Life in General
Sleep Apnea and Poverty
08/29/2012
Sleep Apnea and Poverty: How Socioeconomics Impacts Proper Diagnosis And Treatment
By Susan Redline, MD, MPH and Dr. Michelle A. Williams, ScD
Individuals from disadvantaged neighborhoods and racial/ethnic minorities are at increased risk for sleep disorders due to a variety of environmental exposures, occupational and psychosocial conditions, and possibly genetic factors. Editor: They also have higher rates of obesity and other health conditions, and they don’t live as long.
A wide range of serious health problems disproportionately afflict individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These conditions, which reduce quality of life and shorten lifespan, include heart disease, stroke, diabetes,asthma, and cancer. Other health problems commonly associated with poverty are obesity,pregnancy complications, increased infant mortality,HIV/AIDS and dental disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s “Healthy People 2020,” which sets 10-year national objectives for improving the health of the nation, has prioritized the need to close the gap in these “health disparities.” There are numerous potential targets for improving the health of low-income people, such as improving nutrition and access to health care. In addition, accumulating research points to a need to improve sleep as means for improving alertness and daily functioning, as well as for reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
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What’s Missing from the ‘Patient-Centric’ Conversation?
08/16/2012
By Alan Blaustein, Founder, CarePlanners
(original article on Huffington Post)
“Patient-centric health care” is all the rage. No, it’s not a clinical diagnosis (oh no — stay away he’s got centric). It’s the desire to put the patient in the middle of her medical care. Think on that for a moment — our system has gotten so far away from the patient that we give the malady a diagnostic classification like “patient-centric” in order to treat it.
So hospitals and other institutions are putting in new technologies and strategies that are patient-centric. Technology companies are springing up to developing widgets galore that make the patient more centric. And medical schools are busy creating patient-centric curriculums.
I absolutely applaud these efforts and wholeheartedly believe we need to continue to move in this direction, but where, exactly, is the patient in this patient-centric revolution? Read the rest of this entry »
How Intelligent Systems Can Streamline Patient Care
07/24/2012
Microsoft and partners Kontron and Freescale demonstrate connectivity across institutional systems and handheld medical devices in the home.
REDMOND, Wash. — July 12, 2012 — Healthcare providers can improve the level of care they provide to patients by taking advantage of intelligent systems, which connect data, processes and devices across internal departments and geographical boundaries. In addition to connecting disparate data within hospitals and clinics, intelligent systems can help facilitate home healthcare and independent living by helping patients monitor their health and send the information to providers automatically.
Microsoft’s Windows Embedded team, the Microsoft Innovation Center in Torino, Italy, and Microsoft HealthVault have collaborated with Freescale and Kontron to develop an intelligent system proof of concept that seamlessly connects the Freescale home health hub reference platform, FDA-certified panel PCs, servers and in-home medical devices. The system (see video below) enables patients to automatically relay medical data from devices to physicians or family members via the cloud, connecting a touch-screen information display in the home, devices such as blood pressure monitors and glucose monitors, and medical data systems located at a hospital or a physician’s office.
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Abreviated Vision of the Future of Health Care
07/04/2012
“Why aren’t more health care organizations using social media to connect with patients and their community?” is a question posed to the LinkedIn discussion group, Innovations in Health. What follows is my response.
While HIPAA and regulatory oversight can inhibit progress, that’s not all bad unless extreme. On the other hand, social & political pressures can drive progress, and technology can enable it.
As an amateur futurist, I often view various potential future outcomes from three perspectives: (1) extrapolating trends, (2) examining market inhibitors, and (3) considering market drivers and enablers. Progress happens more quickly when #2 is minimized and #3 is maximized. So here’s what I foresee.
Artificial intelligence in Watson-like cloud computing services will combine with the remote monitoring of medical sensor devices and other mHealth technologies to move more & more physician functions down-market to PAs, NPs, RNs, aids, and patients themselves. Read the rest of this entry »
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High Court upholds Obamacare. What it means for YOU
06/28/2012
By Linda Bergthold (original on Huffington Post)
In a surprise decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010. You will hear a lot of commentary from legal and policy experts in the next few weeks about this decision, but this post is about what the Court action means for YOU personally.
The outcry from the right will be deafening, and there will be attempts by the House Republicans between now and November to take out sections of the law, although the Senate Democratic majority is not likely to approve any of those actions. Obviously, if the Republicans win the presidency and the Senate in November, the full ACA may be whittled away before its full 2014 implementation date. Now is the time to acquaint yourself with what the health reform law really means to you — while you still have it.
1. If you are employed and enjoy health insurance as part of your work benefit package: The Affordable Care Act does not currently have a large impact on large self-insured companies; however, as the law is fully implemented in 2014 and beyond, there is a chance that your employer may determine that employees can get cheaper coverage through a state exchange and over time some employers may drop employer-sponsored coverage. If you work for one of those companies, you may actually have more choice of plans through an exchange and depending on whether or not the employer subsidizes you or you are eligible for a federal subsidy, you may pay less than you do now. Until that time, you will see a few benefits of the ACA — no lifetime limits on your benefits; restrictions on annual limits; preventive services without co-pays; and adult children allowed to stay on parents’ plans until age 26. Read the rest of this entry »
Donuts Don’t Grow On Trees (music video)
06/15/2012
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To promote healthy eating and address America’s Obesity Epidemic, health advocate Barry David Butler wrote a Pop Song called “DONUTS DON’T GROW ON TREES“.
The song is up on YouTube already, but I’m embedding it here to further promote it. If you like it, add your comments or use the social media links at the bottom to share with friends.
Song Lyrics:
| Donuts don’t grow on trees; don’t you wonder why. Cause all the foods that are good for you
Living foods they give us life, Keep away from foods that are dead. |
| God created man, and he gave us food to eat. Eat it in its natural state,
He gave us fingers to pick and eyes to see Living foods are easy to find. |
Fruit juice and soda can make us sick if we drink it to excess. Too much sugar can make us fat.
We don’t drink enough pure water We all need to get moving |
America’s Obesity Epidemic – a BIG Problem (UPDATED)
06/08/2012
Now that all four episodes of The Weight of the Nation have aired on HBO, I’m updating this article with new information, important statistics, and embedded versions of the trailer and each episode.
Obesity is a really BIG problem (excuse the pun), and with over two thirds (69%) of us overweight or obese, it’s now the largest threat to the health, wellness and future survival of our nation. Obesity has become an epidemic that needs swift action and an unprecedented public health campaign. Otherwise, we’ll end up like those fat Axiom characters in Pixar’s movie, Wall-E, and we’ll bankrupt America.
I hope everyone young & old will watch HBO’s The Weight of the Nation. It’s a four-part documentary that premiered on Monday, May 14 to explore our uphill battle with obesity. If you prefer to watch on your TV or want to learn more, you can visit the link above to buy the CD or the book that it’s based on. (An online version of the book is free.)
The Trailer
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Patients Find and Help Each other in Social Media
06/01/2012
A new PwC market research study shows that Consumers use Social Media far more than Health Companies.
Patients are turning to the Internet and Social Media to find solutions to health problems when their doctors don’t know the answers. While some docs are overwhelmed with new literature about medical advancements and resent patients who question their advice, others welcome the self-educated patient who has found treatment alternatives online and wants to discuss them. If you’re one of those e-patients and have used social media to connect with others like you to exchange stories and knowledge, I want to hear how you did it.
Did you use an online support group like e-Patients.net, PatientsLikeMe.com, and WebMD.com? Did you stumble upon a technology solution by landing on a website for a specific product or service? Did you use a smartphone app? Toni Bernhard uses Facebook Groups for this. Do you?
Why I ask… Modern Health Talk is positioned between these extremes, at the intersection of several important trends, including rising costs, aging baby boomers, wireless Internet access, telemedicine, and increased interest in social media, digital sensors, telepresence, and smartphones & tablets. BUT… We’ve found that the good online support groups focus on a single medical condition and NOT the combination of conditions and limitations associated with aging. We so far have been unable to build a vibrant community that engages the elderly in discussions of tech solutions for aging and want to learn from the success of others, potentially partnering with them. So please share your experience by email or a comment below.
e-Patient Katherine Leon
Below, NPR reports on patients with rare diseases who are finding each other online and promoting new research. The story features Katherine Leon, a woman with an extremely rare heart condition who managed to do what many hospitals couldn’t. She set up a virtual patient registry, allowed patients from all over the world to submit their medical records and scans online, and then used the data to convince researchers at the Mayo Clinic to run clinical trials where there was no interest before. Her story became national news. Read the rest of this entry »
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10 Forecasts for the Future of Healthcare
05/16/2012
FORESIGHT may be the single most critical skill for the 21st Century. Knowledge quickly goes out of date, but foresight enables you to anticipate and navigate change, make good decisions, and take action to create a better future.
That’s why I’ve been a member of the Central Texas chapter of the World Future Society for years, where I meet interesting people with widely varied perspectives of the future. It’s also why I participate in so many Linkedin discussion groups on emerging healthcare issues.
The following ten forecasts came from the World Future Society’s special report, Forecasts for the Next 25 Years. It’s a promotional piece to attract new members who then get a subscription to The Futurist magazine.
Forecast #3. Nanotechnology offers hope for restoring eyesight.
Flower-shaped electrodes topped with photodiodes, implanted in blind patients’ eyes, may restore their sight. The “nanoflowers” mimic the geometry of neurons, making them a better medium than traditional computer chips for carrying photodiodes and transmitting the collected light signals to the brain. Read the rest of this entry »
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America’s Obesity Epidemic – a BIG Problem
05/10/2012
Obesity is a really BIG problem (excuse the pun), and with over two thirds (69%) of us overweight or obese, it’s now the largest threat to the health, wellness and future of America. Obesity is an epidemic that needs swift action and an unprecedented public health campaign. Otherwise, we’ll end up like those fat Axiom characters in Pixar’s movie, Wall-E, and we’ll bankrupt the nation.
I hope everyone young & old will watch HBO’s The Weight of the Nation. It’s a four-part documentary that starts this campaign by exploring America’s uphill battle with obesity. The series premiers at 8pm central time on Monday, May 14. If you miss it and can’t find a repeat, you can visit the link above to buy the CD or the book that it’s based on. (An online version of the book is free.)
The Trailer
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