Technology Is Not The Reason For Cost Escalation in Health Care – It Is How We Misuse It
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. Bill Crounse Talks with Todd Park: Comparing Health Insurance Plans Made Easy
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Microsoft’s Dr. Bill Crounse Talks with Todd Park, CTO of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on Health Tech Today There is a plethora of health information for consumers today. We are surrounded by smart meaningful material, but somehow it is easy to get lost in the maze of information. We get stuck navigating through it and we find it hard to obtain information that is right…
Read More...How to Filter Cancer Prevention Headlines
Guest post submitted by MD Anderson Cancer Center Most of us can’t keep up with all the new ways to avoid cancer. Thanks to the Internet, we now have an unlimited supply of cancer knowledge at our fingertips. But, how can we filter out the good, the bad and the questionable? Below are steps to help you tease out the facts when reading that next big news story on preventing cancer. Says who? Don’t just…
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…
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