Each year in the United States, there are 130.4 million visits to the emergency department. These visits, especially nonemergency visits, are costly not only to the patient, but also to the health system. The average cost of an ER visit…
An Engagement Regimen for Medication Adherence
Drug spending in the United States is astronomical, and Americans are noticing. According to a Kaiser Health Tracking Poll for August of 2015, while 62% of Americans concede that prescription drugs developed in the past 20 years have improved peoples’…
Let’s Make Decision Aids More Personal
Shared decision making is a popular concept in the world of patient engagement and personalized health care. It involves a collaborative conversation between patient and provider which allows the patient to make informed treatment decisions based on their needs, desires,…
Personalizing Feedback
In most doctors’ appointments, patients are given feedback on their health status, recommendations to improve their health, or both by their physician. Provision of feedback and recommendations are opportunities for physicians to foster patient engagement and cement patient adherence to…
The Rising Importance of Electronic Health Records
Recently, electronic health records have come to the forefront of medical reforms. Electronic health records (EHRs) are a digital version of a patient’s medical history that organizes relevant clinical data in real-time to organize and improve the quality of care.…
2015 NAPCRG Practice Based Research Networks Conference
The North American Primary Care Research Group held its Practice Based Research Networks Conference on June 28-30th in Bethesda, Maryland. The conference, which brought together primary care providers, clinical researchers, and patient and community advocates, was centered on engagement of…
The Applications of Mindfulness in Health Care
Recent studies have shown that mindfulness training may improve health outcomes. “Mindfulness” is an integration of meditation training and yoga, and helps the patient achieve a mental state of awareness through acknowledging & accepting the present moment and creating unity between the mind & body.…
Looking Abroad for Examples of a More Personalized Approach to Health Care
In the current healthcare system, there is a lack of time for quality education, communication, and follow-up from the physician. The lack of patient engagement is exacerbated by a fragmented healthcare system where insurance coverage is tied to employment and…
Your Annualized Personalized Health Check-up
In a January 10, 2015 editorial in the NewYork Times, Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel derides the annual physical exam as a multi-billion dollar waste of time. The exam in current practice is indeed ineffective in preventing disease and reflects the inadequacy…
How Digital Technology Can Personalize Health Care
Original Source: HuffPost Healthy Living February 15, 2013. Digital technology has transformed virtually all aspects of how we live and now it’s ready to revolutionize health care. In The Creative Destruction of Medicine, Dr. Eric Topal makes a convincing argument…
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