Get Authentic Information About Heart Health

Medical Tourism

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:30:53 GMT

A New Yorker article today spoke of the increasing demand for overseas medical tourism.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/04/16/120416ta_talk_surowiecki

Some interesting points were brought up in light of questioning the constitutionality of the Affordable HealthCare Law. IF the law is struck down, tourism will be on the rise, says the article. The author feels that the health costs are out of control in the US. The article noted that 40 million uninsured Americans would be looking out of country for care. I have to say, I vehemently disagree with their premise. Those Americans who don't have care today can't afford mid-ranged health care. They aren't going to take a vacation and along the way have surgery. The uninsured are receiving care for urgent conditions, and that will remain, regardless of legality of the law.

IF the law remains unchanged, I believe, that tourism will increase. Those who can afford health care will pay the minimum requirements for insurance coverage, which will be less than previous. The American physicians will be fewer and subjected to increased demands with fewer rewards. These are the patients that are educated and searching for better and available healthcare. Health tourism is on the rise, today, partly because of this.

I'm intrigued to see that monster insurance carriers have seen this transition and are creating divisions to support overseas healthcare. I think it is fair to say that we, as a society, like shopping for deals. We feel secure in trusting physicians from other countries, because many of them are American or were educated and trained in the US.

Nintendo Wii Can Help Improve Healthcare the Health 2.0 Way

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:39:05 GMT

I attended a medical information conference this past year, in Washington DC. It was actually an interesting conference. Many researchers presented their research projects and delivered new ideas for improving medical care through IT. One study I found related and interesting. It was titled “Congestive Heart Failure Telemanagement using a Wii-based Telecare Platform”. Now in my opinion this is consumer Health 2.0 at its finest.

The study was performed by researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore VA. By having an easy to use telemedicine solution to monitor heart failure, patients can be treated sooner and spend less time in the hospital. The Wii console is a popular system that is user friendly. The researchers developed an application where the patient uses the Wii Internet channel and answers a few daily questions regarding their health. Following that they stand on a scale and input their weight. After all this information is inputted, an action plan for the patient is delivered. They receive immediate feedback and the information is accessible by their physician’s office. http://proceedings.amia.org/127ior

I was really intrigued on a few fronts. The first is that it’s an easy to deliver monitoring solution for CHF patients. The second is the fact that class II and III heart failure patients with implantable devices are already doing this. I know that Boston Scientific heart failure device patients are given the option to have a scale and blood pressure cuff at their house. They transmit information daily to their doctor from these devices and certain key items from their implanted devices. Pretty cool, huh?

This study leads into determining if this may become a viable option for medical device companies to develop and sell. I can’t wait to find out of Medicare would reimburse for a Wii gaming console. Health 2.0 does include existing household devices, even gaming devices, to improve health and improve health access.

The National Library of Medicine was at the conference, as well. They are continuing to improve their Patient Health Record (PHR) internet-based system. This is a way for patients to become more active in their own health. By logging into your personal account, you maintain your health information including medications. This is moving slow, as they need physicians to buy into using this system. Full utility will come as doctors monitor your information and keep it updated, also. For more information on this go to http://www.myphr.com/index.php/start_a_phr/what_is_a_phr / or ask your doctor.

Blog Intro into Health 2.0

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:52:49 GMT

Health 2.0 Blog Intro

Health 2.0 emerged in 2006 as a platform for progressing healthcare into the web space. Over the past 5 years the Health 2.0 movement has been called eHealth and eMedicine. No matter what the term, there is an effort to bring medicine into the Web 2.0 age. As defined by the Wall Street Journal, Health 2.0 can be best understood in the following.

“The social-networking revolution is coming to health care, at the same time that new Internet technologies and software programs are making it easier than ever for consumers to find timely, personalized health information online. Patients who once connected mainly through email discussion groups and chat rooms are building more sophisticated virtual communities that enable them to share information about treatment and coping and build a personal network of friends. At the same time, traditional Web sites that once offered cumbersome pages of static data are developing blogs, podcasts, and customized search engines to deliver the most relevant and timely information on health topics.”

Patients are searching in droves for health information on the internet. According to a Pew Internet study, 80% of adult internet users have searched on-line for health information. That translates into 59% of all adults in the US. Its data like this that has supported the need for Health 2.0 innovation. Patients are more proactive in their health and want to influence their health on-line. Interactive health sites, patient monitoring sites, health games, and medical studies are sought after. Patients are even looking for reviews and information about the best doctors in their area.

Our blog will continue to provide information related to the adoption of online resources supporting the Health 2.0 movement. This may or may not be related the cardiovascular medicine, but it is important nonetheless. Our readers have a choice in their health and we aim to support their search for information and more participatory solutions.