More and more we are facing chronic conditions and are being asked to make important decisions about our own health. That can be a frightening prospect—or an empowering one. When it comes to health care, patients have more power than they think.

My Health Counts!, WNED PBSs six-part series hosted by Susan Hunt, focuses on the fundamentals of health and wellness—encouraging people to partner with their doctors and other members of their healthcare team; fostering self-management skills and giving people a better understanding of how to recognize and receive quality care.

My Health Counts: Partnering with Your Doctor focuses on building and growing your relationship with your doctors and other health care professionals. The importance of establishing workable goals and taking the first steps to wellness is stressed.

Host Susan Hunt is joined by patient advocate and writer, Trisha Torrey and physician, Dr. Michael Edbauer. Trisha Torrey,Every Patient's AdvocateSM, is a newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, patient empowerment expert, blogger, author and dynamic speaker. Michael Edbauer, DO is the Medical Director for the Catholic Independent Practice Association of Western New York (CIPA) and Vice President of Medical Affairs for Home Care and Primary Care for the Catholic Health System in Buffalo.

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My Health Counts: Self-Management focuses on being an active part of your health care. Self-management is about taking responsibility, taking ownership of your body. We really need to make a commitment to changing our lifestyle, then you can address if you're healthy, if you're at risk, if you are medically managed.

Susan is joined by patient advocate and writer, Trisha Torrey and physician, Dr. Doriane Miller. Trisha Torrey, Every Patient's AdvocateSM, is a newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, patient empowerment expert, blogger, author and dynamic speaker. Doriane Miller is the national program director of New Health Partnerships, a demonstration project funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the California Health Care Foundation on collaborative self-management support. She joined Stroger Hospital of Cook County in March of 2005, as Associate Division Chief for General Internal Medicine, focusing her attention on mentoring and staff development.

Your quality of life will be better, you will feel better and may live longer if you build preventative measures into what you do and don't do every day.

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My Health Counts! Quest for Quality focuses on getting quality healthcare. Quality health care is about getting: The right care - care that works - you should be given the type of care that medical research has shown to work best for your condition. At the right time - care when you need it - your care should be timely. You should be given as much care as you need, but no unnecessary care. For the right reason - your care should be given by health professionals who are skilled and knowledgeable. They should be respectful, communicate clearly and involve you in decisions about your care.

Susan is joined by Ann Monroe and physician, Dr. Michael Parkinson. Ann Monroe is president of the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, a private foundation serving the Buffalo and Syracuse regions. CHF is focused primarily of improving the health outcomes of frail elders and children in communities of poverty and strengthening the systems that serve them. Michael Parkinson is currently the President of the American College of Preventive Medicine, the national medical specialty society of physicians trained in and committed to disease prevention, health promotion and systems-based approaches to improving health and health care.

Quality matters, it can be measured, and it can be improved. Don't wait until our health care system has learned how to eliminate all mistakes about the care you or your loved ones may need. The sooner you become involved the better off you - and our health system - will be.

Have a My Health Counts! attitude - "I am in control. . .Everyday choices and actions matter."

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My Health Counts! Living with Diabetes addresses a topic directly affecting an estimated 80 million Americans who either have diabetes or are on the verge of developing it. Living well with this disease requires a combination of good medical care and effective self-management.

During the program, Buffalo native Susan Hunt hosts an informative, upbeat conversation with two studio guest experts: Dr. Donald Robinson and Pamela J. Beamer, a certified diabetes educator and registered dietitian. They define diabetes and discuss the serious consequences of uncontrolled diabetes, identify key self-care behaviors and give viewers guidelines for crucial tests, results and goals. In addition, Western New Yorkers who are successfully managing their diabetes offer motivating advice as they share the lessons they've learned, their fears, challenges and strategies.

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Colorectal cancer is one of those subjects nobody likes to talk about. Of cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be. Every year over 51,000 people die of the disease. If everybody aged 50 or older had regular screening tests as many as 60% of those deaths could be prevented.

Buffalo native Susan Hunt hosts an informative, upbeat conversation with two colorectal cancer experts. Dr. Christopher Bartolone, Gastroenterologist and Managing Partner at Gastroenterology Associates, LLP and Dr. Andrew Bain, Gastroenterologist and Assistant Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer are both featured in the program.

Colorectal Cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S., but it is largely preventable. Regular screening beginning at age 50 is the key to preventing colorectal cancer. Learn how to take control of your health and reduce your risks. Colorectal cancer screening saves lives!

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As advances in technology and the internet bring us closer to information and each other, a new world of Participatory Medicine is evolving in which networked patients are shifting from mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health. My Health Counts! e-Patients explores what it means to be an e-patient in this information age--empowered, engaged, equipped and enabled.

Host Susan Hunt is joined by Lygeia Ricciardi, senior policy advisor for Consumer e-Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and “e-patient Dave” deBronkart, to discuss how technology is creating this new dynamic in how information is delivered, accessed and used by patients. Technology--from personal health records, patient portals and home monitoring devices to email and social networking sites can help you make better decisions about your health and health care.

When Dave deBronkart learned he had a rare and terminal cancer, he turned to a group of fellow patients online -- and found the medical treatment that saved his life. After beating this unbeatable disease Dave became a blogger, keynote speaker and health policy advisor. Now he calls on all patients to talk with one another, know their own health data, and make health care better one e-Patient at a time.

“When a lot of people think about health information technology, they say, are we replacing the role of the doctor or changing it somehow, I don’t think of it that way at all,” stresses Ricardi. I think of it as really augmenting and building on the kinds of relationships that we already have with our providers, and making that partnership a lot stronger.”

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