Page 20 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 10, 2024 avvya yavvy eniiooravvy S iorn or v y io iori by Jim Miller How to Find a Good Doctor Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good resources to help me locate some quality doctors in my area? I’m looking for an orthopedic doctor for my 77-year-old mother and a new internist for me, since my doctor retired last year. Searching Susan Dear Susan, Finding and researching doctors is a lot easier than it used to be. Today, there are variety of websites you can turn to that provide databases of U.S. doctors, their professional medical histories, and ratings and reviews from past patients on a number of criteria. Here are some good sites to help you get started, along with a few additional tips that can help you fi nd the right doctors. Searching Tips To help you locate some good doctors in your area, a good fi rst step is to get referrals from trusted friends, along with any doctors, nurses or other healthcare professionals you know. You also need to check your insurance provider. Call your insurer for a list of approved doctors or ask whether the doctor you’re considering is in-network. If your mother is enrolled in original Medicare, you can use the care compare tool at Medicare.gov/care-compare – click on “Doctors & Clinicians.” This will let you fi nd doctors by name, medical specialty or by geographic location that accept original Medicare. If she’s enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, call or visit the plan website to get a list of approved candidates. Once you fi nd a few doctors, you need to call their offi ce to verify that they still accept your insurance, and if they are accepting new patients. You should also consider hospital affi liation. Your choice of doctor can determine which hospital you go to, if needed, so fi nd out where the doctor has admitting privileges. Then use some hospital ratings services like Medicare.gov/care-compare (click on “Hospitals”) to see how it compares with other hospitals in the area. Researching Doctors After you fi nd a few doctors you’re interested in, there are various websites you can consult, to help you evaluate them. For example, the Federation of State Medical Boards off ers a tool at DocInfo.org that will let you fi nd out doctor’s board certifi - cations, education, states with active licenses, and whether or not a physician has been disciplined by a state medical board. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS Data) is also a good source for researching doctors. For example, it will help you fi nd out how many times a doctor did a particular procedure and what they charge for it – go to Data.CMS.gov/tools and click on “Medicare Physician & Other Practitioner Look-up Tool.” And to learn about the fi nancial relationship that doctors have with drug and medical device companies, visit OpenPaymentsData.CMS.gov. Some other good sites for fi nding and researching healthcare professionals include Healthgrades (healthgrades.com) and Vitals (vitals.com). Both sites provide substantial doctor’s information on education and training, hospital affi liations, board certifi cation, awards and recognitions, professional misconduct, disciplinary action, offi ce locations and accepted insurance plans. They also off er 5-star ratings scales from past patients on issues such as communication and listening skills, wait time, time spent with the patient, offi ce friendliness and more. But be aware that while physician rating websites can be helpful, they can also be misleading and unreliable. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. ~ Letter-to-the-Editor ~ Renovation To Salemwood Field Dear Editor, I’m writing this letter with a heavy heart. I read the article in last week’s Malden Advocate. Mayor Christenson offi cially pulled the plug on the athletic fi eld renovations at Salemwood school. The political infi ghting between councillors who want natural turf vs. artifi cial turf has been these past years appalling to say the least. Federal or state money to renovate this beautiful fi eld was on ARTIST | FROM PAGE 1 characterized by geometric shapes and vibrant colors, captivated audiences worldwide and earned him widespread acclaim. Frank remained deeply connected to his roots in Malden, maintaining a strong sense of pride in his hometown throughout his life. His original design (Sinjerli Variations IV Redux, 1968) adorns Malden’s Wayfinding Signs throughout the City. The project was initiated by Mayor Christenson’s Advisory Committee on Walkability in 2012, chaired by Malden artist Sharon Santillo, as they worked to create an innovative way to help pedestrians easily navigate the City while encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Sharon reached out to Frank Stella to see if he would permit Malden to use one of his original designs on the wayfi nding signs and Frank immediately agreed. HERO | FROM PAGE 1 Maximus was sitting in his fi rst-grade class when his teacher, Linden School educator Jessica Muolo, passed out and fell to the fl oor. Fortunately for Muolo, who is pregnant, her own “guardian” Angel – Maximus – did not even think twice. The seven-year-old Malden fi rst-grader turned local superhero in an instant. As one of an entire group of young students looking on, he sprang into action. He immediately went for help for the stricken Muolo – but not before he grabbed the nurse’s office pass sitting on her desk! Muolo was able to be revived by school and outside personnel and all reports are that she and her baby are doing fi ne. the table but the political fi ghting between councilors as to what should be put there has ruined any chance of this happening. Why in God’s name has it come to the court system for this process to be settled? Our elected offi cials have not only let the taxpayers of our beloved city down but also the children of Malden to have a state-ofthe-art sports fi eld. Because of your petty bickering for the past 3 years, the children of Malden In 2014, Frank attended a WalkBoston Golden Shoe Award ceremony at MIT in Boston where Mayor Christenson, Sharon Santillo and the Walkability Committee were commended for making Malden the first city ever to combine artwork with walkability. In 2018, Frank Stella came to Malden to donate two of his original pieces: “The Pacific” 1972 and “Shards IV” 1982 to the Malden Public Library. His original piece “Louisiana Lottery,” 1972 was donated at the same time by Malden Public Library Patrons John Giso and Michael Nutall. There was a celebratory reception held in his honor and he was presented a Key to the City by Mayor Gary Christenson. In 2019, Frank granted Malden Arts ARTLine permission to use his “Protractor” 1960s series for a large mural along Route 60 in Malden. The artwork, a collection of bright, curved brands “All I said was come quick and explained to her what was going on but she came quick. I said our teacher fainted,” Maximus told reporters in an online report. The Linden School seven-year-old said his actions were something he learned at home. “My dad helped me because he taught me to help others and if I didn’t then I knew that that could’ve ended worse than it happened,” Maximus said. Maximus was honored by Superintendent Dr. Ligia Noriega-Murphy and the Malden School Committee earlier this spring. On May 1, Maximus was center stage at TD Garden – standing right on the Leprechaun! – when he received the “Hero Among Us” award before lose out. The cost ballooned to the point where the city of Malden could not sustain it. It is a sad day for 02148 when politicians trump children. Hopefully, our state delegation can come up with another viable solution to put this project back on the drawing board. Signed, Kevin Larson 61-year lifelong Malden resident of color on large canvases, is displayed on the wall of Malden High School facing Centre Street and the Northern Strand Community Trail. Frank traveled from New York to Malden to celebrate the ribbon cutting with Mayor Christenson and elected offi cials. Although he had not been feeling well, one of Frank’s last contributions was a Happy Birthday message he recorded in honor of Malden’s 375th birthday. Throughout his illustrious career, Frank Stella received numerous accolades and honors and his works are housed in major museums and private collections around the globe, a testament to his enduring infl uence on contemporary art. Frank Stella remained proud of his Malden roots and the City will be forever grateful for his contributions and his artwork will continue to inspire and infl uence future generations of artists. the Celtics’ home playoff game against Miami. A citation presented to Maximus read: “For remaining composed in an emergency situation and for his life-saving actions, 7-yearold Max Angel of Malden, Massachusetts was honored as a Hero Among Us at the Celtics playoff home game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.” According to the Boston Celtics, since its establishment in 1997 by the Boston Celtics, “The Heroes Among Us has recognized outstanding individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to their communities. The award is presented every home game and pays tribute to the heroic achievements of these outstanding citizens.” For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net
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