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Providing Patients With Knowledge
The Healthcare Appointment Playbook is a practical, no-nonsense guide that simplifies the healthcare system by providing readers with insights into different healthcare providers, demystifying insurance, and preparing patients for healthcare appointments. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The book was important to write because every time I see a new patient and she tells me that I am the first provider to ask about her health history, explain things clearly, allow her to ask questions, and keep things real, I realize that all patients should have the same experience. When I open a patient’s chart and see that her history hasn’t been entered or updated, it breaks my heart. It means that someone didn’t care enough about her to get to know her and educate her on her health risks.
Patients are getting sicker earlier in their lives and are spending more on their healthcare. Patients need to know about the timing of health screenings, be educated about prevention, and know the consequences of lifestyle decisions on their health.
Healthcare providers rely on our patients for their jobs; but I believe healthcare is the only service industry that is provider-driven rather than patient-driven, and this must change. Patients need to have the knowledge to take control of their appointments—to ask questions, seek clarification, explore treatment options and optimize their healthcare appointments. They also need resources and tools to live healthy lives, and I wanted to create a wellness guide to show that leading a healthy life can be simple and affordable.
What is your background and experience, and how did it help you write this book?
I have been an Advanced Practice Provider since March 2001 and have had the same employer throughout this time. I know this is rare today. I reached the salary cap nine years ago, but I stay because I love my patients and want to do right by them. I am the healthcare provider today because patients trust me enough to include me in their lives. I’ve learned from their stories and experiences, understanding their struggles and distrust of the healthcare system. Although I no longer attend deliveries, I now care for the women I helped bring into this world.
Since the Affordable Care Act, women’s healthcare providers can serve as primary care providers. I embraced this role to provide continuity of care and to continue caring for women beyond their women’s healthcare needs.
My psychology degree has given me insight into the mind-body connection, showing how my patients’ lives outside the exam room impact their physical and mental health. My business degree has increased my awareness of healthcare economics and how patients are affected.
The combination of my clinical experience and education helped me to write the book.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I wanted to demystify the healthcare experience for patients and provide a comprehensive guide to navigating the healthcare system. I aimed to explain what to expect, what their rights are as patients, what questions to ask, why healthcare providers do what they do, what are common illnesses that shorten lifespan and to offer a simple wellness guide that helps patients prevent illness and disease. I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from The Healthcare Appointment Playbook?
That patients can have some control over their healthcare visits.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
The Healthcare Appointment Playbook: Understanding the System to Get the Care You Deserve
The Healthcare Appointment Playbook is a practical, no-nonsense guide aimed at empowering patients, especially women, to navigate the complexities of today’s broken healthcare system. Drawing on over two decades of experience as a nurse-midwife and primary care provider, Barbara Alif Doran strips away the mystery and intimidation that too often accompany doctor visits. With warmth, clarity, and the occasional jab at the frustrating bureaucracy of modern medicine, Doran explains what patients should expect during visits, how to advocate for themselves, and why prevention is key to long-term health.
What I liked most about this book was its genuine voice. Doran calls out systemic problems like insurance hoops, rushed appointments, and provider burnout, with the kind of honest frustration that only someone inside the system can express. And yet, the tone isn’t bitter. It’s hopeful. She believes deeply in the power of patients to reclaim control, and that conviction pulses through every chapter. Her personal stories, particularly the one about a patient named Anne who eventually agreed to manage her high blood pressure on her own terms, made the advice feel real and reachable.
Parts of the book did make me feel sad and even angry. The way our healthcare system pushes quantity over quality isn’t new to me, but hearing it from a provider who’s lived it and burned out because of it really drove the point home. But Doran isn’t just venting. She’s teaching. Every tip, whether it’s about preparing questions for your visit or knowing your legal rights, feels like a lifeline thrown into murky water. I appreciated her straightforward language, too. No medical jargon. No corporate-speak. Just one person talking to another about how to stay healthy and get the care you deserve.
This book is for anyone who’s ever walked into a clinic feeling confused, ignored, or powerless and wanted to do something about it. It’s especially helpful for women navigating complex medical needs or caring for others, but honestly, the tools here are useful for everyone. If you’ve ever left an appointment wondering what just happened, or if you’re tired of feeling like your health is in someone else’s hands, then read this.
Pages: 206 | ASIN : B0F69B1PZK
Covid Wars: America’s Struggle Over Public Health and Personal Freedom
COVID WARS is a sweeping, deeply researched chronicle of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, weaving together science, politics, and personal freedoms. Ronald Gruner, with the precision of a historian and the curiosity of a citizen, takes us from the roots of virology in the 19th century all the way to the chaotic years of 2020–2022. The book doesn’t just tell the story of a virus—it lays bare the cultural and political divide that shaped America’s uneven and often painful response.
I was surprised at how readable this book was, given the mountain of data it packs. Gruner’s writing is crisp, and he breaks down complex topics without dumbing them down. I really enjoyed his opening chapters—“Contagium” and “The Warning”—which build a compelling backstory on pandemics past, from the 1918 Spanish Flu to the eerie predictions of the Bush and Obama administrations. I didn’t expect to be pulled in by 19th-century plant viruses, but Gruner somehow made that story feel urgent and important. His calm but clear-eyed tone gave me confidence in what he was saying, even when it felt frustrating to relive just how preventable some of this was.
The book isn’t shy about calling out failures. Politicians, conspiracy theorists, media figures, and even some public health leaders get held accountable. The chapter “The Divide” lays it all out—how the pandemic morphed from a health emergency into a political food fight. Gruner points fingers but backs it all up with evidence, charts, and historical comparisons. His takedown of the 2019 Global Health Security Index was a real eye-opener: America was ranked the best-prepared country in the world, yet we fumbled the ball harder than most. I felt both informed and a little angry reading that section.
What I appreciated most, though, was Gruner’s balance. He’s clearly frustrated with misinformation and poor leadership, but he doesn’t come across as bitter or one-sided. The chapter “Lockdowns” captures this tone perfectly. He acknowledges the economic devastation and emotional toll, especially on kids and small business owners, while also recognizing that something had to be done.
If you’re curious about what really happened, how we got here, and how it could’ve been different—this is worth your time. I’d recommend COVID WARS to history buffs, policy nerds, teachers, and frankly anyone who wants to understand how a virus exposed the fractures in American society. It’s not just a book about a pandemic. It’s a mirror, and what it reflects is both sobering and necessary.
Pages: 394 | ASIN : B0DXR5FL7K
LITERARY TITAN 