Medical science has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Recent studies and technological advancements have brought forward new healthcare practices.
However, with the rise in the spread of diseases, people attempt to be mindful and take necessary steps to promote health. An increasing number of people suffer from fluctuations in blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels and need to consult physicians frequently.
Moreover, the outbreak of COVID-19 compelled people to take care of their health seriously. The new healthcare practices help healthcare workers to cater to patients’ illnesses and provide better treatments.
When a person falls ill, he or she affects the whole family. However, each family member has to play their part to help the patient recover and regain health. Family-centered health is an approach that involves planning and delivering healthcare services. It is worth mentioning that patients, their families, and medical workers are the major participants in family-centered healthcare. For instance, special care patients are primarily dependent on the family. Each member can positively contribute to improving the patient’s health.
For some people, the concept of family-centered care is still new, and most of them not follow it much. Below we are listing some reasons behind family-centered health promotion:
Improved Decision-Making for Healthcare Services
Patients such as those with special needs are sensitive, and they unexpectedly get into some serious situations. Physicians are not available all the time, and family members have to intervene and make critical decisions. The family-centered approach enables family members who share space with patients to barge in and help patients cope with a sudden health crisis.
Medical institutes are venturing into e-education and offering online courses for non-medical and healthcare workers to get insight into different medical industry fields. An online MPH promotes health equity and helps in creating healthier communities. Individuals with differently-abled patients or those aiming to build a healthy community can take advantage of online programs and equip themselves with the skills.
Bariatrics is the field of medicine that looks after obese and overweight patients. Government statistics obtained from the Health Survey for England 2019 show that over three quarters of people aged over 16 in England were either obese or overweight.
The widely accepted definition for being ‘overweight’ is having a Body Mass Index (a calculation using weight and height) of over 25 and for being ‘obese’ is over 30. Patients with a BMI of more than 40 are considered morbidly obese.
Bariatric beds – the basics
As the rates of obesity within populations rise, the demand for bariatric services is rapidly increasing and medical facilities need the appropriate equipment to care for them safely. Overweight and obese patients need to be treated to help them lose weight but may also need treatment for the many health issues associated with obesity. Patients also need equipment to live safely and comfortably in their own homes. The safety, comfort and dignity of the patient are priorities when choosing equipment to meet their needs.
The process of choosing a bariatric bed can be confusing as there are many features to consider. Here’s a summary of the main things that you need to know before making your decision.
One peek at the medical equipment sites like heartlandmedical should make you realize how the healthcare industry has changed in the last century. Some of the technologies used in hospitals today were not perceived as realistic at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It is an incredible achievement!
With many helpful tools being created one after another, we can live healthier lives and achieve things that were thought to be unreachable before. To make you appreciate this technological leap, we prepared a list of the most significant milestones in the history of medicine. Check it out and see what things revolutionized healthcare.
X-Rays
X-rays were first discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895. It was an important milestone, as it let medical professionals look at the inner structures of the human body without making any incisions. It was the very first time that people could see inside their bodies in such a non-invasive way. Since then, this technology has been commonly used to help detect tumors and bone fractures.
Kidney Transplants
The first kidney transplant was performed by Joseph Murray in 1954. This operation was performed before the age of antibiotics, and as a result, the risk of the infection was pretty high. That being said, Murray decided to perform the operation given that the condition of the patient was not getting any better.
In the end, he successfully transplanted the kidney from one brother to another, and the patient regained his health shortly thereafter. Since then, these operations have become quite common and have saved the lives of many patients around the world.
Ultrasound
The first prototype system for ultrasound was developed by Ian Donald and Tom Brown. It was used for the very first time in 1956 in Glasgow. Since then, such systems have been used to help detect abnormalities in the abdominal and pelvic organs, muscles, and tendons, as well as heart and blood vessels.
Whether it’s a recording in an unknown language, or a promise to get rich, or an offer for free solar panels, the volume of useless, intrusive noise has trained everyone to scrutinize every inbound call because phone calls that matter have increasingly become the minority.
While that call could have been from the doctor, or something important, the live connection was missed and now the cat and mouse game between patient and provider begins. For legitimate call centers that are charted to reach out, connect and help solve problems, the time has come to rethink how to drive better engagement and more scale. The answer isn’t to quadruple the number of agents.
According to some estimates, US mobile phone users were exposed to 48 billion robocalls in 2018, which means that every time the phone rings, there’s a 50% chance it’s a spam robocall.
Silence Unknown Callers
There are few viable solutions available for blocking 100% of these annoying intrusions, so the best option when that unknown phone number shows on the caller ID is to simply hit the decline button and move on with whatever you were doing.
Robocalls are essentially creating “anti-call center muscle memory” across the entire mobile phone user population. And that’s a problem for the healthcare industry.
Call centers have always been a big part of the healthcare patient experience. Challenges with being on hold, ineffective agents, and general customer dissatisfaction with call centers are well documented. But what about the outbound side?
Did you know that more than 3.5 billion individuals have some type of oral illness? Also, only 60% of Americans had a regular dental visit over the recent year. A routine dental visit is fundamental to finding issues as soon as possible and starting treatment to stop their progress. Specialists suggest having a routine dental visit once every 6 months.
During your regular visits, your dentist will check for cavities. They will likewise test for plaque and tartar. In the event that these buildup on your teeth, they can cause oral diseases. The second step is to check the gums. The visit also includes a checkup of your tongue, throat, face, head, and neck.
The world is becoming more digitized, with technology now being used to enhance all sectors including healthcare. There are lots of developments that are evidence of this including the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, telehealth services, wearable technology, and more to offer accessible and improved healthcare services.
Telehealth services, in particular, stands out because it allows patients to consult with physicians, set appointments, and receive healthcare services wherever they may be. In this article, we are going to explore how telehealth is transforming healthcare, especially in the current pandemic.
Improved Access To Healthcare
An obvious way that telehealth has transformed healthcare is that it has helped improves access to healthcare among patients who otherwise would not have access to healthcare. These include people suffering from chronic illnesses such as heart disease and hypertension who are afraid of visiting hospitals for fear of contracting COVID-19.
What is a Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Software?
RCM software links various administrative and clinical components together with claims processing, payments, and revenue generation. Every quality Healthcare Information system has a dedicated RCM module built into it.
Why Invest in a Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Software?
Effective laboratory revenue cycle management systems vitally contribute towards better health outcomes for the patients and hassle-free revenue management by achieving higher rates of error-free claims and minimizing delayed or failed payments.
Lack of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Software impacts an organization’s potential
The absence of an RCM-enabled information system incurs billing errors, which will lead to loss of revenue. A steady decline in the overall potential of the healthcare organization ensues once these errors become recurring.
The US healthcare sector ends up paying $125 billion per year, every year for missed revenue opportunities due to errors in medical billing. Such type of errors is common with bills exceeding $10,000 or more (on average, such bills incur $1,300 in error-related loss in revenue).
Another aspect is the time lost in processing a rejected bill. Such a rejected bill may take up twice the processing time for the same revenue generated. Last but not the least, delayed payments from the insurance companies and denied claims cause unnecessary stress to the patient, thus creating patient compliance issues.
Families sometimes consider sending seniors to nursing homes for more hands-on care as they age. For those fearful of questionable living conditions, neglectful assisted-living staff, and lacking safety alert systems, a home care agency may be the answer to your nagging question: What does this next stage of life look like for me? If aging in place appeals to you, you can seek out services in your area to learn more about your options.
Ultimately, aging in place, or aging at home, has more benefits than people may realize.
For one thing, seniors still maintain their independence and routine when they live at home. They keep all their home’s everyday comforts without losing a sense of security and familiarity.
Families also don’t have to shell out money for room and board at a nursing home. Most importantly, senior citizens, such as yourself, don’t deal with the stress of leaving home and risking exposure to potentially deadly bacteria.
If you’re insistent on maintaining your independence and can’t bear the thought of spending your golden years within the confines of an assisted living facility, you’ll need to prepare accordingly for the obstacles and restrictions of aging in place. Fortunately, a healthy lifestyle lies within the realm of possibility, even for those reclusive seniors with a there’s-no-place-like-home mentality. Not sure where to start? Follow the steps below.
Life can never be 100 percent safe. (And believe it or not, that’s a good thing). And, for that reason, you will get injured at some point along the way. It’s practically inevitable.
Injury, though, takes you away from the rest of your life. You often have to spend all your time recovering instead of “getting out there” and doing the things that you want to do. And, frequently, medics will tell you that you have no choice. You just need to give the body time to repair – that’s all there is to it.
By Thomas E. Hanzel, Pharm.D., MBA, vice president of long-term care and nutraceuticals, Parata.
Thomas Hanzel
The role of a pharmacist in today’s world is constantly evolving. While at times seen just as pill pushers, pharmacists are now directly involved in patient care more than ever. The focus of moving pharmacists away from counting pills and towards the front to counsel patients and ensure medication adherence is as critical as it has ever been.
This pandemic has now pushed pharmacists to a more prominent and proactive role as true frontline healthcare providers, specifically those in retail settings.
The transition catalyst has been two-fold. With patients wary of going into primary care doctor offices or the hospital in fear of exposure to the virus, retail pharmacies and pharmacists quickly became patients’ primary source of healthcare and education. With 90% of Americans living within two miles of a community pharmacy, it’s no surprise this transition is rapidly occurring. Now, with vaccines sent to about 6,500 retail pharmacies across the country, and soon to be up to 40,000 retail pharmacies, pharmacists are on the forefront, leading the charge of vaccine immunization efforts.
The Vaccines Are Here, Now What?
As vaccines begin to arrive at pharmacies, there is a communal sigh of relief that normalcy might not be far off. However, for pharmacies and pharmacists, routine immunization of their communities is a far cry from normal. The day-to-day operations of the pharmacy will not cease to exist simply because there is a need for a new vaccine. The patient counseling, prescription filling, doctor phone calls, and critical everyday activities of the pharmacy will continue as the vaccine line grows.
The pharmacists, techs, and staff must incorporate the task of COVID-19 immunization into their already bustling operations. Even though large chains such as CVS and Walgreens are hiring pharmacists by the thousands, and pharmacy job listings are up 35% compared to last year, many small community retail pharmacies simply don’t have the option to just find and add qualified staff. Instead, to combat the rise in businesses many have chosen to turn to a more innovative solution to their problems – technology.
Medical science has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Recent studies and technological advancements have brought forward new healthcare practices.
