hope to lose the weight instantly, and you need to be gentle with yourself when it comes to goal-setting. Motherhood is trying enough without added pressure.

Mom, you’re doing an amazing job. Body confidence doesn’t get much better than when you know you’ve created life. Go you! UPDATE: Check out this post from April 2020 on CoolBaby Mom about the Best Double Jogging Strollers!

On a personal note, here's my walking story for National Walking Day a couple of years ago with an update.

Ensure All These Things Are Sorted Before You Move Home

 When you are moving home, it’s really easy to get wrapped up in everything. However, as there is so much to do, it is also really easy to forget about things. Things get left behind, things don’t get done and this can cause you a whole host of issues. So, instead of letting this happen, we recommend that you make a list. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that should be on your list to be sorted before you move home. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

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Kids Are Comfortable

The first thing that you need to do is make sure that the kids are comfortable with the move. Now, we’re not saying that they have to be happy about it per se, because depending on their age and what their life is like where you are now, that might not happen. But, they need to be used to the idea so that they know it is coming and can help with the move as much as they can. 

If you don’t do this, you are in for an awful move. It’s going to be nothing but complaining from start to finish, resistance from start to finish, and so on. We don’t want you to have this kind of nightmare when it is totally avoidable.

House Is In Good Condition

The next thing that you are going to need to do is to make sure that the house is in good condition. You can’t sell your house until you know that your home is sold or going to sell, depending on how much money you have available right now. As such, if you know that there are things that are going to hinder this process, you need to get them sorted as soon as possible. This means that if there is a hole in the roof, get it fixed. If you know that there is an issue with some kind of pests, hire insured pest control. The solutions are fairly simple, so it’s just a case of going through the home and seeing if anything needs doing.

Items Packed Properly

Finally, you need to make sure that the items you own are packed properly and ready to go. You don’t want to leave anything behind that you really want to keep. Anything that you do want to throw away should be discarded properly in the appropriate way. Make sure that everything is all marked and ready to go for the movers to make everyone’s life that little bit simpler!

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you need to get sorted before you can move home. It doesn’t have to be a massively big deal to get all of this ready and can be quite a simple process if you keep everything organized. We wish you the very best of luck and hope that the whole process goes as smoothly as possible.

Reducing Daily Drains on Your Self-Confidence

 

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In all likelihood, virtually every single person out there would like to have a higher degree of self-confidence, at least some of the time.

When you feel a significant lack of confidence, your sense of well-being will tend to be lower, you'll usually find it more difficult to take action and to be proactive in life, and even your interpersonal interactions and relationships with others can be negatively affected.

While there are various different things that you can do to directly improve your confidence, however, a sense of low or reduced self-confidence often comes down to certain daily habits and practices that actively drain our sense of self-belief.

Here are a few tips for reducing those daily drains on your self-confidence.

Work to dismantle habits and compulsions that make you feel bad about yourself afterward

Whether it's a particular unhealthy compulsion, or simply the fact that you eat too much junk food, or don't make the bed every morning, virtually everyone has a particular habit that they end up engaging in on a regular basis, that ultimately makes them feel bad about themselves afterward.

While any given repetition of one of these detrimental habits may seem like a small thing in and of itself, it's important not to underestimate the negative impact of continually undermining your sense of self-worth in subtle ways, on a daily basis.

The more you can work to dismantle those habits and compulsions that make you feel bad about yourself immediately afterwards – whether by following a tried and tested habit-management methodology, or through any other means – the higher your sense of self-confidence and self-worth will tend to be, just by default.

Have a sense of the kind of person you want to be, and the kind of direction you want to head in, in life, instead of wandering aimlessly

In life, there may be all sorts of things that you might want to achieve, and there are plenty of different paths that you could take to try to move towards many of your goals and aspirations. You might compare credit providers and look into starting up your own business, for example, or you might commit to a new fitness program.

One of the things that most consistently undermines people’s sense of self-confidence and self respect, however, is wandering aimlessly from one day to the next, without actively taking steps to developing themselves more into the kind of person they would like to be.

On the contrary, every time you take even just tiny steps towards becoming a better version of yourself, you will likely feel far more as though you are living your life in the right way.

Of course, before you can start aligning your habits and behaviours with your ideal sense of self, you actually have to realise who you want to be, and the kind of direction you want to head in, in life. Being aimless can be a major drain on your self-confidence.

Remain proactive, and don't allow yourself to be passive for long stretches of time

Even if you have a clear sense of who you want to be in life, remaining passive for long stretches of time naturally tends to undermine confidence.

By being proactive, taking action, and pursuing new experiences regularly, you remind yourself of your own ability to direct the course of your life, and you unlock new possibilities.