• 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.

• 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.

• Talking With Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People (National Institute on Aging)

This informative brochure discusses how to choose a doctor, what you should do to prepare for an appointment, what kind of information you'll need to have ready for the doctor, and what kinds of questions you may want to ask during your visit. You can read this brochure online, or order a printed copy.

• 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.

• Choosing a Hospital (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

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

• Communication in cancer care: Overview (National Cancer Institute)

Discusses the importance of good communication between patients, their families, and health care providers in cancer care. There are several sections, including

• The role of family caregivers
• the role of parents
• talking with the health care team

• 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.

• My Family Health Portrait (U.S. Surgeon General's Office)

This site lets you enter your family health history and save it online. A family health history can help your health care identifier identify diseases for which you may be at higher risk and recommend actions to reduce your risk. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to construct a basic family history. The information you enter is kept private: the Surgeon General's Office does not make it available to the government or anyone else. If you have questions about privacy using this tool, more information is available at Learn More About My Family Health Portrait.