Online Clinics Work – Government Is the Problem
HealthPartners in Minnesota launched an online clinic called virtuwell in late 2010. After more than 40,000 cases, we report an average $88 lower cost per episode compared with care received…
Congestive Heart Failure
Elizabeth Taylor died of congestive heart failure (CHF) at the age of 79 on March 23, 2011. Her death raises awareness of this serious condition that affects an estimated five…
Periodontal Disease Linked To Other Diseases?
Periodontal disease, comes in two forms gingivitis (reversible) and periodontitis (treatable but non reversible), is an infection of the gums caused by bacteria found in Periodontal disease, comes in two forms…
Should a Hospital Have Separate Departments for Telehealth / Telemedicine / mHealth?
When hospitals and health systems are starting, growing, or reviving telehealth (or telemedicine or mHealth) programs, one issue eventually comes up – should telehealth be a separate department or should…
High Quality, Low Cost HealthCare Video Interview Series: Dr Nick van Terheyden and Nuance Health Solutions
Last week, Dr David Albert showed us the AliveCor Mobile Heart Monitor for iPhone 4 and 4S and how it can take an EKG in seconds and send it to…
Penalizing Readmissions May Not Improve Quality or Cut Costs
Many public health policy experts believe that Medicare readmissions in the first 30 days after discharge are mostly avoidable and, therefore, indicative of poor quality care. As a result, Medicare…
Are Nitrates or Nitrites Bad? Not Really
When you see a package of hot dogs saying “Nitrate Free” you probably think that you are doing something healthy for you and your family. Somewhere you heard vague whispers…
Nursing Shortage? Lawyer Glut?
It’s interesting to contrast the markets for new lawyers and new nurses and how those markets are portrayed in the popular press. Casual observers and reporters are willing to take…
Patient Engagement: Key Element Missing in Healthcare Decisions
We all are patients at some point and experience the challenges of making important healthcare decisions, often with less information then we need to make informed decisions. Having a “patient-centered”…
