About Social Media Today
April 17, 2014
Healthcare Buzzwords: What Is Big Data?
healthcare big data
The term “Big Data” has only recently entered the healthcare and medicine verbiage. It used to be largely reserved for the larger-than-life scientific research that observed our universe. It’s no surprise that the concept of Big Data has translated nicely to the universe inside of us.[read more]
April 17, 2014
Lack of Listening Is the Core Problem in American Health Care
social listening
When doctors do not have enough time to really listen the result is that they do not listen. A study from 1984 of primary care physicians observed throughout patient visits revealed that the doctor interrupted the patient within 18 seconds on average. This lack of listening is the core care problem in American healthcare today.[read more]
April 17, 2014
Improving Clinical Outcomes by Addressing Social and Basic Needs
address social and basic needs
Our healthcare system is not designed to address social and basic needs. But reducing the cost of healthcare and improving clinical outcomes may be more about addressing the social and basic needs of super-utilizers (50% of all spending) than it is about clinical care.[read more]
Recent Infographics
How Suffering May Change You for the Better
Pat Killingsworth
One of my mentors in the cancer world is a man named Pat Killingsworth. He has multiple myeloma. He has devoted his life to helping others with the disease and writes a daily blog. Recently, I interviewed Pat and he talked about the future as he described living on “myeloma time.”[read more]
Healthcare: Get Ready to Shake, Rattle and Roll
healthcare innovation
Many other industries have already been transformed by the explosive intersection of consumerism and technology. So, like it or not, these changes are overdue in healthcare and they are coming at us faster than most of my medical colleagues who work in the industry can see.[read more]
The Aesthetics and Reconstructive Surgery Products Global Market
Aeshetics & reconstructive surgery products
Global medical aesthetic products are to achieve sales of more than $6.5 billion in 2013. Through 2018 the market is expected to reach a value of about $10.7 billion. Europe has been witnessing relatively a slower growth of 6.6% per year. The U.S. market still represents 45% of the global market.[read more]
How Much Is Your Website Hurting Your Business?
Is your medical website effective?
If your website hasn’t been updated in the past year, it’s almost certainly driving potential customers away – and those customers…they’re going straight to your competitors. So what exactly is your website doing wrong? Use the infographic below to find out.[read more]
Bundled Payments: Rewarding Quality and Value
Transformation to bundled payments
The Medicare reimbursement system is in the process of transforming healthcare as we know it from a traditional fee-for-service model to a system that rewards based on quality, care coordination, accountability, and healthcare cost savings. Here's an outline of benefits and risks.[read more]
Zohydro Ban: Disagreeing with Governor Patrick
I agree with Governor Deval Patrick that opiate addiction is a huge problem in Massachusetts (and many other places). But the attempt to ban sales of Zohydro is a bad idea that’s likely to have a negligible impact on the addiction crisis, while potentially harming one of Massachusetts’ most important industries.[read more]
Health IT Venture Capital Report: Consumer-Focused Tech Is Capturing More Early-Stage Deals
Healthcare IT VC Funding
Analysts are already saying that it will be a good year for healthcare IT companies looking for venture capital. Communications and consulting firm Mercom Capital is showing results from its first-quarter investment analysis that finds that healthcare IT companies raised more VC money last quarter than in any quarter before.[read more]
A New Era for the Public Healthcare Sector
Gustavo Pulti, Mayor of General Pueyrredón Municipality
Beaches, fishing, and sweet pastries filled with dulce de leche were the hallmarks of Mar del Plata in the past. But now, the city – located on the Atlantic coast, about 400 kilometers south of the Argentine megacity of Buenos Aires – has a new trademark: the Centro de Especialidades Médicas Ambulatorias (CEMA).[read more]
Sued for Medical Malpractice - Again
malpractice suits
Sure, there are positive elements present in the medical malpractice system, but they are dwarfed and suffocated by the drawbacks. The self-serving arguments supporting the current system are far outweighed by the financial and emotional costs that innocent physicians unfairly bear. Tort reform should not be controversial.[read more]
Time Thieves
Currency of time
Age forces the recognition that time is the true currency of our lives. When people waste it for you, it is frustrating and angst producing. One of the underlying tragedies of physicians’ daily lives, especially in primary care, is the theft of our time, stolen away by the health care system.[read more]
Is Digital Health Helping or Failing Patients? A Conversation Between a Futurist and ePatient
Digital health / shutterstock
Fard Johnmar, a digital health futurist, and I came up with an interesting idea: why not hold a public conversation focused around the following, provocative question: Is digital health helping or failing patients? It would be interesting to see the differences and similarities between how an ePatient (me) and health futurist (Fard) respond this question.[read more]
The Importance of Clear Communications in Clinical Trial Marketing
clear communications
Clear communications are especially important in clinical trial marketing because of the different target audiences such as prospective recruits, the medical community, or journalists. Here are several useful tips clinical trial marketers can use to improve overall communications with prospective participants.[read more]
HealthWorks Collective Series
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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 »
“Such sound advice, Marie, and so much of it equally true back in the pre-social media world of public relations. The difference: responses are swift and viral these days. (In the 80s when I started in the field, we'd have to wait for outraged letters to the editor to be published!)Glad you cited the classic Tylenol murders example. I used to mention this case of how to do PR right (contrasting ...”
“Carolyn:Thanks for jumping in and commenting on our conversation! Very much appreciate it. As for your comments, you know from our previous conversations related to "the Over-Quantified Self" and other topics, that I'm the last one to believe that technology is a panacea, or should be the only place people go to find insights. But, as you mentioned, there's often a lot of "duh" ...”