patient engagement / shutterstock

This is the transcript of my recent interview with Harvard Pilgrim’s CEO Eric Schultz. We talk about what consumer engagement is, how it is finally starting to get real traction, and what Harvard Pilgrim is doing in that area.[read more]

Andy Rooney, lovable curmudgeon

I am getting close to the age where I should be a bit confused, but my younger colleagues also seem confused about the Affordable Care Act. From what I read the Affordable Care Act is not affordable, nor is it patient oriented. Patients really had little to do with its formation.[read more]

STD help

Discussing a sexually transmitted disease (STD) with a partner or potential partner can be awkward and embarrassing. How do you approach the subject? What do you expect the outcome to be? Now, new high-tech prevention tools can help. One tool is the website Qpid.me.[read more]

primary care / shutterstock

A report from one of the largest physician recruiting firms in the country could give some heft to the specialty of primary care (whose disciplines include general internal medicine, family medicine, general pediatrics, and primary OB/GYN). Americans are spending more money on primary care physicians than on specialist care.[read more]

homeless/shutterstock

How do I explain our inability to prescribe medicines to a patient who acutely needs them? Or explain our limitations to a doctor who rarely thinks about them? How do I justify not treating a patient to my own conscience?[read more]

Kelly Tappenden, PhD, RD

Today, Kelly Tappenden, PhD, RD talks about the Alliance to Advance Patient Nutrition. The Alliance is the result of the partnership of five prestigious healthcare organizations: Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN), the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.), the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) and Abbott Nutrition. It has for goal to raise awareness about hospital malnutrition and improve patient outcomes while reducing costs through early nutrition screening, assessment and intervention.[read more]

BRCA1: should you be tested?

Upon hearing about Angelina Jolie’s decision to undergo surgery to avoid her genetic predisposition to breast cancer, my wife asked, “Should I be tested? I had a great aunt who had breast cancer.” I suspect many women wonder the same thing. Here's what you need to know.[read more]

Phil Stafford / Shutterstock.com

Angelina’s decision to have a double mastectomy shows healthcare marketing’s inner potential. By pairing the sexy science of genomic medicine with the breathtaking boldness of patient empowerment, Angelina has given us a glimpse of its beautiful potential.[read more]

health news

One of the main tenets of the ACA is the assimilation by Medicaid of the eligible uninsured. In order to attract more physicians who will accept Medicaid CMS, the states have promised to increase reimbursements for physicians who accept Medicaid. But physicians are balking.[read more]

George Washington: truthteller

The fallacy is to expect certain professions and professionals to be more irreproachable than the rest of us. We are all vulnerable to experiencing a fall from grace. Staying straight and true is a struggle, at least for me. Yes, physicians lie. For more than one reason.[read more]

spinal indicators

The shape of an individual’s spinal column may predict his or her risk for nursing home admission or need of home assistance in old age, according to a new article published online in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.[read more]

Telemedicine: the doctor is always in?

Have you noticed the recent wave of TV commercials for one-to-one video calling or multiple participation video collaboration, or one-to-many webcasting? The mainstream adoption in business will be driving more medical provider and hospital applications…eventually.[read more]