According to new two-year study by Geisinger researchers, having patient portal access to their doctors' notes is associated with improved adherence to a medication regime. Conducted from March 2009 to June 2011, Geisinger researchers analyzed data from 2147 adult patients who took at least one blood pressure or cholesterol medication. These medications are widely prescribed for common conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The researchers found that among patients with
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Report: Population Health Management Has Yet to Reach Critical Mass
69% of healthcare leaders say that they are either fully committed to or have a pilot program underway for population health management, according to new HealthLeaders Media report. The report, Population Health: Investing in a Risk-Based Future, sponsored by McKesson includes data from a survey of HealthLeaders Media’s 8,000-plus member executive research panel.
While on the surface it appears that providers are fully engaged in population health initiatives, one of the key indicators is the
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Hoarding Your DNA Data Could Stifle Extending Human Life
Google Ventures’s Bill Maris is determined to extend human life expectancy; however, public fears over privacy and the security of DNA data could be a major roadblock, Bloomberg reports. “If we each keep our genetic information secret, then we’re all going to die,” said Bill Maris, managing partner at Google Ventures. Starting this year, the firm has placed a greater focus on investing in life science companies focused on slow aging, reverse disease and extending life. A key portion of these
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UCSF, Cisco to Develop Interoperability Platform for Sharing Health Data
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Cisco are teaming up for a new initiative to jointly develop an interoperability-focused platform that will enable health systems, providers and app vendors to share and integrate health data from multiple sources. That platform will make pertinent patient information accessible when and where it’s needed for care through a highly secure process.
Health interoperability – defined as the ability of different devices, IT systems and
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WEDI Launches Genomic Data Exchange Workgroup
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), a nonprofit authority on the use of health IT to create efficiencies in healthcare information exchange, announced the development of its newest Workgroup focused on Genomic Data Exchange. The goal of the workgroup is to further evaluate and create a common industry vision and roadmap on how to incorporate genomic data into the American healthcare system. Katherine Johansen Taber, Ph.D., director of the American Medical
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HomeHero Launches the Match.com for Senior Home Care
After 6 months of building and testing, senior home care startup HomeHero has launched a proprietary 15-point algorithm that matches clients in need of a caregiver with the perfect person to meet their needs -- like the Match.com for senior home care. The SoCal-based startup can now crunch millions of data points in seconds and deliver customized caregiver matches within only 10 minutes, compared to hours or even days for traditional home care agencies (HomeHero’s own manual matching process
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Cedars-Sinai, Techstars to Launch LA-Based Digital Health Accelerator
Cedars-Sinai is teaming up with Techstars to launch an LA-based digital health accelerator focused on developing innovative approaches to medicine and science that not only further enhance the quality of the care but ensure it is provided in a patient-centered, cost-effective manner. Together, the digital health accelerator will offer startups $120k in funding, 3 months of mentorship and guidance from senior leadership at Cedars-Sinai and the Techstars network of more than 7,000 founders,
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American Well Powers Telehealth Visits to 29 Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans
Telehealth services provider American Well, today announced it is the telemedicine partner of choice for 29 Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans in more than half of the United States. Beginning 1/1/16, 29 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans rely on American Well to deliver care to members across 26 states. Through its app, Amwell health plans can give members a benefit they want, while reducing medical costs for key employer accounts.
"Modern technology like web and mobile lets us
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Amino Pulls In $19.4M to Match Patients with the Right Doctor
After spending more than two years in stealth mode developing a database that includes nearly every practicing doctor in America and experiences from more than 188 million people, digital health startup Amino has launched its consumer healthcare search platform designed to help consumers make confident health care decisions, starting with the doctors they choose. Amino’s new personalized service allows people to find and book an appointment with doctors based on their experience with specific
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Collective Health Raises $81M, Goes National with Anthem and Blue Shield of CA
October is open enrollment season across the U.S. when the annual window opens for millions of Americans to change health plans. To make this process less confusing, Collective Health is bringing employer health insurance into the 21s century and shifting the focus from profits to people. Today, the enterprise health insurance software and services leader Collective Health has raised $81 million in Series C funding led by Google Ventures and returning investors NEA and Founders Fund along with
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