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From the ReadWrite Web Article: Google+ Is Going To Mess Up The Internet by Jon Mitchell http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_is_going_to_mess_up_the_internet.php
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Seniors and health IT: A match made to avoid heaven! - All Things HIT
Dec 30 2011 6:46PM GMT
Seniors and health IT: A match made to avoid heaven!
Posted by: Patrick Howard
Senior care, telemedicine, eRx, Senior Citizens League, Cost of care
Last week I wrote a ceremonious, empathetic, “Christmassy” blog about being reminded how effective ”no tech” methods can be in achieving better medical outcomes, increasing medication compliance, and so on and so forth. Well after reviewing the results of a most recent study by the Senior Citizens League, one of the largest nonpartisan seniors advocacy groups in the USA, based in Alexandria, Virginia, I’m back on the health IT soapbox.
The study reviewed how the financial concerns of senior citizens affect their behavior when it comes to visiting the physician’s office, taking their medications and approaching their end of life care. The study surveyed 1200 seniors and revealed the following:
- 50% of respondents postponed filling prescriptions
- 61% postponed visits to dentists, opticians, or hearing specialists
- 44% postponed filling prescriptions or chose to take a lower dosage than prescribed
- 44% are spending at least $300 per month on medical expenses
- 10% are spending at least $750 per month
I admit, the results weren’t that surprising. Anytime a person has less money and/or no health insurance, they will put off visiting the doctor, dentist, and even not-comply with their medication. What was astounding to me, however, was the metrics’s large percentages and the high out-of-pocket monthly cost (points four and five above). After reviewing the results, I couldn’t help but think about solutions that, not surprisingly, were in the health IT realm! How can e-prescribing systems with a generic pricing default reduce the cost of the prescription? How can a clinical decision support systems be used for prevention, possibly eliminating that office visit and/or prescription? I thought about how we can use telehealth appointments, in lieu of physical office visits, and hence increasing visit compliance, as this would reduce their costs and is more convenient, especially for those in rural communities. Seniors wouldn’t have to get dressed, get driven, and spend valuable gas dollars visiting the doctor office.
While I know this is utopian, our seniors definitely deserve these impactful technologies, especially towards the end of life. The costs associated with care and the mere inconvenience of an office visit during the time when a person is the least mobile seems inhumane when these barrier-breaking technologies exist. Although there are some “no tech” solutions that could address theses concerns, such as lowering prices, this seem less likely than implementing the technologies. Yes, health care IT and seniors can truly be a match made to avoid heaven.
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Seniors are not as averse to technology as we often believe. They are connecting with their grandkids on Facebook and using technology to stay in touch with family. This is something that kids and grandkids can encourage. Using technology with them can help them become comfortable with using that same technology to help maintain their health.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Off to practice....
Then taking my first children's session of the season at Ski Liberty 
Mark Scrimshire
B: http://ekive.blogspot.com
....Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The One Resolution You Need To Make In 2012 | Fast Company
As the New Year approaches, many of us are thinking about our resolutions. What will we vow to do this coming year to be better--both at what we do for a living, and as members of the human race?
There’s only one resolution you need to make and keep. Do this one thing and you’ll be good to go for the year: Do what you say you are going to do, otherwise known as accountability. This one resolution can have any number of permutations:
- If you say you are going to call, call.
- Promise to send someone information? Send it.
- Finish a job when you promised--or earlier--with quality work.
- Let people know as soon as you can when you are running late for a meeting or won’t make it at all.
- And, my personal favorite, make good on the promise "Let’s get together sometime." Make a note on your calendar in the near future to set something up. Or don’t say it at all.
Every goal begins with your own accountability, whether it is business success, losing weight, developing your personal brand--whatever your goals may be this coming year.
Start now. This very second. You’ll be ahead of most of the world, long before their hangovers have worn off on January 1, 2012.
Happy New Year!
Dayna Steele is a marketing strategist, success speaker and the author of the forthcoming book 101 Ways to Rock Your World: Everyday Activities for Success Every Day! Follow her on Twitter @daynasteele. Her resolution in 2012 is to break 100 on the front nine.
[Image: Flickr user C.M.]
via fastcompany.com
I will endeavor to follow up in 2012.....
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Seven Reasons to be Thankful for Health Reform this Holiday Season | The Health Care Blog
dennis byron says:This post is inaccurate and/or misleading as it relates to Medicare so I would be careful with other “facts” cited. The editorial says:
“If you are 65 or older — (and eligible for Medicare) — seniors who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans (that’s Part C or the managed care part of Medicare) may have seen their premiums reduced this year. Some may even have access to ZERO premium health plans. Seniors also now receive free preventive treatments and a rebate of $500 if their drug coverage hits the “donut hole” in 2011.”
1. Everyone 65 or over — and some people under 65 — are “eligible” for Medicare. For almost everyone, Part A is free and Part B is $100 per month. The rare exceptions are:
– for Part A if you did not work enough SSA hours, it is not free (but you are still eligible to buy it)
– for Part B if you make over $85,000 a year your premiums go up2. Many people on Parts B and D — not just some on Part C — saw their premiums decrease for 2012. And some saw them increase. ZERO-premium Part C plans have been around for years. None of the raises or decreases had any thing to do wth the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
3. There is no $500 rebate if your drug costs hit the donut hole in 2011 (or 2012). There are 50% discounts on expensive brandname drugs and much smaller discounts on generic drugs if you fall into the donut hole.
Too many people don't understand the benefits that are already accruing to people as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Most people think change doesn't come until 2014 but the removal of spending caps, access to pre-existing condition plans and the extension of coverage to kids up to age 26 have all made a difference for a growing number of people.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Obamacare to the Rescue | The Health Care Blog
By Spike Dolomite Ward
I want to apologize to President Obama. But first, some background.
I found out three weeks ago I have cancer. I’m 49 years old, have been married for almost 20 years and have two kids. My husband has his own small computer business, and I run a small nonprofit in the San Fernando Valley. I am also an artist. Money is tight, and we don’t spend it frivolously. We’re just ordinary, middle-class people, making an honest living, raising great kids and participating in our community, the kids’ schools and church.
We’re good people, and we work hard. But we haven’t been able to afford health insurance for more than two years. And now I have third-stage breast cancer and am facing months of expensive treatment.
To understand how such a thing could happen to a family like ours, I need to take you back nine years to when my husband got laid off from the entertainment company where he’d worked for 10 years. Until then, we had been insured through his work, with a first-rate plan. After he got laid off, we got to keep that health insurance for 18 months through COBRA, by paying $1,300 a month, which was a huge burden on an unemployed father and his family.
By the time the COBRA ran out, my husband had decided to go into business for himself, so we had to purchase our own insurance. That was fine for a while. Every year his business grew. But insurance premiums were steadily rising too. More than once, we switched carriers for a lower rate, only to have them raise rates significantly after a few months.
With the recession, both of our businesses took a huge hit — my husband’s income was cut in half, and the foundations that had supported my small nonprofit were going through their own tough times. We had to start using a home equity line of credit to pay for our health insurance premiums (which by that point cost as much as our monthly mortgage). When the bank capped our home equity line, we were forced to cash in my husband’s IRA. The time finally came when we had to make a choice between paying our mortgage or paying for health insurance. We chose to keep our house. We made a nerve-racking gamble, and we lost.
Friday, December 09, 2011
The grand central apple store is just simply amazing!
Mark Scrimshire
B: http://ekive.blogspot.com
....Sent from my iPhone
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