Like the rest of the economy, healthcare has been upended by the coronavirus. Not just emergency rooms, but primary care physicians, specialists, and long-term care facilities, too.
Struggling to continue providing care in a time of social distancing, many have turned to telehealth in record numbers. Even providers who may have previously viewed telehealth skeptically – perhaps because of the technology’s perceived complexity or reimbursement challenges before COVID-19 – have now become
Read More
What’s the Secret to Building the Hospital of the Future? Simplicity.
As the healthcare industry becomes more connected, executives are increasingly looking for ways to digitally transform and provide next-level, life-saving care to patients. But it comes at a cost — and it’s not just monetary. The spiraling complexity of hospital networks is becoming a massive problem for health IT staff, and it’s inhibiting hospitals’ ability to advance. Brought on by years of network technologies and applications being layered onto the existing hospital infrastructure,
Read More
Picking Up the Pace: Healthcare’s Evolution to Social Media
Take a look at the social media feeds of your favorite store or restaurant. For B2C brands, social media is, undoubtedly, a “where-it’s-at” customer service platform as much for networking or advertising as for engaging consumers with a personality and story that captures new customers and builds affinity. Now, imagine this same social care experience from your healthcare payer or provider. Why is this such an unlikely scenario?
Undoubtedly, healthcare has room to grow in providing
Read More
Telehealth Could Be The Solution for a Pandemic, But Are We Too Late?
In the past several months, Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has risen from humble beginnings in a Wuhan farmer’s market to international status: dominating the news cycle, exhausting the world’s hand sanitizer resources, and generally monopolizing the mental real estate of the developed world.
As new cases continue to be identified in the U.S., politicians are giving coronavirus the attention it deserves, responding to initial accusations of inadequacy with proposals for funding and
Read More
Giving ‘Voice’ to Healthcare: The $3.5 Billion Opportunity
Whether it's asking Siri for directions to the nearest coffee shop or commanding Alexa to turn on the lights, using voice assistants has become part of daily routines. More than one-third of the U.S. population relies on these tools to make their lives easier, and they’re being embraced by more than just millennials; use among seniors, children, and teens is also on the rise.
But the home and smartphone aren’t the only domains for voice assistants. Businesses of all types – from
Read More
Non-Invasive Technology for Measuring & Monitoring Liver Fat
As part of the growing awareness about chronic disease, it’s important to understand the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), an asymptomatic condition characterized by elevated levels of fat in the liver, and diabetes. As a common complication of Type 2 diabetes and obesity, NAFLD can be overlooked comorbidity.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. One in 10 Americans have diabetes – more than 30 million people – and
Read More
Why COVID-19 is Prompting Device OEMs to Partner with Software Developers
As COVID-19 continues to sicken thousands across the U.S., hospital staffs deserve every bit of praise they’re receiving for their service. Yet there’s another segment of the medical community on the front lines of the pandemic: medical device manufacturers.
While some forms of medical equipment have been marginalized or sidelined altogether, manufacturers of essential devices are working around the clock. According to an April 2020 Fortune Business Insights report, those with significant
Read More
Applying Social Determinants of Health to Improve Care Coordination
In today’s era of value-based care, providers must focus more than ever on ensuring that patients get the care they need, when they need it, across the entire care continuum, including in non-traditional health care settings. This is important not only as it relates to patient outcomes, but also to providers’ bottom lines.
However, when patients lack access to basic care-centric needs like proper housing, food, transportation, and a support system, they’re unable to get the right type of care
Read More
AI Can Identify Unseen Sufferers of COVID-19 & Enable Proactive Care
As the nation’s eyes focus on COVID-19, another healthcare crisis is unfolding out of sight. Hidden from view, millions of Americans who don’t have COVID-19 are suffering healthcare crises in their homes. These unseen individuals are facing major challenges, on multiple levels: acute, chronic, and preventive. Patients are waiting longer at home before coming to the hospital for acute illnesses like appendicitis, stroke, or heart attack. Patients with chronic diseases are not receiving
Read More
Digital Strategies Health IT Must Prioritize During COVID-19
COVID-19 is introducing new weaknesses to an already strained healthcare system. As healthcare providers battle an increasing influx of patients and dwindling inventory – including critical personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies like masks, ventilators, and hospital beds – they are relying more heavily on their digital tools and applications than ever before.
This is an unprecedented opportunity for health IT professionals to contribute their skills and ingenuity to the COVID-19 fight.
Read More
