After waiting weeks for an open appointment, John finally gets in to see the orthopedic surgeon to evaluate his acute knee pain. He’s already been off work for over two months and has barely been able to leave the house, popping anti-inflammatory and pain medicine to manage the pain every day.
Suspecting a torn meniscus, the doctor orders an MRI to verify the diagnosis and plan his treatment approach. The nurse begins the process by calling John’s insurance carrier to verify coverage,
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Using Data Analytics to Address Social Determinants of Health
Americans might run on Dunkin’ — but the healthcare industry runs on data, specifically structured and unstructured data. Easily aggregated and translated into numbers for analysis, structured data lives in databases and on spreadsheets. Unstructured data, on the other hand, is more complex. You can’t use conventional tools to process or analyze it.
Yet while it’s messy and hard to organize, it’s incredibly valuable. And one type of unstructured data is human conversations, including
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Quantum Algorithms for Healthcare
The field of computational life sciences can and should invest in the development of quantum algorithms today to take advantage of the near-term improvements and long-term transformational potential of quantum technology.
Advancements in technology have always driven breakthroughs in medicine. Robert Hooke’s detailed drawings of cells relied on his compound microscope, and the development of the COVID-19 vaccine hinged on genetic research powered by computers. The arrival of quantum
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3 Reasons the Cloud is Critical for Ensuring Patient-Centered Care
As the healthcare sector embraces value-based care, the patient – not the procedure – is the central focus for providers. But the move to patient-centered care requires several significant deviations from the status quo.
For example, more personalized treatment is required through information sharing and collaborative decision-making among providers, patients and their families. There is also a greater need to focus on overall physical, mental and emotional well-being of patients, as
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Evaluating Evidence Base in Digital Health Solutions: The Real Questions Stakeholders Should Be Asking
Throughout the pandemic, digital health companies have seen significant growth, with one study finding that U.S.-based digital health startups surpassed $29 billion in 2021, almost twice the funding seen in 2020. When done correctly, the use of these digital innovations can help people reduce the burden of dealing with mental health challenges by providing accessible, affordable, and timely care to users. As digital mental health interventions (DMHI) continue to battle it out for a leading spot
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We Need to Use Data to Maximize Home and Community-Based Services for Our Most Vulnerable
Millions of children and adults living with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) rely on long-term services and support (LTSS) offered through the state Medicaid program to meet their complex health needs. Medicaid LTSS enables many to achieve personal goals and lead fulfilling lives. These individuals are often some of the most vulnerable, highest-cost clients in the healthcare system.
But for many, these services are not attainable, nor is the process easy to
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Nursing Facilities – A Medical Crisis in Need of a Prescription
Nursing facilities have evolved from rest homes to medical facilities over the last 20 years.
Patients are sicker, older, have more medical comorbidities, and are frailer. They require more assistance with activities associated with daily living and have much greater rates of cognitive impairment. People over 85 are the most rapidly expanding demographic and the elderly segment of the American population is expected to double in 2030 from 2010. Even with a shift to providing higher-intensity
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Non-Invasive, Precision-Based Approaches for Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Inflammatory skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, vitiligo, hidradenitis suppurativa and others impact a significant portion of the U.S. population. In fact, nearly half of all visits to primary care physicians include some level of dermatological indication. Many of these dermatologic conditions are accompanied by pain and severe discomfort for affected patients, and the resulting morbidity of the condition may have a negative impact on mental health, self-esteem and overall
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How Biosensing Tech Can Alleviate Dehydration in Older Adults
For most adults, the first sign of dehydration is feeling thirsty. However, as we age, our thirst sensation naturally weakens, which means older people may not know that they need more fluids until they’re typically underhydrated, putting them at a higher risk of clinical dehydration.
Other age-related physiological changes can also impact a person’s ability to remain hydrated, such as a decline in kidney function. Indeed, renal function begins to diminish around the age of 50. This is due
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The $2.8M Medicine: How Data Can Help Insurers Pay for Life-Changing Therapies Without Breaking The Bank
Advanced medical research has brought us to the point where many serious conditions can potentially be treated and even cured - with people who have essentially faced a lifetime of being incapacitated finally able to conduct normal lives. Many of these treatments are drug-based gene therapies–- but they come with an extremely high price tag. The latest example–and most expensive medication to date– is bluebird bio’s recently-approved $2.8 million gene therapy to treat a rare blood
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