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Welcome to The Paper Gown

After years of waking up to inflamed red splotches covering my face, I found out I was allergic to fragrance. Finally, I had an explanation for my temperamental skin. I couldn’t wait to share my aha diagnosis with, well, anyone who’d pretend to care. But first, I wanted to understand what a fragrance-free life looked (and smelled) like.

When a doctor told me I had an extra, defunct muscle compressing my carpal tunnel and recommended surgery to fix my hand, I wondered if I should shop around for another opinion before going under the knife. But I wasn’t sure how, so under I went.

The first time I saw the terms “pre-authorization” and “pre-existing condition” in a letter from an insurance company, I felt overwhelmed by the jargon being used to justify the charges I couldn’t afford.

Everyone has patient experiences; those are a few of mine. Hi, I’m Theresa, editor of The Paper Gown.

As we all know, being a patient doesn’t begin or end in the exam room. At The Paper Gown, we’ll talk about getting sick and getting well, preventing disease and living with it. We’ll report on treatment breakthroughs and trending procedures. We’ll explain how to enroll in a clinical trial and contest a medical bill. We’ll share hacks for sleeping in hospitals and pro-tips for managing chronic illness at work. We’ll examine how biased thinking and structural inequalities seep into health and healthcare in both glaring and subtle ways. 

We’ll never pretend that all patients have equal access to healthcare or feel the same way about going to the doctor. And we’ll always make it our priority to help patients feel informed, empowered and understood — one story at a time.

Thanks for visiting!


The Paper Gown is powered by Zocdoc. If you want to book an appointment through Zocdoc or learn more about the company, head over to the site itself. If you want to read about patients, learn about research that’s relevant to patients, or find resources to help you navigate the ins and outs (and ups and downs) of healthcare, stay here.

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About The Paper Gown

The Paper Gown, a Zocdoc-powered blog, strives to tell stories that help patients feel informed, empowered and understood. Views and opinions expressed on The Paper Gown do not necessarily reflect those of Zocdoc, Inc.

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