Too Much Hype in the Mobile Health App World?

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA [Original post, “Too Much Hype in the Mobile Health App World?” published on The Huffington Post on 7/23/12 in the Healthy Living/Health News Section.] The Wild West of mobile health (mHealth) is taking the health care industry by storm, but “there are no rules to the game,” said Joseph C. Kvedar, M.D., founder and director at the Center for Connected Health in a recent interview. Mobile health is a…

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Speaking Events: Blogher and e-Patient Connections

Upcoming speaking events for Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA e-Patient Connections 2012 – September 24-25, 2012 Where:  Philadelphia, PA When:  September 24, 2012 Presentation Title:  Let the Games Begin! Using Gamification as a Tool to Engage e-Patients Effectively – Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Founder, Healthin30, Media Broadcaster, Writer, The Huffington Post and John Pugh, Head of Online Communications, Boehringer Ingelheim Agenda Speakers BlogHer ’12 – August 2-4, 2012 Where:  New York, New York When:…

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mHealth: Valuable information in PwC report, but are the findings remarkable?

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA A recent report, (PDF link) “Emerging mHealth:  Paths for growth,” commissioned by PwC, (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) the Economist Intelligence Unit, is well executed, however it’s important to understand the research sample for this survey. Is it possible that the results of the survey would be different if the sample was broader in terms of the types of patients questioned and the doctors and executives from payer organizations that were selected were…

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3 Best Health Care Tips – mHealth to Social Media Networking

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA As a registered nurse, here are three of my top health tips for taking charge of your health. These aren’t the typical how-to-tips; rather, they help empower you by getting you involved in a hi-tech and social world. 1. Get involved. You are the most important member of your health care team. You are the biggest stakeholder in your health care, and you have the choice to live a…

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5 Buckets to Patient Engagement and the Role of HIT

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA What is patient engagement? Patient engagement is a connection between patient, caregiver and health care provider.  A trusted relationship forms and mutual respect is fostered.  Patients and their families are empowered and they are active in health care decisions.  However, patient engagement begins before the initial interaction with health care providers. When patients and consumers recognize the need to be in charge of their health, patient engagement evolves.  Patients…

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