Autor: Michael A. Weiss

Michael A. Weiss is a successful and well-respected thirty-eight year old attorney/MBA who unfortunately has been hospitalized more than fifty (50) times due in large part to his seventeen-year battle with Crohn’s Disease. Crohn’s Disease is an "auto-immune" and incurable illness usually causing painful inflammation in the intestines, small bowel and colon. The Disease and its complications have caused Mr. Weiss to undergo numerous abdominal surgeries, hernia surgeries, knee surgery and most recently, serious spine-fusion back surgery. The Disease’s "auto-immunity" component has also caused Mr. Weiss to endure comical hospitalizations and emergency room visits for seemingly "run-of-the-mill" ailments such as indigestion, stomach viruses, colds, kidney stones, etc. His somewhat handicapped "recovery" time from these surgeries and afflictions and often-unpredictable medical reaction to prescribed treatments and medications have baffled his physicians and caused him to take the reins on his healthcare. Mr. Weiss has experienced all of the above in different hospitals, different states, with different doctors and at various stages throughout his life. He has been exposed to interactions with the medical establishment at all levels from the medical, surgical, psychological and rehabilitation wings to the corporate boardroom of stingy managed care companies fighting (and winning!) for coverage and reimbursement. Through it all, he maintained his sense of humor and escaped with his dignity and life intact. While as a young adult he struggled with these problems, he did not let it stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming an attorney and earning a MBA degree. So, while his account of the hospital patient experience is informative and funny, it is also inspirational for patients and their family members. Mr. Weiss hopes his story can also help develop a guide for hospitals and health care workers as to how it and they should carry out their respective responsibilities. Mr. Weiss is also actively involved in established an internet "message board"/network so that hospital patients can talk to one another and find comfort in each other’s fears, concerns, hopes and funny stories. If Mr. Weiss is successful, lonely and scared hospitalized children can talk to others around the world at anytime of the day or night simply at the click of a mouse. Mr. Weiss’ efforts in this regard begin on the Message Board at http://www.hospitalpatient.com/. Mr. Weiss currently practices healthcare, elder, business and entertainment law in Clifton, New Jersey. He also often serves as a patient advocate helping patients aged five to ninety-five fight for their rights with respect to hospitalization, physician treatment, managed care and reimbursement issues. He has been a Board Member of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America and is also an adjunct professor at New York’s Audrey Cohen College’s Executive MBA Program in Media Management lecturing on "Contract Negotiations & Drafting." He frequently writes articles on contractual issues concerning the film, television and internet industries and often lectures on patient/elder rights with respect to care, cost of care, guardianships and nursing home care/cost/planning.