Health plans are on a constant quest to learn what they can do to help their member populations. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of practical information for health plans to act upon when scanning media coverage and internet sites that purport to provide helpful guidance. For example, the World Health Organization actually describes social determinants of health, or SDoH, as “non-medical factors that influence health outcomes.” This simple designation complicates matters, as non-medical
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Human API CEO Talks Data Privacy Concerns in Employee Wellness Programs
A recent BBC article discusses the rise in employee health
tracking via wearable devices and highlights a number of concerns around data
privacy. To try and prevent health tracking schemes from crossing ethical
lines, and eroding trust between employee and employer, some industry figures
believe that organizations need to work with third-party vendors who specialize
in managing wellbeing data. These vendors would hold the data independently
under strict privacy rules, and work with employees
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White House Coronavrius Task Force Doubles Down on Rapid Testing Strategy
What You Should Know: - White house coronavirus task force doubles down on rapid testing strategy to fight the coronavirus as some states say they don’t have the supplies to comply with the federal government’s advice. - This article was originally published by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Washington, D.C. The White House coronavirus task force is doubling down on part of its strategy for halting the spread of the virus:
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Virtual Behavioral Health Could Reduce Costs, Improve Patient Outcomes, Report Finds
What You Should Know: - A new Accenture report called “Breakthrough Behavioral
Health Access: Think Virtual” finds that the use of virtual behavioral health could
expand care for more than 53 million Americans facing these conditions. - Demand for behavioral health specialists significantly outweighs current availability; in addition to severe wait times of 25 days for first clinical appointments, we are projected to have a shortage of 250,000 behavioral health and mental health
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COVID-19: Why Designers Must Play A Larger Role in Healthcare’s Future
The coronavirus outbreak has brought epic casualties as more than 7.3 million cases have been confirmed globally and more than 413,000 people--and counting--are known to have died. In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown flaws in our medical system, from basic preparedness to the coordinated distribution of medical equipment. Within this global tragedy, there are stories of heroism and renewed mind power and energy addressing health care. In reaction to shortages, we’re
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72% of Consumers Had First-Ever Virtual Visit During COVID-19 Pandemic
What You Should Know: - Patient Perspectives on Virtual Care, a new study published today by Kyruus, reveals 72% of consumers had their first-ever virtual visit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a vast majority would like to continue using it in the future. - The survey of 1,000 consumers ages 18-65+ takes an
in-depth look at their use and perceptions of virtual care during COVID-19. A majority of healthcare consumers had their first-ever virtual visit during the COVID-19 pandemic,
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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
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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
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The Hard Truth About Boosting Patient Acquisition
Technology giants and other non-traditional players are moving into the healthcare market, giving consumers a host of new options for how and where they obtain services. Everyone from Apple and Amazon to G.E. and Berkshire Hathaway are disrupting the market by introducing new delivery models that emphasize simplicity, transparency and positive digital experiences. Traditional players will need to recalibrate how they build market share due to this new consumerism threat. In fact, a
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Teladoc COO Shares 5 Virtual Care Predictions to Watch in 2020
- Teladoc Health’s COO David Sides gives a glimpse of what the future holds as more consumers tap into virtual care. Forget face to face, healthcare is moving into cyberspace—albeit not as fast as one would like. Yes, there is no question that the interest in virtual care is growing swiftly. However, the adoption of virtual services has been somewhat slow; only about 10 percent of healthcare consumers have used such services, according to a study by J.D Power. Despite interest from
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