Medical debt in the US has reached crisis proportions. According to a recent study published by JAMA Network, unpaid healthcare bills are one of the largest sources of debt for Americans, reaching $140 billion last year. The impact is not limited to patients. Healthcare providers are feeling the pinch as well. On average, uncompensated care accounts for approximately 8% of a hospital’s expenses.
The inability to pay medical bills is strongly correlated with a lack of
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Health IT & Digital Health-Opinion | Op-Eds | Guest Columns | Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
How Healthcare NLP has Evolved from 2020 to 2021
Few industries have embraced natural language processing (NLP) as openly as healthcare. With the ability to identify new variants of COVID-19 and help speed up clinical trials for the vaccine, the pandemic is just one example of what NLP is capable of achieving. And while new research points to NLP budgets growing significantly across vertical industries, locations, company sizes, and maturity levels, healthcare is leading the pack.
Big strides have been made in AI and NLP over the last year,
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Social Determinant of The Healthcare Professional: Why We Cannot Wait
The following list provides examples of the social determinants of health, which influence health equity in positive and negative ways: Income and social protection, Education, Unemployment, and job insecurity, Working life conditions, Food insecurity, Housing, basic amenities and the environment, Early childhood development, social inclusion, and non-discrimination, Structural conflict, Access to affordable health services of decent quality.
Working life conditions refers to the working
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The Role Blockchain Could Play in Strengthening Patient-Provider Relationships
With conversations about NFTs and blockchain prominent in the news today, the future of such technology is a hot topic. The integration of blockchain technology into a variety of industries has proved to be beneficial in productivity, efficiency, and security. Because of this success, it is imperative that the healthcare industry continue to effectively adopt and utilize blockchain technology to improve data security, expand collaborative opportunities, verify the authenticity and safety of
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SDOH In Action: Achieving Financial Sustainability: A Connected Community of Care’s #1 Goal
“Show me the money!” No one old enough to have seen the 1996 movie, Jerry Maguire, will ever forget that memorable phrase. That simple but powerful phrase could apply to every person who punches a clock for a living and just about every business, including community-based organizations (CBOs) and Connected Communities of Care (CCC). For CCCs and other non-profits, a parallel but no less powerful phrase, “No margin, no mission,” also rings true― just ask Sister Irene Kraus of the
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It’s Time More Healthcare Companies Break Through Data Silos
Unifying health records remains a challenge, but the benefits of integrating disparate data could transform the industry
Healthcare payers, providers and agencies have traditionally struggled with unifying health records, but no longer is that a viable reason to put off what can be achieved today. It’s time more healthcare organizations seize the opportunity to create a strong data foundation that's consolidated, transparent, secure and easily accessible.
Many healthcare organizations face
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How Healthcare Facilities Can Prepare for Expanded Inclusion Criteria for Telehealth and RPM Solutions in Value-Based Care Settings
As legislation, engagement and positive results continue to push digital patient care solutions forward, many healthcare organizations are not yet prepared for the increased adoption of these technologies. While general interest in telehealth remains somewhat lukewarm, the proof of viability for clinically-driven remote patient monitoring (RPM) is undoubtedly there and will become table stakes as positive results and legislation continue to progress. As a healthcare provider, how can you best
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4 Best Practices to Foster Virtual Care Transformation for Providers
Telehealth’s meteoric rise began just as the pandemic took off, and all indications suggest it’s here to stay. States that were once unwilling to reimburse for virtual visits are now onboard. Some have even passed parity legislation requiring insurers to reimburse equally for in-person visits and virtual visits.
So why, with all that momentum behind telehealth, are some providers still reluctant to use it?
Common reasons cited by providers reluctant to jump into telehealth include
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How Employee-Focused Tech Can Help Hospitals Endure the Latest COVID Surge
For hospitals and the people who staff them, it was exactly the déjà vu they were hoping to avoid: another surge in COVID-19 cases, with the now all-too-familiar strains and stressors that accompany it.
The rapid spread of the Delta variant in the U.S. and elsewhere brought reports of fresh spikes in hospital admission numbers and shortages of ICU beds. Hospitals were forced to increase overtime demands on staff, recall contingent workers and in some cases, hastily establish temporary
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10 Tips for Improving COVID-19 Employee Immunization Initiatives
Within the past 18 months, what used to be a relatively simple process for organizations providing healthcare services – ensuring their employees had required and recommended vaccines – has gotten contentious and complicated – to say the least.
The rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant and new immunization mandates creates concerns and complexities for hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care and other providers. As of early October, the CDC has approved Pfizer booster
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