By Joel Diamond, MD, FAAFP, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice and a fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians. He cares for patients at Handelsman Family Practice in Pittsburgh and serves as chief medical officer for 2bPrecise.
In its earliest days, genetic and genomic testing typically fell under the purview of select specialties such as oncology, rare diseases and maternal-fetal medicine, but no longer. Increasingly, and appropriately, precision medicine is likewise finding a home within primary care.
It makes sense. The primary care provider (PCP) typically is the first-line point of access for a wide variety of medical services. Advances in genetic and genomic science equip PCPs with insights to speed accurate diagnosis of complex presenting conditions, improve medication safety for treatment of common conditions, and identify treatments and care plans most likely to produce desired outcomes.
Consider the value precision medicine can deliver in these three areas alone:
Improved medication safety. Healthcare has become adept at managing drug allergies, but lags in other areas that likewise influence medication safety and efficacy. Genetic variations drive how well – or poorly – a patient metabolizes a specific drug. If an individual is a fast metabolizer of clopidogrel, for example, his or her body will process it too quickly.
The medication may not provide appropriate protection against clotting which, in turn, has life-threatening consequences. Pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing provides PCPs with the information they need to select the safest, most effective medications for each patient. PGx is particularly valuable for PCPs treating behavioral health issues such as anxiety or depression (typical “trial-and-error” approaches delay therapeutic benefit for months), pain management (where efficacy is critical to timely recovery, management of comorbidities like high blood pressure and addiction avoidance) and common cardiovascular conditions like hyperlipidemia.
By Kevin Torf, co-founder and managing partner, T2 Tech Group.
Kevin Torf
IT outsourcing by hospitals has been booming the last couple of months, due in part to the pandemic. Effective outsourcing enables hospital IT staff to spend less time on infrastructure and more time on key projects, ultimately allowing the bigger team and executive leadership to focus more on core healthcare delivery and management – a top priority for most.
Finding the right IT partner isn’t always easy though, resources and guidance can be scarce as hospitals try to keep up with ever-changing requirements for IT services. What’s needed is a trusted IT partner to guide healthcare systems through both short- and long-term strategic plans. The ideal consultant should not only be knowledgeable across the IT ecosystem but also understand how emerging toolsets can be used in clinical workflows to better serve patients.
Well-executed outsourcing can solve difficult internal problems cost-effectively, but poorly executed outsourcing can worsen those problems or create new ones. It’s an important and difficult task to pick the right partner for your IT needs, so how can hospitals identify top-performing, healthcare-savvy IT consulting firms in an industry brimming with hundreds of options? Consider these criteria when evaluating a partner:
As people worldwide become more and more aware of various health issues related to obesity and poor lifestyle choices, fitness has made its way in their lives in one way or another. Whether it be walking in the park or doing high-intensity cardio, everybody wants to be as fit as they can be.
Because of such a rise, there has been an increasing demand for individuals in the health and fitness sector. When it comes to careers in the health and fitness sector, we often think about personal trainers, gym instructors, and yoga instructors. However, these are not the only career paths individuals can take if they wish to apply their trade in such a field.
If you are someone who is a fitness freak and wants to try their hand in the field of health and fitness, then you have come to the right place. Today, in this article, we will share some health and fitness career opportunities that might be perfect for you. Some of these career opportunities are listed as follows:
Nutritionist
Following a good diet is an integral component of having good health. When you work as a nutritionist, you will be responsible for creating dietary schedules for your clients. These can either be to help a client lose weight or to avoid health-related issues. Nutritionists also design diet plans for clients, such as athletes, who want to get in shape to perform the best they can.
To become a nutritionist, there are a number of certifications you can pursue, you need to complete a four-year degree in nutrition and acquire a state license. Nutritionists usually work at their clinics, schools, universities, colleges, or professional sports teams. The average annual salary of a nutritionist is around $26,000.
If you’re a wheelchair user you’ll know that every day presents different challenges that you need to
overcome. From mental health issues to managing your pain and health to other tests such as
discrimination, loneliness and those overly helpful people who think they’re doing the right thing.
You may also have issues with your finances and if you’re still waiting for your social security
disability payment to come through you may find yourself under a lot of fiscal pressure right now.
Looking for signs your disability claim will be approved? Click the link to find out more.
Staying safe whilst you’re using your wheelchair can feel a little daunting. With so many hazards to
consider, sometimes just getting out and enjoying the fresh air can seem like hard work. Here we’ll
look at some great advice for getting out and about and how you can stay safe in your wheelchair.
While some physicians are beginning to see patient visits return to pre-COVID-19 volume, many independent practices are still struggling. In fact, nearly nine in 10 practice owners or partners that responded to a recent survey indicated they were concerned about the future of their practices, and more than half of all respondents (54%) were “very concerned.”
Months of reduced activity, particularly at practices that suspended elective procedures in the spring, have taken a heavy toll on revenue. As a result, many practices are now compelled to take stopgap measures to contain costs.
High unemployment rates continue to create hardships that can strain patients’ finances. Even an indirect impact, such as a job loss sustained by another member in the household, can affect a patient’s willingness to seek needed treatment or impair their ability to pay for medical services.
To ensure patients can get access to the care they need, as well as their organization’s financial longevity, each health care provider needs to reassess their business strategy with an eye towards improvement in operations. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed many areas of inefficiencies that were already affecting revenues before the pandemic began.
Invest in operational efficiencies for better revenue management
Today, practices have less room for inefficiency and must take decisive steps to invest in technology that will drive increased efficiency at lower costs. Imperatives for a practice thrown into disarray by changes related to COVID-19 are to stabilize the practice by taking better control of the business process. This includes steps to strengthen contingency plans to minimize disruptions and reduce patient liability during the reimbursement lifecycle of the patient, while ensuring the safety of patients and staff during these challenging times.
Reducing patient liability is both a strategy and a desired outcome the practice should aim for as it fine-tunes its management of the revenue cycle, which extends from the patient’s initial appointment through successful payment collection.
The practice can reduce increases in aged receivables by greater attention to pre-visit efforts. Performing eligibility checks and verification of benefits sets expectations and provides improved financial transparency for the patient which sets the stage for a smoother patience experience.
Telehealth is a $2.6B industry and has grown more than 25% since 2015. The global COVID-19 pandemic has switched telehealth’s use and acceptance into overdrive, and nearly every healthcare discipline is utilizing some form of telehealth platforms as part of their clinical offerings. As the pandemic brought life to a stand-still, industries and employees were placed into one of two categories: those who provided essential services like grocery store staff, doctors, and emergency medical personnel and those who were deemed non-essential.
Non-essential businesses were ordered to shut down all operations while government officials figured out the next best steps for the safety of its citizens. Initially, physical therapy and other non-clinical medical professions were deemed non-essential. This changed when the Department of Homeland Security, along with state governments and healthcare officials, deemed physical therapy an essential healthcare service that should continue to treat its patients.
This acknowledgment placed the physical therapy sector in an interesting predicament. On one hand, many municipalities had issued stay-at-home orders. Even with the re-categorization of physical therapy as an essential healthcare service, many patients simply feared leaving their homes and chose to postpone much-needed physical therapy appointments until the virus was contained. This dilemma forced physical therapy practitioners to explore the telehealth platform as a way to continue treating patients and to create a much-needed revenue stream for the health of the practice.
COVID-19 Triggers Regulatory Changes
The telehealth industry was already changing dramatically due to COVID-19. To help telehealth services become more widely available, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma relaxed HIPAA restrictions that had previously limited telemedicine as a patient care option. The deregulations included the ability of physicians to treat patients across state lines without becoming licensed in that particular state and ushered in the development of IT infrastructures that did not meet compliance or regulatory parameters established by HIPPA laws. Lastly, a rapid introduction and approval of dozens of new billing codes were issued to itemize and enable medical professionals to bill Medicare for telehealth services.
One of the most significant challenges in the medical industry is the aging population. Taking care of seniors means using many different methods to ensure compliance. Seniors are often tricky to take care of, as many of them suffer from age-related diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).
This is why it is important to think of advanced methods to make sure their safety remains a top priority. Among the most effective methods today is the use of technology, such as medical apps. Here are some of the top medical apps that are best for seniors:
1. 5Star Medical Alert
5Star Medical Alert is a medical app that helps seniors get immediate medical help from emergency responders employed by 5Star agents. The benefit of this app is that it serves as a personal safety app with agents available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The app comes with a GPS that can track its users, so it is easier to find an individual in case of an emergency. The app also has a conference call functionality, so seniors can still connect with their family during transport. The app is available for download on both iOS and Android phones.
2. MediSafe
If you want a medical app that is highly dedicated to senior users, MediSafe is a great option. Its functionality is compatible with the needs of our elderly loved ones. It has a very user-friendly interface that allows users to program automatic drug intake reminders. It also comes with an online medical box that sends an alarm about the medication schedule. The app is great for those with memory problems to make sure they don’t miss out on any of the medications.
MediSafe can also be synchronized with HealthKit to record health readings such as pulse rate, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, temperature, and weight. All these results can be automatically shared with medical providers to warn them of any sudden spikes. It also sends prescription refills before medications are depleted. What sets this app apart is its Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance.
As the years go by and the body begins to enter its old age, it’s only natural for aches and pains to begin to appear. Many older people will begin to notice issues with their joints, in particular, and the hip is one of the most commonly affected areas, requiring treatment.
More than 175,000 people undergo hip replacement surgery every year for a variety of reasons, and this surgery can be life-changing, helping to alleviate pain and suffering, help with movement, and prevent further damage being done to the hip joint itself.
With a hip replacement or implant, damaged or diseased parts of the joint are removed or smoothed out, replaced or covered over with pieces of metal, plastic, or ceramic that mimic the way the joint functions. Studies show that this surgery can help people live longer and massively improve their quality of life.
As with other areas of medicine, we’ve seen big advancements in how hip replacements work as time goes by, leading to more successful surgeries and better results for patients. Some risks still exist and the process isn’t perfect, by any means, but great strides have been made, as shown below.
While some physicians are beginning to see patient visits return to pre-COVID-19 volume, many independent practices are still struggling. In fact, nearly nine in 10 practice owners or partners that responded to 
