About Social Media Today
December 11, 2013
Health Information Exchange Q and A with John Traeger, Enterprise Solutions Consultant
John Traeger, Enterprise Solutions Consultant
The context in which we provide interfaces outside of hospital organizations is changing rapidly. The government and market pressures to form ACOs and HIEs have generated a high number of new participants and connections. These factors and others are creating a tsunami of interface work that is coming in at a rapid pace.[read more]
December 11, 2013
mHealth 2013: Interview with Aetna's Martha Wofford
Martha Wofford, Aetna
One of the brightest stars at the star-studded 2013 mHealth Summit is Martha L. Wofford, an Aetna vice president and head of the company’s new CarePass program. On a snowy day in the nation’s capital, I caught up with Ms. Wofford after her presentation on new developments in mobile health.[read more]
December 11, 2013
UM Spinoff Takes Rare Adrenal Cancer Drug to Clinical Trials
A VC-backed company called Atterocor, a University of Michigan spinoff co-founded by a patient, is conducting a Phase 1 clinical study of a drug that it hopes could prolong the lives of patients with adrenocortical carcinoma, and cause fewer toxic side effects, than the current treatment option.[read more]
Obamacare and Reimbursement Rates to Providers
Covered California™ announced 13 diverse health insurance plans in 2014 that will offer affordable, quality health care coverage to millions of Californians. The plans reflect a mix of large non- profit and commercial plan leaders, along with well-known Medi-Cal and regional plans.[read more]
Bone Marrow Donation and Compensation: My Moral Dilemma
marrow donation: moral dilemma (umjanedoan/photopin cc)
The federal government’s proposal to ban compensation for bone marrow collected in a less invasive manner touches a nerve for me, because a couple years ago I made a decision not to follow through as a bone marrow donor even after I had been told that I had matched with a patient.[read more]
Identifying Roles and Maximizing Success in the Pursuit of Health and Wellness
health and wellness / shutterstock
New research out of the UK emphasizes the important role physicians and other healthcare providers play in driving the lifestyle changes needed to lose weight. Specifically, the study found that appropriate weight loss advice from a physician almost doubled the likelihood of a patient’s attempting to lose weight.[read more]
What Makes a Healthcare Website Shine?
Healthcare websites that shine
Hospital or healthcare websites aren’t always the easiest for customers to work with. Just look at the issues with Healthcare.gov. Many times, people simply don’t understand the language in them. Here are a few common problems with hospital or healthcare websites and ways to fix them.[read more]
20 Reasons You Need a First Class Internet Plan for 2014
healthcare marketing online
Curiously, the vast majority of all US hospitals do not participate in social media. We can’t help but wonder (and worry) if this at all reflects how some healthcare marketing pros are planning for the New Year. Having anything less than a first class Internet and social media strategy would be a large and painful shortfall.[read more]
United States Third Lowest Spender on Health Care in 11 Developed Countries
US healthcare spending / shutterstock
In the United States, health spending accounted for almost 18 percent of GDP in 2011. The Netherlands comes next, at just under 12 percent. In dollar figures, the U.S. spent $8,508 per capita, versus only $5,669 in Norway, the runner-up. This certainly invites us to question whether we are getting our money’s worth.[read more]
Making Health Addictive: Reinforce Social Connections (Part IV)
Reinforce social connections
For some, the power of social connections is self-evident. Those of you in this category probably spend lots of time on Facebook and make sure you keep in touch with your close friends and family on a daily basis. But the impact of social connections goes much deeper than what is obvious on the surface.[read more]
A Healthcare CEO Speaks Out About Domestic Violence
Dr. Robert Pearl
In today’s post on his weekly Forbes’ blog, Robert Pearl, MD, CEO of The Permanente Medical Group in Northern California highlights the impact of domestic violence on business. Yes, domestic violence is a personal issue, but it is also a healthcare issue seen by every clinician in every specialty, whether they recognize it or not.[read more]
HCPs and How They Use Social Media
HCPs and social media
Today, three out of four healthcare professionals use a smartphone and a growing number use their smartphones for health-related content and job seeking. In fact, the use of social media for job searching purposes has doubled since the first AMN social media survey was conducted in 2010, and now reaches 41 percent.[read more]
Staying Informed: 4 Details Seniors Need to Know About Obamacare
seniors and Obamacare
Seniors are scrambling to figure out what the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, means to them and how it will impact their healthcare costs. It's important for seniors to proactively seek the right information that's not propelled by propaganda, so here are four details seniors should know.[read more]
Creating Hope for Undiagnosed Patients
Heather Long
Most rare disease patients spend a good portion of their lives coping with a condition that is either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Some of them die of a disease that has yet to be named. Heather Long’s son, Cal, was one of them.[read more]
23andMe Suspends Genetic Testing During Review Process
Margeret Hamburg, FDA (HHS/public domain)
23andMe has suspended the health-related component of its genetic testing business during the regulatory review process, in order to comply with the warning letter issued by the FDA on Nov. 22, 2013. The company also said customers who purchased before that date will retain access to health-related results.[read more]
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HealthWorks Collective Series
David Davidovic David built and led commercial functions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries for 33 years and has been di More »
Barbara Ficarra Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA is an award-winning journalist, media broadcaster, health educator, speaker and consultant More »
David Harlow David Harlow is Prinicipal of the Harlow Group LLC, a healthcare law and consulting firm based in Boston, MA. More »
Stephen Schimpff Stephen C. Schimpff, MD is the retired CEO of the Univ. of MD Med. Center and the COO of the Univ of MD Medical System. More »
Andrew Schorr Andrew, a leukemia survivor and respected medical journalist is the founder of PatientPower, an excellent web resource. More »
John Sharp John Sharp has interests in social media in healthcare and clinical research informatics including secondary use of EMR More »
Christina Thielst Christina Thielst is a hospital administrator, consultant, educator and author with 30 years of healthcare experience. More »
“A wonderful discussion of caring, humanism and healing. All too much of it has been lost. Most medical students probably have in them but it needs to be nurtured and that requires good mentoring.”
“Tonight, Dec. 6, 23andMe issued this statement to customers:"Dear 23andMe Customers, I'm writing to update you on our conversation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and how it impacts you. If you are a customer whose kit was purchased before November 22, 2013, your 23andMe experience will not change. You will be able to access both ancestry and health-related information as you ...”