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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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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Grand Rounds on Healthin30 Features Health IT – Mobile Technology, Telemedicine and More

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 blogs from industry experts.  I explored the web searching for blogs that I feel are worthwhile to read.  If your…

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Healthin30 to Host Grand Rounds and Highlight Best Health Technology Blogs

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Grand Round Submission Guidelines Grand Rounds is a weekly 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. Each Tuesday, a different blogger takes the helm, publishing a new edition of Grand Rounds on their site. Each edition features the host’s picks for the ten best healthcare links of the week. Recently USA…

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Can Mobile Devices Help Connect the Dots for Better Health Care?

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Educating patients through texting Mobile technology may help to transform the lives of patients and provide a stronger partnership with health care providers. I received a text message from my mobile service provider regarding a quick survey as a follow-up to a phone conversation I had with one of their representatives. The first text thanked me for calling the customer care center and said, “We’ll text you shortly for…

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