As Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread across multiple continents and throughout the U.S., most medical practices are feeling the impact of this global pandemic. On March 18, 2020, the American Academy of Ophthalmology released recommendations regarding urgent and nonurgent patient care, which advised that all ophthalmologists cease providing any treatment other than urgent or emergent care immediately.Read More
Health care has a trust problem. Recent data shows patient trust in the health care industry is declining, according to Modern Healthcare. There are many reasons for this, including rising out-of-pocket costs for patients, shorter office visits with doctors under pressure to see more patients, and physician conflicts of interest. News stories such as the $145 million fine imposed on software company Practice Fusion for a kickback scheme that pushed doctors to overprescribe opioids certainly aren’t helping the problem.Read More
Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. According to CDC data, 6 in 10 American adults have a chronic disease, and 4 in 10 have two or more. Chronic diseases—which include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, COPD, and Alzheimer’s, as well as non-life threatening conditions such as dry eye, glaucoma, and tinnitus—are also the leading drivers of the nation’s $3.5 trillion in annual health care costs.Read More
Patients today have an unprecedented number of choices when it comes to choosing providers and health care options. The days of “doctor knows best” and being loyal to the same practice for decades are over. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, “Consumers are scrutinizing the quality and cost of their health care, and they’re more apt and able to look elsewhere when their providers don’t measure up to their expectations.”Read More
Most people in the U.S. have embraced mobile technology—and are using it to monitor and improve their health. About one in five Americans now wears a smartwatch or fitness tracker, according to Pew Research Center. Nine in 10 Americans ages 34 and under have a smartphone, and those age 50 and older are catching up, with 67 percent adopting the technology as of 2019.Read More
Consider the following scenario: a patient comes in to see you—an older male, overweight, with a family history of diabetes. Do you:
A) Hand him a brochure that warns of the dangers of pre-diabetes and lists risk factors, or
B) Tell him a story about another patient who was embarrassed to take his grandson swimming, and so began an exercise program that enabled him to feel better and lose 17 percent of his body weight, an amount shown to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 85 percent?Read More
