By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA
Thank you to everyone who submitted posts for Grand Rounds. I greatly appreciate it.  Grand Rounds is a summary of the best health care writing online.  It features stories, opinions and analysis from doctors, nurses, patients, researchers and administrators, as well as journalists.  This edition features health care technology [...]

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA

How do companies curb health care costs?
Do healthier employees lead to increased productivity?  Several progressive companies believe so and have committed to providing employees with programs to help engage them in a healthier lifestyle.
As part of the incentives to lead a healthier lifestyle some employers have instituted a penalty and [...]

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA

Twitter is a powerful form of social media, and it is a phenomenal resource for sharing information.  Twitter can help improve your health.
A significant blog on Mashable, “HOW TO: Use Social Media for Better Health” by Ben Parr, he writes that “Healthy living can be a shared experience.”
Social media is [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]