Flu Prevention and Practice Management

Posted by Allison on Mon, Feb 09, 2015 @ 12:43 AM

As you may have noticed in the news, flu season is taking its toll on communities across the country. 

With issues like Ebola facing physicians recently, and with flu season here for the time being, it is key to ensure that practices guard themselves from gaining more illnessness and spreading flu germs. 

We all know that germs are difficult to contain, this is is not something new. 

flu virus

But, with new technology comes new advances. Because germs are hard to control, practices are now trying out telemedicine to help contain the spread of illnesses like the flu. Telemedicine can help control the spread of the flu because patients can been seen virtually and not face-to-face. By seeing patients via telemedicine, fewer germs are coming into practices. 

But, telemedicine is only being used in a limited number of practices. There are other ways to help block the spread of flu germs.

Here are some tips to prevent the spread of germs:

  1. Incorporate hand-sanitizer gel in busy areas of practices and enforce hand washing and good hygiene 
  2. Offer face masks in practices; offer masks to both patients and workers
  3. Ensure countertops and surfaces are constantly sanitized
  4. Separate sick patients from well patients to the best ability

Tags: healthcare, wellness, healthIT, patient satisfaction, employee engagement

The Importance of ICD-10 in Big Data's Future

Posted by Allison Dewan on Thu, Nov 20, 2014 @ 11:40 AM

ICD-10 and Big Data

Some doctors might find ICD-10 to include too many codes, but these codes and the new advances of ICD-10 are necessary for big data success in the medical field.

According to resident physician William Rusnak as quoted in a FierceHealth IT article, "doctors will never detect the one-in-a-million disease when it matters". 

Change isn't always easy, but it is here to stay. ICD-10 will be beneficial to doctors and in the big picture the shift to ICD-10 can allow for more efficient and precise coding.

The resident physician quoted in the article, Rusnak, went on to explain the big data benefits of ICD-10, emphasizing that with advanced computing power that can accurately record human behavior, ICD-10 can aid in crucial healthcare situations and lead to further efficiency. 

Rusnak states that there needs to be a code for even the rarest condition that a patient may have, and that a code should represent specific details of any procedures performed as well.

Following Rusnak's advice that codes need to represent all conditions and procedures and even the variations of both, doctors can then collect big data in a precise manner. 

This, in turn, will lead to proper and more accurate decisionmaking when reporting on health. 

ICD-10 will help with big data because the coding will lead to clear-cut reporting on health events and outcomes. 

Tags: wellness, ICD10, healthIT, patient satisfaction, EHR

Wellness & Work: They Matter

Posted by Allison Dewan on Tue, Nov 04, 2014 @ 03:42 PM

Patient engagement is a hot topic today. But, while patient engagement is still important, it might not be the only hot topic when it comes to the term "engagement". 

Employee engagement is another "engagement" that today's businesspeople need to give some attention. The health and lifestyle of employees need to be key to management if staff. With today's everchanging health landscape and the risks of epidemic and antimicrobial resistance on the rise, prevention is vital when it comes to employee health. 

According to a Fierce Healthcare special report, leaders in the health care space can achieve goals of engaging employees for wellness by laying out employee wellness programs.

This is very important in the healthcare industry, because a recent study shows that healthcare professionals are no healthier than their patients.

Tags: healthcare, wellness, employee engagement