Navigating the hospital

Marketers work hard to present an image of hospitals that patients can rely upon when they actually walk through the door. A hospital that is difficult to navigate, however, can instantly tarnish years of hospital branding. That is why some hospitals are making an effort to re-think the way their building is navigated in order to improve the patient experience.[read more]

Denied claims, long arguments, an eternity spent on hold arguing over a bill? Yes. But! Sometimes there are happy endings in the conversation with the billing office and the insurer. As deductibles and co-insurance rise, it’s more important than ever to know how to explore whether that bill is right or that statement is right.[read more]

Fibrin sealants represented a revolution in local hemostatic measures for both bleeding and nonbleeding disorders. Fibrin sealant has the potential to provide life-saving control of excessive bleeding in many critical surgical operations and during a number of elective procedures.[read more]

Demand for doctors is on the rise

An article in Becker’s Hospital Review caught my attention, because of what it portends for the careers of physicians and health IT workers. The article, 10 Concerns and Trends Facing Hospitals Right Now, is a terrific synopsis of everything a hospital CEO should be focused on these days if he or she wants his or her hospital to survive.[read more]

digital marketing

Running a private practice is a business, just like any other, and marketing is a key part of creating a connection not only with potential patients, but also with networking partners and collaborates. Consider some ways a physician can leverage online tools to expand his or her reach.[read more]

photo: nffcnnr via photopin cc

Since Medicaid pays doctors and hospitals 27 to 65 percent less than commercial health plans, it makes it awfully difficult for providers to be payer agnostic. Sure enough, we see even supposedly mission-driven non-profit healthcare systems looking to maximize their share of the commercial population by catering to that group.[read more]

Hadoop to the rescue?

One of the biggest challenges that our information-driven healthcare industry faces is the fact that data is growing faster than healthcare organizations can consume it. 80% of medical data is unstructured, yet clinically relevant. The Big Data solution could be Hadoop and the Enterprise Data Hub.[read more]

image: Robert Wallce / Flickr CC

Physical activity, nutritional guidance, cognitive training, social activities and management of heart health risk factors improved cognitive performance, according to Finnish researchers. The two-year randomized controlled trial included 1,260 participants aged 60 to 77 with modifiable risk factors for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s.[read more]

social media toolbox

Lately I've been thinking about the fact that I'm not blogging as much. In the old days (2005 to 2011ish), my blog was my primary social media outlet, and my other social media channels were supplementary and supportive. However, the times and technologies have changed and my toolbox has evolved.[read more]

wikipedia 

A few days before this writing, a 32-year-old woman came to see me for an opinion on stomach pain. Why would I refuse to see her again? Abdominal pain is an everyday occurrence for a gastroenterologist. She was accompanied by her mother. I had never met this woman previously.[read more]

I’d like to tell you a story about two insightful, and mirror opposite, conversations that I had with doctors. These two informal chats revealed how basic attitudes can quickly define success or failure in healthcare marketing.[read more]

medical mistakes

According to information shared at a recent Senate hearing, preventable medical errors are the number three killer in America. It is estimated that medical mistakes kill 1000 Americans every day and harm another 10,000 people a day due to complications resulting from non-fatal medical errors. How can that be, you say?[read more]