This digital age belongs to the consumer, and in this age of the consumer, it’s imperative that businesses are consumer-centric. All services and products must revolve around the customer instead of the organization providing or delivering them. Digitization can enable this by unifying data sources and connecting processes. However, when it comes to industries such as healthcare, which deal with sensitive data, there is an evident challenge of data security.
Blockchain, a technology which rose from the hype of cryptocurrency, can address this challenge with its ability to provide secure path for data transactions. Applications of blockchain in healthcare are more real than ever before, today, owing to the changed mindset of the industry leaders and evolution of the blockchain technology itself.
The demand for healthcare is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years. This trend is caused by several factors, including the growth in the elderly population in developed nations and the growing medical expectations in developing ones. Simply put, medical professionals are tasked with treating more and more patients, meanwhile, the number of hours in the day remains unchanged.
Thankfully, technology is on hand to help. In terms of treating more patients without compromising the quality of care, the following are helping doctors and their staff:
The implementation of electronic health record (EHR) is not a new thing in the industry. The digital wave has completely transformed the way medical records were maintaining before and now. With increased demand for efficiency and faster solutions, more and more medical practices are embracing EHR to simplify and organize their data storage process. Initially, many providers were reluctant and hesitant to use EHR. However, with Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs, providers are encouraged to adopt EHR. As a result, since the time EHR implementation began in 2009, around 73 percent of providers have registered for the EHR incentive program.
However, still, some challenges hinder EHR adoption and slow down the process for many. The initial implementation may be easy, but the user experience was not a good one for many.
Here are some of the obstacles that medical practices, healthcare professionals and others from the healthcare industry face while leveraging EHR:
Technology is constantly evolving and changing the way we do things in all areas in your life, including in healthcare. It plays a big role in the healthcare industry because it can help providers diagnose and treat their patients quicker and more efficiently, eliminating the frustration caused by trial and error. Technology in health care is also changing the way patients can take control over their health while keeping a close eye on progress and achievements.
Pillo Health
Pillo is a voice-activated companion that tells you when you’re supposed to take your next dose of medication while dispensing it for you, storing up to 28 days’ worth. This health device is also a hands-free assistant who responds to your voice and/or touch. He can tell you the weather forecast, keep track of your schedule with reminders, set alarms and timers, and tell you nutritional information on foods. If you want a loved one to know how you’re doing, Pillo can keep them notified about when you took your medications and any missed doses with your permission.
By Rom Eizenberg, vice president, Bluvision segment of the identification technologies business within HID Global.
Rom Eizenberg
A doctor or a nurse can find themselves under duress in an instant. A patient unexpectedly attacks a doctor in a room. A nurse, who is leaving her shift at 3 a.m., is jumped by a masked assailant in the hospital parking lot. A patient’s angry family member confronts a doctor about the care protocol or frustration over a lack of response to the treatment. Each of these examples can create threatening situations that generate concern and could pose a risk to the safety of hospital personnel.
Hospitals and other healthcare organizations have a responsibility to protect not only patients but also clinical staff. Growing concern about the dangers that doctors, nurses and other caregivers face on a regular basis is increasing dialogue in the healthcare industry about what is needed to ensure that staff get the support from hospital security teams and law enforcement when they need it – and at exactly the location where they need it.
About 25 percent of nurses experienced workplace violence each year. While the healthcare sector makes up just 9 percent of the overall U.S. workforce, it experiences nearly as many violent injuries as all other industries combined. Between 2005 and 2014, the rate of healthcare workplace violence increased by 110 percent in private-sector hospitals, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing, 76 percent of nurses at a private hospital system in Virginia said they had experienced physical or verbal abuse from patients in the previous year. Hospitals can utilize technology more effectively to reduce these violence rates and protect their caregivers, especially if such incidents escalate.
To trigger a duress signal that catapults security forces or police officers to the rescue, healthcare leaders must understand the five key things about an effective response system to address real-time duress during a high-risk situation:
The healthcare industry is already well on its way to digital transformation. While many industries are still taking the first steps on their transformation journeys, most healthcare organizations sit a few stages ahead on this path. This is partly due to significant and widespread regulatory changes around patient data (e.g. HIPAA) – healthcare organizations have had to adopt to new ways of working to stay compliant.
Other factors driving the early adoption of new technology include the rise of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), new competition from organizations like Walmart, and a general shift in patient expectations, who now demand a lot more from healthcare services, especially when it comes to digital, mobile and online services.
In this ever-changing and competitive environment, healthcare organizations must look to continue their digital transformation drive to keep up. Speed and efficiency are central to digital change, and health organizations need to streamline their most important processes if they are to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Two areas for automation in healthcare
Two essential areas where healthcare organizations should look to automate their processes include:
Administrative services
Informational services
These are critical to the healthy functioning of a healthcare organization but also present an incredible amount of potential for big wins when it comes to process automation.
1. Administrative services
Administrative processes are at the heart of every healthcare organization. There are a lot of administrative processes that are key to the successful running of the organization – from taking patient surveys so that patient care is held to the highest standards to the day-to-day management of all employees so that they can perform to the best of their abilities in a fast-paced and often stressful environment.
Administrative procedures must be put in place to ensure compliance, including making sure that protocols are up-to-date with the latest compliance regulations and that employees have all the necessary training.
By Brooke Faulkner, freelance writer; @faulknercreek.
We look towards technology to help solve many of the issues that plague the world today. From healthcare to environmental degradation, innovation has led the way in developing solutions. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is a worldwide issue and one that researchers are looking to alleviate.
A rise in numbers
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are 19.7 million new sexually transmitted infections reported each year. This report accounts for number of infections, not individuals, as some individuals may have contracted an infection more than once or different types of infections in a single calendar year. The CDC found in a four year study, between 2013 and 2017, the number of those infected with syphilis nearly doubled, gonorrhea cases increased by 67 percent, and chlamydia infections are at record highs.
There also appears to be a correlation between certain demographics and the number of those infected. Populations with lack of access to healthcare, as well as those who live below the poverty line are at a higher risk for infection. Gay and bisexual men continue to be at an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection, including HIV and AIDS — this demographic accounted for 85 percent of all cases in 2015.
There has been much speculation as to why the rise of STDs is occurring, however, no one can say for sure. In heterosexual relationships, the blame has been put upon the use of long-term birth controls with a main focus of avoiding unwanted pregnancy as opposed to STD prevention. The number of seniors contracting gonorrhea are also rising, which is hypothesized to be a result of seniors being more active later in life as a result of longer lifespans. Since it has been found that the numbers are rising, researchers are redirecting focus to make a plan on how to prevent STDs from continuing on this increasing track.
Information gathering
Many people are uncomfortable with how much of their personal information is being taken and shared without their knowledge or consent. While taking precautionary measures, such as covering your computer camera when not in use and not sharing your location on your smartphone, may provide you with a sense of comfort, understand that some companies are using this information to pinpoint STD outbreaks.
Similarly to predicting earthquakes or volcanoes, researchers are looking at trigger points, in this case search terms, to predict STD outbreaks. Tech companies, such as Google, are helping to monitor STD rates and work toward preventing STDs. Google is collecting the location of search terms in association with STD symptoms and comparing it with diagnosis data from local healthcare providers to draw a correlation between the two.
If a rise in the number of times the search term for “vaginal discharge” and the diagnosis of chlamydia occur in a concentrated area, it alerts health professionals of a potential outbreak. This enables medical practitioners to react appropriately by informing the public and preparing their clinics accordingly.
Sex and apps
Nearly all aspects of personal information is shared on social media nowadays — where you are vacationing, what you’re eating, who you’re with, and your life goals and ambitions. Software developers are hoping to engage individuals by creating apps to share sexual health information. Forums, websites, social media channels and apps have been created as a safe place to ask questions, gather information, and seek out centers to get tested.
STD Triage is a new app that has been developed to maintain anonymity for those who are fearful of going to a doctor about a rash or bump that may be nothing more than an ingrown hair. The app charges a $40 fee to examine photos taken by the user and then offer their recommendation on whether or not to seek out healthcare or schedule an appointment with their dermatologist. The app is not run by medical professionals and should only be taken as opinion and advice, not matter of fact.
There are apps to help match people of similar interests, as well as those to help find a more casual encounter. To counterbalance the scale, some people feel that there should be a way to protect themselves against contracting an STD through some of these apps. It would take both partners being willing to divulge personal medical history, which is not something that everyone is willing to do before a first date.
Although, for those who have tested positive for lifelong diseases such as HIV and AIDS, there has been a positive response in the development of apps to seek one another out. We can expect to see the sexual health culture continue to shift into the mainstream in the future.
How do you provide care to underserved patients who have difficulty getting to the office? This was the challenge we were trying to solve at the Clark Clinic. Some of our patients don’t have access to a vehicle or are physically restricted and unable to travel far. But, as most of our community is underserved, we needed to collectively identify a solution to ensure we can serve all our patients.
I knew from conversations with other healthcare executives that telemedicine was the solution. I recently learned of a pediatrics office in Jacksonville that uses telemedicine to serve its ADHD patients better. Like the Clark Clinic, its patients found it difficult to comply with required visits. Telemedicine allowed ADHD patients to conduct their appointments remotely. Rates of visit compliance skyrocketed. We realized then that telemedicine technology would be ideal for a rural community.
We have experienced seismic shifts in the popularity of telemedicine. Technology has largely influenced every aspect of our society. With instant access to every component of life, people are developing a dependence on technology. In healthcare, patients want easy and efficient access to healthcare, without having to wait for hours in the office. After a telemedicine visit, they are convinced of its value. The process is simple — download the healow TeleVisits app and schedule an appointment. There is no doubt patient satisfaction has improved.
At the Clark Clinic, our slogan is “We are wherever you are” and telehealth allows us to provide the same level of care no matter where our patients are located. With multiple clinics across central Florida, our doctors are often on the road. There have been various situations where patients had urgent visits but couldn’t be seen because our doctor was miles away. But with telemedicine, the doctor can schedule a remote appointment and conduct and treat patients in need while maintaining the established provider-patient relationship. Amazingly, our physicians have even noted that in most cases they are able to make accurate judgments, all from observing a patient’s speech, breathing, motions, and mood.
Our patients who reside at local assisted living facilities also love the convenience of telemedicine. These individuals appreciate the ability to download the app directly onto their phone or tablet and schedule an appointment with their doctor. Typically, they take the call in their room, and all their health questions are quickly answered. We’ve also heard from their families and loved ones, who enjoy the reassurance that, with telehealth, the level of care never wavers and access to quality care is not limited.
The demand for healthcare is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years. This trend is caused by several factors, including the growth in the elderly population in developed nations and the growing medical expectations in developing ones. Simply put, medical professionals are tasked with treating more and more patients, meanwhile, the number of hours in the day remains unchanged.
The implementation of electronic health record (EHR) is not a new thing in the industry. The digital wave has completely transformed the way medical records were maintaining before and now. With increased demand for efficiency and faster solutions, more and more medical practices are embracing EHR to simplify and organize their data storage process. Initially, many providers were reluctant and hesitant to use EHR. However, with Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs, providers are encouraged to adopt EHR. As a result, since the time EHR implementation began in 2009, around 73 percent of providers have registered for the EHR incentive program.
Technology is constantly evolving and changing the way we do things in all areas in your life, including in healthcare. It plays a big role in the healthcare industry because it can help providers diagnose and treat their patients quicker and more efficiently, eliminating the frustration caused by trial and error. Technology in health care is also changing the way patients can take control over their health while keeping a close eye on progress and achievements.
The healthcare industry is already well on its way to digital transformation. While many industries are still taking the first steps on their transformation journeys, most healthcare organizations sit a few stages ahead on this path. This is partly due to significant and widespread regulatory changes around patient data (e.g. HIPAA) – healthcare organizations have had to adopt to new ways of working to stay compliant.
We look towards technology to help solve many of the issues that plague the world today. From 