About Social Media Today
May 23, 2013
ER Docs Play Critical Role in Controlling Healthcare Costs
Emergency department / Lisa Jarvis, Wiki Commons
Insightful new healthcare research from the RAND Corp, commissioned by the Emergency Medicine Action Fund, proposes that the 4 percent of U.S. physicians who work in emergency rooms serve as the major decisionmakers for nearly half of all hospital admissions in the U.S.[read more]
May 23, 2013
Improving the US Health System: Biggest Obstacles
Healthcare obstacles
It’s almost cliché to say that the American healthcare system is changing. But the reality is that the pace of care delivery transformation will speed up in 2013 with technology, consumerism and the Affordable Care Act. All these factors will merge on a sector that today represents one-fifth of the economy.[read more]
May 23, 2013
Diagnosis of Heart Defects Before Birth Prepares Parents and Doctors
Pedro Arrabal, M.D.
“Fetal echocardiography allows us to diagnose fetal heart defects as early as possible – while a woman is still pregnant – and determine what diagnostic measures can be performed during the pregnancy to further advise the parents,” says Pedro Arrabal, M.D., one of Sinai’s high-risk pregnancy specialists.[read more]
Recent Infographics
The Healthcare Conundrum: Doing What's Wrong for Business by Doing What's Right
healthcare costs
Under today’s reimbursement system, better care doesn’t always yield better business results. That’s because healthcare organizations aren’t incentivized to eliminate profitable procedures that may not benefit patients. The way most hospitals and clinicians are paid today, why would we expect otherwise?[read more]
A Key to Cancer Hope You Should Know
Brianna Garrison, oncology social worker
Do you have resources to deal with cancer that go beyond understanding treatment? Patients like me certainly spend a lot of time talking about treatments, and research into better treatments, which makes a lot of sense. But that’s just part of the cancer journey.[read more]
High Reliability Boot Camp: Preparing for Zero Preventable Harm
First, do no harm / Wikipedia
MedStar Health is partnering with HPI (Healthcare Performance Improvement) to take this innovative health system to zero preventable harm utilizing principles of high reliability organizations. Since the number one goal of all healthcare providers is to do no harm it would seem everyone is aligned.[read more]
Health Start-Ups! - The Crowdfunding Floodgates Are (Kind of) Open
It’s been just over one year since the JOBS Act was passed, which makes equity- and debt-based crowdfunding legal for accredited and nonaccredited investors. Although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has yet to finalize and implement specific rules around those provisions, several online platforms have plowed ahead and created private portals for accredited investors and startups to find each other in the meantime.[read more]
Harvard Pilgrim CEO Eric Schultz on Consumer Engagement and Transparency [TRANSCRIPT]
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]
Health Insurance Card Doesn't Mean You Have Healthcare
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]
Innovative Ways to Talk About STDs
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]
Hospital Revenues from Primary Care: Recruiting Firm Notes "Seismic Shift"
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]
Hospitals Shift More Digital Dollars to Influencing Physicians
Hospitals & digital marketing
Hospital executives say they are increasing their digital marketing budgets to reach and influence doctors. Close to 30 percent (on average, about $13,000) is aimed at physicians, and the balance targets consumers for the typical small hospital budget.[read more]
ATA 2013 Market Outlook Session: What's Slowing Down Telehealth?
telehealth / shutterstock
One of the most interesting sessions I attended at ATA 2013 in Austin was moderated by Frost & Sullivan’s Daniel Ruppar. Daniel talked about the varying adoption and growth rates of telehealth categories such as remote patient monitoring, mHealth, and telemedicine; here are some takeaways from the panel.[read more]
The Challenges of Treating Homeless Patients
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]
High Quality, Low Cost HealthCare Video Interview Series: Kelly Tappenden and The Alliance to Advance Patient Nutrition
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]
Angelina Jolie's Decision: Do I Need to Be Tested?
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]
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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 »
“Fantastic article Marti, thank you.There are so many nuggets here it's hard to pick just one, but I particularly like the bit in point 3 about finding ways to deliver your offering in smaller increments, so you can start to get paid sooner. Which of course fits perfectly with the Lean/Agile approach recommended in your first point. Serious food for thought for all start-ups, not just in ...”
“Fantastic article Marti, thank you.There are so many nuggets here it's hard to pick just one, but I particularly like the bit in point 3 about finding ways to deliver your offering in smaller increments, so you can start to get paid sooner. Which of course fits perfectly with the Lean/Agile approach recommended in your first point. Serious food for thought for all start-ups, not just in ...”