How Telehealth Improves Patient Care And Experience

Much hope is pinned on technology and innovation to provide better patient outcomes and improved healthcare. Part of this is the advent of telehealth—many patients, in fact, have been shown in studies being receptive to the idea of visiting their doctors through video. The good news is that telehealth can be as effective as in-person care and also can potentially offer better results than traditional approaches.

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Improves follow-up care

Telehealth can be instrumental in following up after a visit for an acute condition, offering better chances at recovery. It gives the healthcare provider the opportunity to verify that the diagnosis is accurate and the treatment plan is appropriately working. It’s a sound alternative to office visits.

Increases patient engagement

The telehealth platform offers care on demand, such as through a complete suite of apps and biometric tools. Parents, for instance, can access these telehealth services to consult on different concerns, from stomach bugs to tick bites on their children. Online appointment scheduling also expedites the process and makes in-person visits more convenient for everyone.

Reviews diagnostic test results

Now diagnostic imaging or lab test results can be shared telehealth platforms and not just the phone. The data can now be communicated by the physician in a way that he or she can see if the patient understands the information.

Enhances chronic disease care

Telemedicine eliminates the need for every transaction of a chronic care patient to be in-person. This lightens the physical burden on the chronically ill patient and eases the load for the clinic in monitoring compliance with the treatment plan.

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John Kang has more than 30 years in developing and managing strategies for rapidly growing businesses. From 1994 until 2001, he was the president of Medical Manager Corporation, which was acquired by WebMD at the peak of the internet age. Learn more on this page.

Healthcare Trends For Improved Patient Experience

The health industry is among the top beneficiaries of the many innovations of the digital age. With a foreseen increase in healthcare facilities, fueled by healthcare providers investing more in complex real estate portfolios, healthcare has never been as driven by patient care and improved customer service as it is today.

More flexible facilities for inpatients are on the rise, thanks to widespread training among clinicians in augmented reality. With AR, providers can now decide on the correct procedures quickly. AR likewise addresses the lack of professionals by instituting more hands-on systems for healthcare training and learning.

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Big data and machine learning technology are freeing up practitioners from the clerical aspect of healthcare, allowing for better preventive measures, faster diagnoses, improved feedback, and generally limiting the spread of diseases. All in all, both beginning clinicians and experts can hone their skills as they are provided quicker access to data for deeper analytics. 

Patient personalization is key, especially as healthcare providers seek to address paperwork, evidenced by elaborate questionnaires for incoming patients. With patient data at their fingertips, patients need not fill out these forms. Doctors can even view patients’ clinical history remotely and hand out diagnoses online.

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John Kang was the president of Medical Manager Corporation, a company acquired by WebMD in 2000. After his tenure with the healthcare IT company, he focused on research and investing in commercializing amorphous alloys. Visit this LinkedIn profile for more on John’s professional background and interests.

Micro-Hospitals Are Key In The Evolution Of Healthcare Technology

More and more micro-hospitals are being constructed all over the U.S., small facilities that are independently licensed and offer amenities that are a fraction of what people can expect in a full-fledged hospital. But their steady increase and presence are crucial to the future of healthcare, to say the least, as they grant more immediate access to medicine and physicians, especially in places where people live and work.

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There is a clear, emerging market for micro-hospitals, bolstered by a more community-based and urban-centric world. Speedy access to good, pre-acute healthcare and in-house doctors is key in many modern neighborhoods, and micro-hospitals offer more expansive services than, say, the standard emergency room or retail clinics.

Consider micro-hospitals as part of an umbrella healthcare delivery system, a branded destination allowing for better and more continuous patient engagement and support. They have a different set of patient demographics, are cost-effective for the provider, and provide premium support for patients since they are not targeted to build or expand outside a particular community.

Keeping to this small-industry model makes micro-hospitals best in both rural and urban areas. They will continue to focus on what the population seeks most in healthcare for a given setting, adjusting the services offered accordingly. Focusing on fewer patients allow for more personalized healthcare, which in turn benefits the patients via faster discharge and reduced waiting time. Micro-hospitals develop patron-like loyalty and relationship, similar to that of a medical home.

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John Kang has more than 30 years of experience in developing and managing strategies for rapidly growing companies. He was the president of Medical Manager Corporation, a company acquired by WebMD in 2000. More on John’s work and interests here.

How The Digital Age Is Changing The Metals Industry

Metals like steel, aluminum, and alloy are materials crucial in various heavy industry machinery, infrastructures, and products that improve quality of life. The metals industry is itself an integral sector of any forward-looking society.

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Though the manifestations of the digital age are usually seen in other industries like automobiles, smartphones, and information tech, its impact on the metals industry plays a key role in industrialization. In turn, metals companies need to find ways to adapt and innovate, especially with the growing importance of environmentalism and sustainable solutions.

Markets are changing; the challenge is to stay profitable and competitive by assessing traditional asset management frameworks and developing better customer relationships. Metals companies need to look for solutions to be profitable in oversupplied, competitive, and constantly changing markets.

Proven business models and plans based on huge capital investments in plants and assets will be challenged. Because digital innovations are seen as disruptive and affect all players in the industry. As automation makes operations more efficient, the supply chains must be robust if it’s to cope.

Whether you are a distributor, a metal producer, fabricator, or a miner, digital trends significantly will reach you.

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A good, concrete example is the increasing number of metals companies now starting to use cloud technology to maintain flexibility, the speed of operations, and reduce costs. Business planning and strategies are now attuned to cloud, and procurement should be next in line.

John Kang was the president of Medical Manager Corporation, a company acquired by WebMD in 2000. He is the current chairman of LM Group Holdings, Inc. For more articles like this, head over to this link.

How Can Data Breach Affect The Delivery Of Healthcare Services To People?

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A data breach occurs when a cybercriminal infiltrates a company and steals information. They then sell the stolen information in underground markets. Among the most coveted information in these markets include credit card information, as well as healthcare data. Acquiring these information allows a criminal to commit acts of fraud.

Credit card fraud and medical identity theft can have similar effects on people’s credits. A cybercriminal can steal a victim’s healthcare information and use it for themselves. Healthcare information usually includes a person’s name, address, phone number, insurance number, and in some cases, even their credit card information.

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Image source: shredwithus.comWhat can these criminals get away with? They can use a victim’s insurance information to procure prescription medications for starters. They can also purchase medical equipment like beds and wheelchairs. They can also use the insurance to go through expensive medical procedures.

Those cost a lot, right? So shouldn’t the victims know that someone is using their insurance? Sadly, the answer is no. It could take months before the insurance reports the purchases to the credit company. And by that time, victims will be tasked to pay for the misuse of their health insurance or go through the long, tedious legal process of correcting their profile.

Tampered healthcare profiles can also endanger victims as changes in their profile can affect their future procedures.

John Kang served as the president of Medical Manager Corporation until WebMD acquired it in 2000.  He has more than 30 years of experience in developing and managing the strategies of rapidly growing companies in technology, manufacturing and distribution businesses. For similar articles, click this here. 

Healthcare It Trends For 2018

Technology innovation in health care is moving at an unprecedented pace, and the industry is likely to experience a number of groundbreaking moments in 2018 as a result of these advancements. Here are some healthcare IT trends to watch out for in 2018.

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Prevalence of telemedicine and mobile health

These are poised to be more prevalent due to growth in the amount of data shared across health provides, as well as increased usage of electronic health records (EHRs) and mobile health devices among consumers.

Artificial intelligence takes over

See more of Internet of Voice devices – think of Amazon’s Alexa – as well as smart and wearable devices gathering health data in real time. Chatbots and other forms of AI now provide responsive interfaces that educate patients, improve data sharing among providers, and potentially enhance patient adherence to doctor’s orders.

Blockchain becomes more than a fad

Major software companies and providers are investing in more fully realized blockchain in healthcare systems. IBM, Intel, Google, and Microsoft have created units dedicated to developing blockchain products, including for health care.

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Mobilizing digital health transformation

Mobile – with people being more immersed in their smartphones and tablets by the minute – is a trend that won’t slow down anytime soon. Seed fund Rock Health noted that $3.5 billion was invested in 188 digital health firms in the first half of 2017 alone, and the number of wearables is expected to hit 34 million by the year 2022, according to Statista. With more U.S. adults suffering from mental illness and often turning to their smartphones before seeking medical advice, mental health services via mobile means could be key.

John Kang was the president of Medical Manager Corporation, a company acquired by WebMD in 2000. He has more than 30 years of experience in developing and managing strategies for rapidly growing companies. For similar reads, click here.