LinkedIn Pulse | Empathy: Beyond a Connection

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA This is my first LinkedIn Pulse post, Empathy: Beyond a Connection.   Being a great leader means having a clear vision, mission or goal. It means being committed, and knowing how to listen and communicate, but it involves much more. It’s about having heart, empathy, and an uplifting spirit. With empathy and heart we can help our patients feel good, valued and respected. Empathy allows us to engage and…

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Are Healthcare Consumers at the Forefront of Digital Health?

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA and Ben Heubl Simply put, healthcare is about the patient. Healthcare is a multidisciplinary team approach and patients are at the center of healthcare. The urge to understand healthcare and medicine from the perspective of the patient, or consumer, is something that even key stockholders fail to understand, writes David Shaywitz in a Forbes piece. The author refers to an article from The Journal of the American Medical Association…

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Health: Online Health by the Numbers

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Digital Technology has changed the landscape in health care, and it has changed the role of the consumer, patient, caregiver and health care professional. The internet has empowered patients and consumers to take charge of their health and to be proactive.  Consumers and patients are active participants in their health care. The Pew Internet and American Life Project explores the impact of the internet and “provides information on the…

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Updated: Mobile Health-The Kaiser Way-An Interview with Bernard J. Tyson

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA A Go-To Health Care System for Innovation and Digital Technology “It’s something our members wanted, they have it and they love it,” said Kaiser Permanente’s Incoming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bernard J. Tyson, in a recent telephone interview. The “it” Mr. Tyson is referring to is the digital technology that allows Kaiser Permanente members to email their physicians. To date, there are “14 million e-visits,” he said, and…

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Mobile Health-The Kaiser Way-An Interview with Bernard Tyson

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA A Candid Interview with Bernard Tyson “It’s something our members wanted, they have it and they love it,” said Kaiser Permanente’s President and CEO Bernard J. Tyson, in a recent telephone interview. The “it” Mr. Tyson is referring to is the digital technology that allows Kaiser Permanente members to email their physicians. To date, there are “14 million e-visits,” he said, and members gain access via a free Smartphone…

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