A Davenport, IA, cardiology practice with 40 providers faced a major challenge, one that had the potential to affect the safety of practice staff. "Like most medical offices, we ask our patients to bring all their medications with them to the office and our rooming staff reconciles their medications at each office visit," says Marcia Brunsvold, supervisor of patient … [Read more...] about Cardiology practice makes staff safety a priority
Managing patients
Top 10 patient safety concerns
Patient safety is a top priority for every healthcare organization, but knowing where to direct initiatives can be daunting. To help organizations decide where to focus their efforts, ECRI Institute has compiled its second annual list of the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations. "This is more than just a list; it's a reminder that, despite the attention … [Read more...] about Top 10 patient safety concerns
Medical selfies: photos with a purpose
Selfies, photos you take of yourself using a smartphone, are no longer a craze; they are a way of life. Usually, however, these photos serve little purpose besides entertainment. That may be about to change. DICOM Grid, an open cloud platform for medical imaging applications, has released "medical selfie," a new feature available through its mobile optimized medical image … [Read more...] about Medical selfies: photos with a purpose
Best and worst states for doctors
Doctors are among the most highly paid, educated, and celebrated professions in the United States. The profession has also been undergoing intense change in recent years, with the Affordable Care Act, the rise of branded hospital networks, the impending retirement of baby boomers, and an increasingly litigious society all complicating the lives of doctors and providing pause to … [Read more...] about Best and worst states for doctors
Should your practice enlist the services of a medical interpreter?
Approximately 8 million foreign-born Americans say they speak English "not well." Additionally, approximately 4 million foreign-born Americans cannot speak English at all. These figures, from a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, means there are 12 million people, which is about 30 percent of the foreign-born American population, who have difficulty communicating in … [Read more...] about Should your practice enlist the services of a medical interpreter?
Mobile service provides seniors with immediate access to doctors
Seniors Wireless, a subsidiary of mobile virtual network operator emveno, has launched the first combined mobile and telemedicine service in the United States specifically for the 55+ age group demographic. The service features teleMED Assist, which provides seniors unlimited, direct access to board-certified doctors via phone or video, for any reason, anytime and anywhere. … [Read more...] about Mobile service provides seniors with immediate access to doctors
How Google Glass is changing the medical profession
Imagine this scenario. A physician completes a medical examination and begins to give the patient detailed instructions for maintaining his health. However, the doctor senses the patient isn't absorbing the information. So the physician dons his special eyewear, which, with a push of a button, allows him to create a video that can immediately be emailed to the patient. When the … [Read more...] about How Google Glass is changing the medical profession
Model Tool: Notice to educate patients
Why you need this model notice: HHS advises providers to “engage in a dialogue” with patients about this new patient right to request PHI not be disclosed to their health plan. You can do that using our model patient notice. You can adapt this notice to also address aspects specific to your operations. How this model notice helps you: This model notice helps you convey the … [Read more...] about Model Tool: Notice to educate patients
Double-digit growth projected in the U.S. telehealth market
A recent report from iData Research, a global leader in medical device market research, finds the U.S. patient monitoring market is projected to grow to more than $5 billion by 2020, due to expansion within the telehealth market. This market is segmented into cardiac implantable electric device telehealth monitoring and disease conditions management telehealth monitoring. By … [Read more...] about Double-digit growth projected in the U.S. telehealth market
Are your patients happy? Here’s how to find out
Monitoring the pulse of patient satisfaction is crucial to the health of your practice. Indeed, patient satisfaction can mean the difference between a thriving, profitable practice and one that’s barely breaking even. And since patients have a significant effect on the work environment, their satisfaction impacts your staff’s morale. In order to accurately … [Read more...] about Are your patients happy? Here’s how to find out