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| Myexpertdoctor was created by Dr. Christopher Sciamanna, a physician at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical
Center, who specializes in the use of computers to improve health care quality. Dr. Sciamanna works
closely with known hypertension expert, Dr. Bonita Falkner, to translate the most up-to-date guidelines into tools that patients can use to improve their care. |
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| 1. You don't really know if your doctor is taking the best care of you. |
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| You know if your doctor is on time, if they're a good listener and whether or not you like them. What you don't know is whether or not you're getting the tests and treatments that you need. Only another medical expert can tell you that. Myexpertdoctor relies on medical experts and national medical guidelines that will help you ask the right questions during your visit. |
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| 2. Many doctors don't practice up-to-date medicine. |
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| Studies show that it takes longer than 15 years for an important medical research finding to become standard practice! One of the reasons for this is that it's simply not possible for a doctor to keep up with the tens of thousands of research studies and guidelines that are written every year. Medical experts at myexpertdoctor stay on top of each field of medical research to help you get the most up-to-date medical care. |
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| 3. Doctors are human too and they sometimes forget things. |
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| For many health problems, there are important tests or treatments doctors should order to help prevent future problems. Hundreds of research studies have shown that doctors often forget to perform or order these tests and treatments. |
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| 4. Computerized reminders help patients get better care. |
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| Dozens of studies have shown that simple computerized reminders, such as "this patient with high blood cholesterol needs their liver function tested," can help remind doctors to make sure that you get what you need. Myexpertdoctor gives you the questions you need to ask your doctor to remind him/her about tests and treatments you need to have to keep you healthy. |
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 myexpertdoctor founder - Christopher Sciamanna, MD, MPH
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Dr. Sciamanna is a Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. A 1992 graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Dr. Sciamanna completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 1995. Dr. Sciamanna then completed a Master of Public Health Degree and a General Internal Medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in 1998. Dr. Sciamanna also served on the faculty of Brown Medical School from 1998-2004. Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Sciamanna sees patients in the Internal Medicine offices of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. With an active research program that focuses on understanding the role of patient activation interventions to improve health care quality, Dr. Sciamanna strives to help patients understand the questions they should ask to overcome the clinical inertia of providers. Other research interests include physical activity promotion and healthcare policy supporting diet and physical activity behavior promotion.
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Dr. Bonita Falkner
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Dr. Bonita Falkner is a professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University.
Dr. Falkner is a graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. She has been a member
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Task Force on Blood Pressure Control in Children and Adolescents,
the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of Hypertension, and the Working Group on
Treatment of Hypertension in Diabetes. She also served on many other national committees, study sections, and
working groups to address early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Falkner’s research has focused on characterizing preclinical phenotypes of hypertension and cardiovascular
disease in the young. She has examined the role of cardiovascular reactivity, sodium sensitivity, ion transport,
insulin resistance, and nutrition as early markers of developing cardiovascular disease, including hypertension
and nephropathy. Dr. Falkner’s work has emphasized the unique risk for cardiovascular disease among minority
populations, particularly African Americans. Her current work is investigating gender differences in risk
factors and the role of sex hormones in modifying risk status among women. She is also investigating
preclinical markers for nephropathy. In addition to publications emanating from her basic and clinical
investigations, Dr. Falkner has authored many papers which provide guidelines for risk reduction and disease
prevention beginning in the young. Dr. Falkner was the Chair of the Working Group for the Fourth Report on
the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents.
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