• Advance Directives and Do Not Resuscitate Orders (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Explains advance directives, do not resuscitate orders, durable power of attorney for health care, and living wills.

• Health Information Privacy (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, deals with health insurance coverage for familes when job changes occur, and privacy of the patient's medical information.

• Talking with your Doctor: A guide for older people

A guide to choosing a Doctor, preparing for an appointment, and communicating effectively with your health care provider.

• Talking to your Doctor about your health (e-Health Library)

Help on how to prepare for a visit to the Doctor, including handy lists of questions to help you understand your condition, treatment and diagnostic tests.

• Preparing for a Doctor's Visit (Merck & Co., Inc.)

This site has a brochure to help you make the most of your annual visit to the doctor, a list of key questions for women to ask their doctors, answers to frequently asked questions, and other resources to help you take charge of your health.

• Be Informed: Questions To Ask Your Doctor Before You Have Surgery (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

Each question is presented with a brief description of the kind of information you need.

• Patient Safety (healthelinks)

Modern medical care is complex, which leads to mistakes in medication, diagnosis, surgery, and other aspects of care. Reducing these medical errors has become a major goal of many health care organizations. The links on the Patient Safety page present steps you can take to help prevent mistakes when filling a prescription, going to the hospital, and other situations.

• Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

This AHRQ site provides information on choosing health plans, doctors, treatments, hospitals, and long-term care.  It emphasizes the importance of quality in healthcare, and it discusses finding good health information on the Internet.

• Do your homework before you choose a hospital (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

Discusses matters to consider when selecting a hospital and provides links to helpful resources.

• Cancer risk: understanding the puzzle (National Cancer Institute)

This interactive site is intended to help you make informed decisions about how you can lower your cancer risk.

• Symptom checkers

These sites are intended to help you prepare for a visit to your health care professional by helping you know what questions you should ask.