The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature of the Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on our honorees and their contributions to promoting excellence in family-friendly media, products, and services. We share their stories not only to celebrate their accomplishments, but to give you an opportunity to see the benefits of being part of the Mom’s Choice Awards family of programs.

Co-authors Patricia Raya, RN, C, MBA & Corine Mogenis wrote Medical Tips from the Inside: What You  Need to Know! as a way to help people better manage the healthcare system … and ultimately have a more satisfying relationship with their providers. Having helped lawyers with medical malpractice case reviews, they could see just how little patients knew about their rights.  They pooled their talents and experiences to create their first book … that ultimately landed them their own local television show. Please welcome author Corine Mogenis to the Alumni Spotlight.

MCA: Can you please tell us about the inspiration for your book?
Corine: We met many years ago while working on medical malpractice case reviews for lawyers.  We saw a significant amount of people complaining that they did not know they had certain rights or could ask questions of their doctors, get copies of their medical records, request second opinions etc. People did not know how to traverse the complexities of the healthcare system.  It occurred to us that with our professional experience, we could write a book that was easy to understand, and would address these concerns.

Merit Publishing International published our book; we have been very pleased with how well it’s been received since being released in April 2008. We have met many wonderful people who truly felt the book has provided them with guidance and a sense of comfort when dealing with the health care system. We believe if we can help ONE person in all of this, it was worth it!

MCA: What are your goals for your in the next year?  Corine: We hope to continue with our success and continue to expand our reading audience as we get the word out about the value of the book. We have participated in radio interviews, been featured in newspaper and magazine stories, and have been interviewed on local TV programs. Cumulatively, those things led to our hosting two weekly local TV programs talking about the topics in our book! One of our shows, Medical Tips You need to Know! launched in September 2009. Our mission has always been to educate people so they can speak up for themselves without feeling intimidated and get the best medical care for themselves and their loved ones.

MCA: If someone gave you air time for a 15-second commercial, how would you entice people to try?

Corine:  Getting a serious diagnosis can be very scary and confusing. What do you do next? Medical Tips From the Inside…Things You Need to Know! is an excellent, easy-to-read guide on how to navigate today’s complex healthcare system.  The book discusses topics such as what you should ask your doctor before having surgery, choosing a physician, care for women, men, children and the elderly, to looking at healthcare in other countries.  The book shows you what is needed to make informed decisions and become an educated health consumer. We encourage readers to “Get Educated, Get Empowered, and Get Healthy!”

MCA: You started with an idea and now have a successful, award-winning book . Looking back on your journey, what was the easiest part? The hardest?  What surprised you the most?
Corine:  The easiest part was coming up with idea for the book! The need was HUGE and it was very easy to see it was something that the public demanded! The HARD part was writing the book well enough to cover the most popular topics of concern, yet keep it a concise and easy-to-read guide.  It was even HARDER to find a publisher! What surprised us the most was just how far we  could go once we started promoting the book ourselves!  Being directly involved with selling and making that part of our daily routine got us access to the venues we needed: newspaper articles, book signings, lectures, radio interviews, magazine articles, cable TV interviews, and eventually our own cable TV show.  ” It was surreal how once we started rolling, it just kept going! Persistence paid off.

Some days we look around to see if its really US living this life or just a dream! It is a true testament to “hard work and dedication really DOES pay off!” It has far surpassed what we had hoped for and now the sky is the limit!  What surprised me most, was when I held my first copy in my hands…it didn’t seem real. And the response from readers has been extremely positive.  Add to that receiving the Mom’s Choice Award® , and it has been an outstanding experience.  We did it!!

MCA:   Since launching your , what has been your most rewarding experience in promoting or sharing it with the public? Do you have a favorite memory?
Corine:  The most rewarding experience was at a book signing. A woman in the store heard about our book and came over to us to tell us how she had battled cancer years earlier and that everything we covered in our book were things that, unfortunately, she had to learn the hard way. She bought a few copies for friends and family to give to them BEFORE they need it and hope to save them some of the heartache and misery she experienced because she was NOT informed! She thanked us for writing such a great book with such helpful information. That is when it became real.

MCA: Could you please tell us why you chose the Mom’s Choice Awards® program in seeking recognition for your book?
Corine: Being a mom is the most important job in the world.  Your child depends on you for everything.  So when a health problem arises, you need to be able to focus and get the right care.  We have a chapter entitled “Caring for the Young” that moms will find extremely useful.  It gives a lot of information that will help in making informed decisions.  It is a handy book that can be referenced time and time again.  There are other chapters that address women’s health, men’s health, and healthcare for the elderly.   Healthcare over the lifetime continuum is covered.  Age specific concerns are addressed and explained in a simple and concise manner.  We even look at healthcare of the traveler, and compare healthcare across the globe.

MCA: What does it mean to you to be a Mom’s Choice Awards® alumnus?
Corine: It is a true honor to be a Mom’s Choice Award® recipient.  People hear that the book has received this award, and they sit up and take notice.  Our goal in writing this book was to assist and help people get good, quality healthcare.  From the feedback we have received, we have achieved this goal and more.  It is a privileged to be recognized for our work.  It is an added perk that we are very grateful for.  The Mom’s Choice Award® has added value and prestige to our work.

MCA:  What did you learn about yourself in the process of creating your award-winning ?
Corine: We learned that having an idea and executing that idea are two very different things! This was more difficult than we originally thought. There were times when one of us wanted to give up, and the other needed to launch into our “pep talk.” We both learned that all great things truly do require massive amounts of energy, perseverance, and time.  We were so passionate about making a difference in people’s lives that we would do whatever it took to make our dream happen. We are both stronger and more capable than we could have dreamed, and now we need to keep going and go as far, and as high, as this opportunity will take us! If you have a goal, go for it, work hard, and never give up. Enjoy the journey, because there were many lessons learned along the way.

MCA:  Would you recommend the Mom’s Choice Awards® to other entrepreneurs? If so, why?
Corine: The Mom’s Choice Awards® is an excellent way to promote your product.  It is a highly respected program and a coveted award.  Our award has afforded us additional opportunities to present and showcase our book.  We recommend the Mom’s Choice Awards® to entrepreneurs with family friendly product they want to promote.

MCA: How have you and Patricia benefited by being a Mom’s Choice Awards® honoree? Do you have any tangible examples? Corine: Being able to use the Mom’s Choice Award® branding in our marketing efforts has greatly benefited us and our book.  Seeing our book identified as a Mom’s Choice Award® recipient on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc., is very impressive.  People take the award seriously.  We are billed as “award winning authors” when doing interviews on radio shows, TV interviews, and in newspaper articles.  This makes people stop and listen to what we are saying as well as influence their decision in purchasing our book.  Having a Mom’s Choice Award® is beneficial to us in marketing, as well as personally.

MCA: Thanks, Corine. We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us today.

Mom’s Choice Awards® Honors

2009, Silver Medal, Adult Non-Fiction