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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Should I Get Another Booster? How Doctors Can Help Patients Navigate the Next Phase of COVID-19
The general consensus is that COVID-19 in some form is here to stay. As people come to terms with this reality, primary care providers may be getting more questions from patients – especially older and immunocompromised ones – asking for advice on how to handle different situations. Should I get another booster? Can I start traveling? Is it OK to go to a wedding next weekend? How cautious do I need to be in social settings?
The answers to these questions aren’t always clear. A lot depends on
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21st Century Pregnancy Care: Unleashing The Power of RNA
While maternal mortality is on the rise in the U.S., pregnancy health has seen little innovation in understanding the underlying biology of disease and is ripe for change. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of the prediction of preeclampsia. Fortunately, with new technology on the horizon, doctors will finally be able to predict preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications before they arise by evaluating the underlying biology of each pregnancy expressed through RNA messages.
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How to Implement QR Codes Within the Healthcare Landscape
Over 90% of mobile users keep their smartphones within arm's reach 24/7. This usage supports the implementation of mobile technology in the healthcare industry for professionals, patients and caregivers.
Despite past hesitance among the healthcare system to use mobile technology — stemming from IT security and compliance concerns — many institutes recognize its value and convenience. QR codes, for example, provide safe access to information with a quick scan from a phone's camera — no
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The Common Denominators of Sustainability in Healthcare: Measurement and Transparency
The global healthcare industry accounts for roughly 5% of greenhouse gas emissions. That is about the same as the cement and chemical industries combined, and more than that of the aviation and shipping industries together. In the United States, the number is even higher: roughly 8.5% of U.S. carbon emissions emerge from healthcare.
One might argue, from a carbon-intensity perspective, that is not too bad for an industry comprising nearly 20% of U.S. economic output. But then, one might also
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5 Factors to Consider When Developing a Health Data Platform
The conversation around whether a healthcare startup should build a data platform or buy one isn’t anything new. In fact, this has been a debate since cloud-based technologies rose to popularity—we’re just now seeing more startups enter the space and opt to build their platforms internally.
Startups choose to build their data platforms for several compelling reasons. For example, it could give them greater control over their data security and architecture or they feel they know their data
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Why Data Transparency Is the Most Important Metric for Healthcare Providers Right Now
Healthcare providers all over the world are battling with how to take patient information and patient care digital. How can we use the tools and technology at our fingertips to make treating patients easier and more effective, rather than more complicated? Converting data into useful information will be the key to making this transition successful.
Data is the currency, language, form, and function of digital transformation in healthcare. Having an easily accessible data warehouse and
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Drug Price Transparency: Planning for Change
Currently, some 22 states have enacted prescription drug transparency laws that require entities across the drug supply chain to report pricing information to state officials. Designed to shed light on the true cost of drugs and to ensure that consumers and insurers aren’t being gouged, drug pricing transparency laws seek to level the playing field by delivering greater visibility into drug costs. And given the fact that prescription drug prices continue to increase, the topic of drug price
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3 Questions Healthcare IT Leaders Should Ask Before Implementing AI in Their Operations
Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are no longer nice-to-have technologies for healthcare providers. They are mission-critical tools for addressing significant challenges many health systems and hospitals face today — from volatile patient volumes to ballooning labor costs and staffing shortages to low operating margins. Many of these challenges are macro-level economic trends that will continue to prevail for the foreseeable future.
According to research from Kaufman Hall,
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