Category: Editorial

4 Reasons Why The Digital Front Door Needs A Digital Mailroom

By Bird Blitch, CEO and co-founder, Patientco.

Bird Blitch

Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders in the healthcare technology space talk about the concept of transforming the patient experience by providing a “digital front door” for their patients. Of course, for those of us who have been working to transform and move healthcare in a consumer-focused direction for a long time, we remember the bold proclamation of a digital “new front door” from Larry Merlo in late 2017 as the CVS Health and Aetna merger promised a radical change in how patients access and receive their care.

This new industry buzzword is built on the initial concept – the “digital” front door. And, even though disruptions in the healthcare industry emerged prior to the pandemic, according to a 2018 Adobe survey, only 7% of healthcare and pharmaceutical companies said they had gone digital, compared to 15% of companies in other industries. Furthermore, despite the fact that the U.S. healthcare market is projected to reach $5.7 trillion by 2026 in national health spending, the industry continues to be a laggard when it comes to investments in digital transformation.

While many hospitals and healthcare facilities were recently forced to ramp up their focus on digital transformation and telehealth efforts, significant gaps still exist, especially when it comes to patient billing.

Shifting the burden

Like a loose screw or hinge in a door, when one area of the revenue cycle is not optimized, the rest of the organization shoulders the burden. For example, health systems without a modern billing strategy report that confusing paper statements filled with medical jargon and the lack of clarity on what insurance covers is a big reason that patients call their health system. As patients experienced delays in receiving bills due to the Postal Service crisis last summer, the need for digital delivery options has never been greater.

To create a transparent and intuitive billing experience, patients need a personalized, digital option where they can access and pay their bills on time and set up affordable payment options, even outside of traditional business hours. Patients should also have access to 24-hour support to help them better understand their charges and what their statements mean. Real-time chat options or text options offer this to patients in an efficient and convenient way. These types of digital-first options help patients feel empowered to navigate their healthcare financial experience which, in turn, helps to build loyalty.

Extending bedside manner from the clinical to financial care side

Healthcare organizations strive to provide compassionate clinical care, which involves good bedside manner that informs and empathizes with patients, no matter what their diagnosis. It’s time to extend that bedside manner and offer compassionate patient financial care. Today’s healthcare consumer deserves a focused effort from their health system to provide a  personalized and compassionate financial experience. Health systems in 2020 must collect patient payments to keep the lights on. However, rather than risk earning a reputation for prioritizing the business and bottom line above all else, consider digital-first billing and payment experiences for patients to be an extension of good bedside manner. Healthcare providers can ensure an overall positive experience throughout the full healthcare journey: from making the initial appointment all the way to providing payment options to cover any out-of-pocket costs.

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10 Ways To Protect Your Computer From Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts your data and can lock the computer so that you cannot access your data. A message is delivered to you demanding some particular amount of money for unlocking your computer or for decrypting your data. So for protecting your data from these types of virus attacks you need to take some precautions. There are so many ways that malware is distributed by criminals. So you should be cautious about your security and data protection. 

1. Backup Your Files or Data

The best way to avoid your data loss from viruses and malware is by keeping a backup of your files and data to external hard drives or on Cloud storage. There are multiple Cloud options available for storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. Another benefit of backing up your data is to reuse and retrieve your deleted and lost data. You can get your data easily from your back-up and use that.

2. Update your Antivirus

You should update your Antivirus regularly, as a result, it protects your data from unauthorized programs like ransomware and other dangerous malware. Besides, it keeps your computer safe and secure. It also analyses the performance of your computer by removing temporary and harmful files. So always keep your computer with updated antivirus. 

3. Avoid Unprotected And Unsafe Websites

Always stay away from unsafe websites due to hazardous malware and other fake links are attached to these websites. These fake links and malware can harm your data as well as your computer. Use always “HTTPS” websites that are more secure than “HTTP” websites. These websites can be a copy of the original websites that ask for your personal information and misuse that information in several ways.

4. Avoid Spam Links in Emails, Social Media Posts, and SMS.

The most common way to infect your computer and data by simply providing you with spam links from different mediums. The most common way is by emails, instant messenger, SMS, social media platforms like Facebook, GB Whatsapp, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Hence you must not open untrusted links which keep you secure. These links take you to a particular website and try to attract you to offers.

5. Avoid Untrusted Email-attachments and Downloads

Always download things from trustworthy websites and when you are a hundred per-cent sure, then open your email attachment. That downloadable file or email attachment can be malware or virus which can damage your computer and data also. Hence you should keep this in mind.

6. Use a Secure and Modern Browser with Updated Versions.

If you are using an outdated version of your browser then you are taking an unnecessary risk for your Personal Information and Data. When you update your browser the vulnerabilities presented in the earlier version are removed which makes your browser more secure and helps it get faster and safer. It is also recommended to periodically update your router’s firmware to fix any vulnerability who’s patch may have been released. To login in to your router firm, type your default IP address, typically 192.168.1.1, and enter it in your web browser. If it doesn’t work, try finding your gateway address manually. Most Tenda routers use 192.168.0.1 as it’s default IP address.

7. Use Authority VPN in public WiFi

Along with that, you should always use VPN (Virtual Private Network) while using Public Wifi, as a result, this encrypts your information and builds a secure tunnel between your browser and server. There are some free VPN and some are paid in which they compromise your information. So you should use only trustful and reputed VPN.

8. Use an Ad Blocker 

Adblocker is the software that is integrated with many browsers which block and clear unwanted distractions and advertisements. It is more beneficial regarding privacy and security because malware may be distributed through advertisements and this blocks them by loading quickly. That’s why Adblocker reduces the risk of malware.

9. Remove Outdated Plugins and Extensions from Browsers

Plugins and Extensions are the software tools that add specific features and applications for your uses. Most plugins and extensions are used for video players, audio players, and other marketing applications. You should have to update and remove your unnecessary plugins and extensions respectively. Which keeps your activity safe and secure from malware and viruses.

10. Restart your computer once a day

You should Restart or Reboot your computer once a day as a result it cleans up the useless and temporary files and improves the overall performance of the computer. It helps in flushing RAM files, stops memory leaks, removes vulnerability, fixing network and security-based issues.  

5 Best Medical Document Management Services

As digitalization increases day by day the management of digital documents becomes easy. The creation and distribution of digital documents have become faster than physical documents. For documents management, there are so many companies available in the market which provide you with services for your medical documents management. Therefore there is a list of the 5 Best Services for your Medical Document Management.

1. Lua

Lua is the best online and free service to manage your medical documents. It manages all types of documents and they can even be converted into any required formats. You can convert all types of documents into PDF which is the most used file document in the world. To convert PDF to PNG or other format you have to upload your document which can be a Word DOC, Excel spreadsheet, PNG, PPT, and HTML file by simply tapping on the convert option to get your file converted into a PDF format document in a few seconds. 

After conversion, you can download the PDF on your device. It also converts PDF to DOC, Excel, JPG, PNG, PPT, and HTML files. Lua can be used from anywhere and anytime, all you need is your laptop, computer, or mobile phone with an internet connection. It is a flexible management tool for medical documents that supports all operating systems whether you are using Windows, Mac, or Linux.

2. Google Drive

Google drive is the product of one of the world’s top technology companies, Google. It is a cloud-based storage platform that can be used for your medical documents management. The benefits of Google Drive are that you can use it from anywhere, you need an internet connection in your smartphone. 

The important features are, it gives you 15 GB of storage for free that is equal to the storage of normal smartphones provided, it keeps your files secure and you can share anywhere with any platform. There are other apps and tools including google form, docs, spreadsheets, and slides in Google Drive that help manage your medical documents in one place effectively.

3. Apple iCloud

Moreover, if you are using an iPhone then iCloud is the best medical document management service for you. In iCloud, you can store and share your files, photos, videos, and more with other devices easily. It provides you with 5 GB of free storage and you can add more storage later. 

It supports all types of files that can be stored in one place which you can access from any other Apple device, iCloud is accessible from all your Apple devices that keep your Apps including Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Safari, and more, also it keeps you updated from the App Store across all your devices.

4. Smallpdf

Furthermore, Smallpdf is another free online medical documents management service with which you can manage all your medical documents by converting and sharing. Smallpdf provides you with 21 tools to convert, compress, and edit PDFs for free. It supports all types of files including JPG, Word, PPT, and Excel can be converted into a PDF. 

It allows you to simply drag and drop for the process of converting your medical documents into PDF files and after conversion, you can save and share that PDF file. For making convenience, this is a web-based medical document management service so you can utilize it from any OS from anywhere whether you are using Windows, Mac, or Linux. You just need an internet connection on your device.

5. Adobe Acrobat DC

Likewise, Adobe Acrobat is a web-based service that manages, creates, views, edits and prints the document in PDF format. PDF can hold a layout that cannot be modified and manipulated by sharing with any other device. Adobe Acrobat DC has excellent customer satisfaction for managing medical documents. 

It allows you to convert, edit, share and e-sign PDF documents. It also provides you with the best security for your files and data, keeping medical-related documents safer. Adobe Acrobat gives you accessibility that you can use from any device, any operating system, and also an android app. So if you want to manage your medical documents without any hassle consider Adobe Acrobat DC.

Low Level Laser Therapy: How Does it Work?

Low Level Laser Therapy for Pain Management is a new addition to an expanding range of pain management services that are available at OHR medical services. For those who suffer pain from one or more types of chronic pain, Low Level Laser Therapy has the potential to provide relief from debilitating pain without the use of drugs or painful procedures. It is an exciting prospect for pain sufferers because it holds numerous advantages over other modes of pain control. Many of these advantages stem from the fact that it offers pain management services at a lower cost than some traditionally more effective forms of pain control.

Laser Therapy makes pain management “pain free”

Pain management has progressed to the point where there are several options available for patients seeking treatment. While physicians and scientists have been researching methods of pain management for many years, the introduction of laser therapy into the medical field is relatively recent. Prior to the use of laser therapy, most pain treatments were administered through the use of invasive procedures, such as injections of corticosteroids. These methods of pain control had their share of side effects and they often required multiple treatments before the patient was able to resume normal activities. Low level laser therapy, however, can be performed in an office setting and does not require a hospital stay.

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What Are the Benefits of Massage Therapy?

There are numerous benefits of massage therapy in Toronto andMarkham. The most obvious ones are the relaxation, stress relief and pain relief that it provides. However, there is more to this than that. It is also ideal for treating various illnesses, enhancing the appearance of skin and blood circulation, as well as creating an invigorating environment for physical activity. These are just a few of the benefits of massage therapy.

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The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: What’s In It For Hospitals?

Ken Perez

By Ken Perez, vice president of healthcare policy and government affairs, Omnicell, Inc.

On February 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. One week later, on March 6, the U.S. Senate passed its own version of the bill, on a 50-49 party-line vote, under budget reconciliation which allowed for passage of the bill by a simple majority.

The House took it up on March 9. Notably, the Senate removed a phased-in federal $15 minimum-wage mandate.

In late February, the American Hospital Association had lobbied for $35 billion in targeted emergency funding for hospitals across the nation. However, neither the House nor the Senate version included that level of assistance, though H.R. 1319 does include a number of provisions that either directly or indirectly benefit hospitals:

A Guide To Improving Your Sleeping Habits

Why Am I Always Tired? | SELFYour routine, health, and lifestyle can all contribute to your sleep quality each night. If you often feel tired throughout the day or crave sleep as soon as you have stepped out of bed, you might be struggling with sleep deprivation.

If you want to feel fit, healthy, and energetic each day, read this informative guide to improving your sleeping habits.

Adopt a Consistent Schedule

A poor bedtime routine could make it difficult for you to fall asleep, or you might feel wide awake in the middle of the night. If this sounds familiar, you may need to adopt a more consistent schedule. For example, you must go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even during a weekend. Plus, you must sleep for at least seven hours each night.

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Digital Technology Is Improving Healthcare Supply Chain Effectiveness

Photo of Person Wearing Face Mask

Over the past year, COVID-19 pushed the healthcare supply chain to breaking point. Throughout March, April, and May 2020, many offices could not get hold of the critical personal protective equipment they needed. And today, there are ongoing worries about vaccine shipments, delays, and insecure supplies. 

Digital technology may be the answer to the sector’s supply chain prayers, according to Lab News. The site identifies four ways in which computer-aided supply chains are improving the situation and saving the system from shocks. 

Empowering Patients

Historically, patients played very little role in medical supply procurement. Doctors’ offices, clinics, and hospitals would go to suppliers directly, and patients would simply accept whatever treatment they got. 

Now, however, there is a trend to allow patients themselves to replenish their supplies. For instance, Convatec ostomy supplies are now publicly available via eCommerce to the public. Similarly, home assistants, such as Alexa, allow patients to issue voice commands that connect with suppliers, automatically delivering oral medication to them in the post. 

Streamlining Vaccinations

Organizing tens of millions of vaccinations is a supreme logistical challenge. Doing it by telephone would push existing systems to breaking point. 

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