Guest post by Stephen C. Schimpff, MD We are often told that the reason for the high cost of medical care is all of our new technologies and drugs. There is an element of truth in that but when used correctly, new technologies save lives and improve the quality of patient care and often improve safety. But technologies used inappropriately increase costs while not improving quality and may adversely impact safety. Here is a patient…
Read More...Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold launch Sharecare.com, where experts share their knowledge with consumers
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Sharecare.com launched yesterday in San Francisco at the Health 2.0 conference and while I was unable to attend this exciting event, I followed the live twitter feed (#health2con) and it almost felt like I was there. Having attended the Health 2.0 conferences in the past, the excitement and energy that circulates is always infectious. As a registered nurse, I am thrilled and honored to be included and surrounded by…
Read More...Empowered Patient: NY City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – TB Control
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA I was honored to speak to an amazing group of physicians, nurses and health workers from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene- Bureau of Tuberculosis Control–2010 Tuberculosis, on Tuesday. The topic, “Patient Empowerment: Engaging Our Patients to Take Charge of Their Health.” Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you. It is evident that from talking with these passionate health care professionals, who work…
Read More...The World’s First Twitter Chat for Doctors
Guest post by Phil Baumann Hashtag for Twitter Chat for Doctors is #MDChat Physicians are an important part our society, possessing a wide array of knowledge and experience and insight into the human condition. The public value of this collective reservoir of talent is priceless. As the pace of our world quickens and the demand for information rises, needs for easily accessible commons for physicians to air their perspectives – from health to technology to…
Read More...Patient Engagement: Health IT, What Microsoft Health Users Group Exchange Means for you
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA How important is Health IT to you and should you care? At the Microsoft Health Users Group Exchange this month at the Microsoft Corporate Campus in Redmond, WA, patient engagement was the overall theme. Whether presenters were talking about “Cloud Computing,” “Care Coordination,” or “Population Health Management,” empowering the patient was the paradigm. “At the end of the day, we’re all patients,” Bill Crounse, MD, keynote speaker and Senior…
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