Category Archives: Telemedicine

Shriners Hospital for Children is using telemedicine to spread the cheer to the children. They are testing a new program where children can video chat with Santa Claus.

Shriners Hospital for Children is taking part in a doctor-patient video conferencing program that is set to begin next year. The Santa Chat program is being used as a test drive program, and children are now able to get an experience they would not have gotten due to their illnesses. Children can speak to Santa Claus from the hospital and even those who have disorders that inhibit speech are still able to have a Santa Claus experience.

The video chat program is being used to find out whether telemedicine can be used by orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal specialists. It is aimed at making the doctor-patient experience better. By the use of high-quality video chat with medical records being made available and accessible at both ends in the chat.

However, this comes with a few challenges, especially in the orthopedic department. This is because this is more of a hands-on field as doctors will need to feel and see how the muscles, bones and joints are moving and not only see them move. This can mean that there will be need to have a facilitator who will act as an intermediary and tells the orthopedic surgeon what is going on.

Despite this challenge, telemedicine is still effective in making the services of specialists more accessible to patients in different geographical regions. This improves the quality of service being delivered especially to patients with medical conditions that require expert opinions. Patients are now able to receive treatment from their primary hospitals.

The integration of telemedicine has also cut down on transport costs for patients and hospitals. Hospitals like Shriners would spend a lot of money transporting children to their appointments. Teleconferencing will ensure that patients will not have to travel to see specialists for their appointments. This can save lots of money for hospitals that can be directed to other projects.

Telemedicine has made a breakthrough in giving better care to patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. This is through the implementation of telenephrology. This is where physicians can consult nephrologists concerning patients with chronic kidney disease. The physicians send the patients file to the neurologist who can assess and give recommendations.

It has also increased the frequency of patients coming in for their treatment. There was a notable reduction in cancellations from patients in hospitals using telenephrology compared to those who use in-person care.

However, it should be noted that telenephrology might be better at ensuring that patients attend their appointments. It offers the same kind of standards as in-person care when it comes to management of Chronic Kidney Disease. This means that the treatment gives the same physical outcomes.

Through telenephrology, patients suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease can be able to access better health-care. Initially, most patients would have to use the services of physicians. This meant that they did not have the expert care of a nephrologist that they need with their condition. This is also because there are few nephrologists.

The use of telenephrology has changed this. Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease can access nephrologists through their physicians. Nephrologists can give recommendations on the course of treatment for patients. As a result, this has significantly reduced the number of in-person referrals. Patients can get the required treatment from their hospitals.

Nephrologists are also able to increase the number of patients they see. They will be able to do web-based consultations for patients who are not within their geographical range. This will spread their treatment range as patients will be able to obtain treatment from their primary health-care facilities. This will be done with the remote assistance of a nephrologist.

The integration of telemedicine in the care of patients has shown that it is capable of improving the standards of health-care. It’s a way of ensuring that patient-centered care is given to patients despite their geographical locations.

With doctor shortages looming and a lack of specialized physicians in rural locations, the whole country is adopting Telemedicine software. Telemedicine is commonly defined as the “use of audio, video, or other electronic media for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation, or treatment.” You will notice that the definition excludes the use of audio-only telephone or facsimile. New Hampshire, being a pioneer of the new Telemedicine law, now allows a physician to establish a valid doctor-patient relationship with no in-person exam needed. And that’s only one of the barriers to growth being removed for New Hampshire’s Telemedicine providers and businesses. Studies continue to show how Telemedicine provides high quality, cost-effective care, while simultaneously eliminating travel time and increasing access for those with physical and mental health needs.

Here are some of the ways in which telehealth offerings will now be redefined and even improved due to the New Hampshire Telemedicine law:

1. Establishing provider-patient relationships. While in-person exams may become obsolete, a method of interactive communication is still preferred when telemedicine is being offered and administered in New Hampshire. That is, doctors should be able to establish a two-way, face-to-face, interaction so they may carry out an exam, diagnosis, treatment and documentation of prescriptions and dosage information. Companies are already coming up with ways to incorporate reliable and user-friendly communication tools in their practice.

2. Remote prescriptions. Just as medical advice and diagnosis will be delivered through telemedicine, so will prescriptions and drug administration instructions. Physicians will now be in close contact with pharmacies, labs and other post-consultation services in order to carry out remote prescribing that meets the current standards of practice.

3. Maintaining patient medical records. When appropriate, medical records will be easily transferred and shared with the patient’s consent, to a primary care or treating provider.

4. New care processes and protocols for treatment. Telemedicine will allow practitioners to carry out a consistent standard of care across interactions with each patient.

5. Explore controlled substance telepsychiatry. To limit the over-prescription of controlled substances, or “doctor shopping”, the prescribing of these drugs in New Hampshire still requires annual in-person examinations.

ObamaCare is a health insurance policy introduced by the US government that enrolled approximately 6.5 million people by the end of 2014. There were 4.5 million auto-renewals and renewals, in addition to enrollments summing to 2 million. However, despite continued campaigns urging people to enroll under Obamacare, 1 million New York residents still lack medical coverage. The number is significantly higher in neighborhoods populated by immigrants. When such high numbers of people lack health insurance, especially for a city as populated as New York, then real consequences are inevitable for its inhabitants.

The most affected in the city is Woodside and Sunnyside in Queens, where 22.5% of the population have no health insurance. Queen’s neighborhoods such as Corona, Bushwick, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights lag behind with more than 22% of their residents lack medical coverage. Contrary, the lowest uninsured population is found in Upper West and Upper East Sides with 4% lacking coverage and Staten Island’s Tottenville recording 4.5%.

Majority of legal immigrants lack medical coverage due to:

• Inadequate knowledge about the signing up procedure

• Unawareness of the policy

• Ineligibility of undocumented immigrants to plans under federal law

• Some youngsters opt not to pay for medical cover since they assume they do not need it

To register more people to the Telemedicine program, the coordination and awareness team really have to do a better job. For instance, young people rarely have an opportunity to evaluate the need for a health coverage plan. Furthermore, to succeed in this noble endeavor, reaching the immigrant population is of great importance. The Health Insurance plans to kick-start enrollment under Obamacare this month and will last till the end of January. However, most immigrants cannot sign up, while some cannot afford premiums for plans they qualify. The perceived hindrance to the adoption of Telemedicine program is hence, the contentious issue of affordability.

Most people love eating vegetables and can even swear by them. To keep yourself healthy, you will find yourself consuming kale and other cruciferous vegetables. These include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and many other cruciferous vegetables. To get healthy, you end up harming yourself through eating these vegetables on a regular basis.

This is because it has been proven that consuming very high intakes of cruciferous vegetables can lead to hypothyroidism that is a condition where the body has insufficient thyroid hormone. The chances of one getting this condition, however, are higher if the person is also suffering from an iodine deficiency.

However, this does not mean that you stop eating them altogether. Eating moderate amounts of these cruciferous vegetables does not affect your health in any way. However, taking kale and the other cruciferous vegetables in large quantities can bring about health issues.

Kale has been seen to cause goiter in some cases. However, if you want to continue eating kale and other cruciferous vegetables, there are ways in which you can reduce the chances of being affected by them.

• For instance, cooking the kales reduces the goitrogenic properties and also cooking the other cruciferous vegetables. You should try cooking it as much as possible.
• You can also add seaweed or another iodine rich food into the diet since the effects are mostly experienced by those who have an iodine deficiency.
• Also, include Brazilian nuts to boost levels of selenium when blending your kale.
• Alternating between different vegetables has also been seen to help. This is by eating cruciferous and non-cruciferous greens alternately. This will ensure that you don’t overeat one of them.

If you do not have a thyroid issue, then kale and other cruciferous vegetables should remain as a part of your diet since they are healthy and provide a lot of nutrients. However, eat them with moderation and avoid eating them raw if you can as it is healthier to eat them when cooked.

The phrase ‘Adverse effects of herbal products’ may come as a shock but not after reading a recent report, published in The New England Journal of Medicine. A study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that, in the United States, there are more than 23,000 emergency room visits each year resulting from adverse effects of dietary supplements.

Their analysis of dietary supplement related ER visits in 63 hospitals over a ten year period, established that the visits majorly involved youths suffering energy or weight loss products- related cardiovascular complications, and older adults with micronutrients-associated swallowing problems. Out of the 23,000 visits, 2,154 were admitted for further treatments.

Bearing in mind that people who might have succumbed en route to the hospital were not included in their research, there is undoubtedly a compelling backdrop possibly attributed to the dramatic rise in the number of supplements. In a period of less than two decades, their numbers have increased by almost 14 times to approximately 55,000 from 4,000 products some years back.

As we speak, nearly half of the United States adults reportedly have used one or more dietary supplements in the past one month. With ever rising out of pocket expenditures for herbal products, the imminent threat they pose to public health can never be overlooked. It is high time that federal law governing the same is stepped up.

The current regulations based on the premise that all supplement products are safe. The new study will hopefully shed some light in supplement regulations in the US. While we cannot ignore the fact that some legislation and regulation acts have been enacted in recent years, we cannot ignore that the number of ER visits is ever on the rise, leaving a lot to be desired.

Every single life is precious. If you are a youth and you are taking these products for weight loss or boosting your energy, bear in mind that some of them can affect your heart. First consult your doctor before using them if you have a heart condition. Adults too should be aware that these products can cause choking, hence, use them with caution.

Better healthcare services have in the past improved and advanced to the level that is admirable and desirable to majority of the United States citizens. Telemedicine is one of the various ways through which the government has formulated and implemented for convenient and reliable healthcare services. Telemedicine involves the use of the technology and telecommunication to offer healthcare to the community from a distance mainly to bring medical services closer and more convenient. The introduction of Affordable Care Act commonly referred as the Obamacare has complicated the health care provision on the costs and whether it’s beneficial to the community.

According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the findings as published in the working paper, the majority of the non-poor who were formerly uninsured are worse off. The study was carried out and reviewed according to age, earnings, gender and location and concluded that indeed the ACA is costly to those who were previously uninsured middle-level class and rich. That is mainly because the value of the subsidies is lower and cannot offset the higher insurance premiums payable by the non-poor US residents. Another reason is the fact that they will be required to pay part of the cost whenever they have to see a physician.

Interestingly, the actuarial calculations only seem to have adverse effects on high-income earners as they are worse off than before the Obamacare was introduced. The study mainly focused on the non-poor population who were even eligible for premiums or cost-sharing subsidies but are ineligible for Medicaid. The non-poor uninsured population might prefer not to buy the coverage as they will be better off with minimal subsidies and payment of the penalty for violation of the individual mandate.

The law is contradictory on the way it was designed, and it’s not the fault of the healthcare insurers who now expects the healthy and non-poor majority to sign up so as to remain profitable. That is because when the unhealthy sign-up, they might drive up the claim figures high and that is bad for business in the insurance industry. Additionally, the upsurge in telemedicine options which is more convenient and reliable might make the non-poor population decide on staying uninsured and pay the penalties which are deemed as cheap. That will enable them to enjoy telemedicine services at cheaper cost instead of pricey ACA coverage that leaves them in a worse off situation.

Asthma treatment for Tucson Area School Children

University of Arizona researchers are using telemedicine to fight Asthma in Tucson. One might be wondering what telemedicine is. Telemedicine can be described as the usage of telecommunication and information technologies so as to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate the barrier of distance and can improve access to medical services that would most likely not be consistently available in faraway rural communities. That has revolutionized the modern day practice of health care.

Using these technologies, researchers have taken it upon themselves to curb a respiratory ailment that has been the leading cause of absenteeism from schools in the United States of America, Asthma. It has been reported to affect a tenth of all the children living in the country. That is quite a large number. The costs, whether direct or indirect, which are incurred for asthma treatment are also very high.

This initiative is being carried out in the schools because for starters; the schools are very good at setting routines for the children. It is also vital to handle the issue at a young age before it gets out of hand later in life. Schools are believed they are going to instill a habit of taking medication. The affected learners report to the health unit in the school when they report in the morning. Using schools for the study also provides an opportunity to monitor the progress of the children and the effectiveness of the medication.

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute cover the costs of the medication and the upkeep of the doctors who are taking part in the study through a grant that gave out. The research is headed by Clara Ehrman, who is with the Arizona Respiratory Center. She is also data collector.

Despite being given the medication, the children are also taught on how to keep asthma under the control of Public Health students, who are trained in the Lung Association’s Open Airways program. The study is run by doctors who take some time off their daily schedules to visit the schools.

At the beginning of the study, ten schools were chosen at random to participate. This year, however, all the schools have participated. That can be attributed to the benefits that were established from the intervention. Some of the benefits of this initiative include improved adherence to the medication. That proved to be more effective, and it is a good outreach program.

With the onslaught of accessible Wi-Fi and affordable cellular services, – as well as the propensity of smart phones – telemedicine has become a reality for many patients. A form of telecommunication, telemedicine provides clinical healthcare at a distance. It is a form of information technology that is helping eliminate barriers, distances, as well as costs for patients. Telemedicine is projected to make more than $20 billion in the next decade.

There many individuals who suffer from inclement illnesses like asthma. Many asthma sufferers need to be close to their inhalers at all times in the case of an asthma attack. However, sometimes you forget it at home or you simply run out before your prescription is renewed. Telemedicine allows you to connect with a physician and explain your situation face-to-face. Then they will be able to write up a prescription and direct you to the nearest clinic that has your medicine in stock.

There many companies that are underlining the importance of telemedicine: American Well, Doctor on Demand, Teladoc, and Specialists On Call are interfaces that offer video consultations between physicians and patients. There is a myriad of apps that also allow patients to connect with an expert. Aspects of telecommunication make it a highly versatile feature, with telemedicine working closely with employers, insurers, hospitals, and clinics. For example, the University of California uses telemedicine to make their specialists available to network hospitals.

Telemedicine Marries with Artificial Intelligence: Robots are setting to become a reality, especially in specialties pertaining to neurology. Neurologists can help diagnose stroke victims as well as recommend medication with the help of robots. Phone apps can also help with eye exams and other screenings right from the patient’s home. Touchscreen dashboards allow therapists to gauge their patient’s moods.

Telemedicine can help cut off unnecessary barriers and costs. Transportation, processing, and waiting in long lines can be a thing of the past. In the next couple of decades, telemedicine is projected to save more than $40 billion annually, as well as cut up emergency room visitations by two-thirds.

$17,545; that is the average cost of employer health coverage for the year 2015. This is according to a new survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation in collaboration with Health Research and Educational Trust. The new figure represents a 4% increase from last year’s $16,834 which, of course, is a blow to American families. The family plan premium contributed by employees is 29% of the total which is the same as last year. When you look at the individual worker, you also notice a 4% increase in the average annual cost of employer’s coverage.

The slow pace of premium growth has been a catalyst for heated debate in the recent past with analyst indicating that Americans should brace themselves for higher health cost in the coming years. Economists have suggested that the slowed rate of increase is most certainly linked to recession and credit changes in the health care system such as higher deductibles. The last five years have seen an increase in the average number of deductibles. The average deductibles today are $1217 as compared to $917 five years ago.

The Affordable care Act is also a causative agent to the surging deductibles figure. This is because it is based on a relatively higher cost of coverage. Marsh and McLennan Cos’ recently released the results of a poll they had conducted on the Affordable care act. The results show that 41% of employers had already added a high deductible plan or acted in a manner to endorse such a plan. Another whopping 25% is considering a high deductible plan all attributed to the dubbed “Cadillac tax.”

According to the Kaiser survey, there is a smaller effect of the upcoming tax. Findings showed that 13% of large employers (those with 200 or more employees) and 7% revealed that they had adjusted their plans’ coverage to avoid triggering the tax.

The Kaiser poll showed little impact from aspects of the federal health law concerning employer coverage. 21% of firms with more than 100 employees said they had extended health-cover eligibility to new groups of workers with 5% indicating they had offered more comprehensive benefits to workers.Also, 3% of large employers changed job specifications from permanent to part time to reduce those eligible for the cover.

It is with no doubt that Affordable Care Act “Obama care” is responsible for skyrocketing costs increase in employer health coverage family plans. This has reduced the number of employees that have access to telemedicine in the country.