Most Doctors With EHRs Still Not Taking Advantage of Their Benefits
Interoperability of medical records across physician offices remained elusive in 2015, according to the latest data reported out by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). About 8 in 10 U.S. physicians had an electronic health records system in 2015. One-third of these doctors electronically sent, received, integrated or searched for patient health information — indicating that most physicians still aren’t using EHRs to their fullest extent. These findings come from the NCHS Data Brief from the CDC, State Variation in Electronic Sharing of Information in Physician Offices: United States, 2015. The bar chart illustrates the percentage of U.S. office-based doctors
Growing Sentiment for a Single Payer Healthcare System in the U.S.
There is growing support for a single payer healthcare system in America, found in the latest Gallup Poll and a survey the organization conducted earlier this year in May 2016. A slight majority of Americans favor a single payer system, shown in the first chart. By political party, that splits into 3 in 4 Democrats pro-single payer, and 4 in 10 Republicans (41%). Note that the 41% of Republicans who favor single payer is a much higher number than the 16% who favor keeping the Affordable Care Act in place. Gallup writes, “The general idea of a single payer system seems to
In #Election2016, Americans Care More About the Cost of Prescription Drugs Than the ACA
“When thinking about health care priorities for the next president and Congress to address, dealing with the high price of prescription drugs tops the public’s list while issues specific to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), such as repealing provisions of the law or repealing the law entirely, are viewed as top priorities by fewer Americans,” according to the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll for October 2016 – the last such survey to be taken before the 2016 Presidential election. The poster child snapshot image representing the high cost of prescription drugs is the increase in cost for an EpiPen, which among
Americans Have Begun to Raid Retirement Savings for Current Healthcare Costs
While American workers appreciate the benefits they receive at work, people are concerned about health care costs. And consumers’ collective response to rising health care costs is changing the way they use health care services and products, like prescription drugs. Furthermore, 6 in 10 U.S. health citizens rank healthcare as poor (27%) or fair (33%). This sober profile on healthcare consumers emerges out of survey research conducted by EBRI (the Employee Benefit Research Institute), analyzed in the report Workers Like Their Benefits, Are Confident of Future Availability, But Dissatisfied With the Health Care System and Pessimistic About Future Access and
Stress and Health During #Election2016
The American Psychological Association, which conducts the annual Stress in America survey, has found rising levels of stress during #Election2016. 1 in 2 U.S. adults says the U.S. presidential election is a source of stress, with Democrats and Republicans equally likely to feel this way. So the APA is offering tips on how we can deal with the health impacts of election season stress. These include: Take a digital break and limiting your media consumption, reading or listening to “just enough to stay informed.” Instead, go for a walk and do things you enjoy. Avoid getting into and limit discussions about the
A New Good Housekeeping Seal for Healthy Food
If you need more proof that mainstream consumers are seeking health through the food they buy, look no further than this announcement about the new Good Housekeeping nutrition lab and launch of the new emblem: “nutritionist approved.” The effort is underpinned by the Good Housekeeping Food and Nutrition Brand Lab Incubator, located in the GH Institute in New York City. The goal of the program is to empower consumers to “confidently navigate crowded supermarket shelves and make healthier purchases.” Ultimately, GH hopes to inspire people to make healthier food choices, and to inform food manufacturers with healthy product development and brand
Building the Primary Care Dream Team
“Today’s primary care won’t work tomorrow,” given the shortage of primary care providers (PCPs) and the need to do more in healthcare with fewer resources in the emerging value-based economy. So let’s re-imagine primary care models, PwC asserts, and makes the case in their report, ROI for primary care: Building the dream team. What’s the financial impact of this dream team on healthcare providers? It’s potentially $1.2 million in savings for every 10,000 patients served, PwC calculates. Historically, physicians have been loath to share their work with non-physicians because of how doctors have been paid — on the basis of fee-for-service,
The Mobile Health App Glut
Supply of mobile health apps greatly exceeds the demand for them, based on research2guidance’s report on the mHealth App Developer Economics 2016, analyzing the status and trends of the mobile health apps market. This is research2guidance’s sixth annual study on the topic. The line chart illustrates the hockey stick growth rate of the number of mHealth apps in app stores in blue, reaching some 259,000 apps available in major app stores in 2016. The declining red line shows the growth rate of the demand for apps, falling to 7% in 2016 after growing 35% in 2015. It’s not a money-making enterprise
A Baby Onesie Teaches CPR – How A Grocer & Ambulance Company Come Together for Health
Here’s a new definition of “wearable” that’s Old School stuff: a baby onesie. But this onesie doesn’t just look cute and keep baby’s bum warm. The onesie helps teach caregivers baby CPR. This health education project was sponsored by Tesco in collaboration with St. John Ambulance, one of the largest health charities in the United Kingdom. Tesco ranks among the biggest retailers in the world (after Walmart, Costco, Kroger, and Lidl), operating in the UK, Ireland, Asia and Europe. Watch this video and get charmed by adorable, telegenic Baby Lucy – your CPR model. Tesco held live CPR classes at over
All I Want For Christmas Is A Health Tracker – CTA on Shopping Tech for the Holidays
Technology is high on U.S. consumers’ holiday shopping lists for the 2016 holiday season, according to the CTA (Consumer Technology Association). And wearable activity trackers are a fast-growing segment of consumer technology purchases expected in shoppers’ carts (both physical and online virtual) this fourth quarter of 2016, CTA notes in its 23rd Annual Holiday Outlook consumer survey research. The line graph illustrates the hot categories in this year’s holiday gift mix, led by smart phones (in red), tablets, laptops, and video game systems. But the proportion of people intending to purchase smartwatches now ties with video game system sales, closely followed
Looking for Amazon in Healthcare
Consumers have grown accustomed to Amazon, and increasingly to the just-in-time convenience of Amazon Prime. Today, workers who sign onto employee benefit portals are looking for Amazon-style convenience, access, and streamlined experiences, found in the Aflac Workforces Report 2016. Aflac polled 1,900 U.S. adults employed full or part time in June and July 2016 to gauge consumers’ views on benefit selections through the workplace. Consumers have an overall angst and ennui about health benefits sign-ups: 72% of employees say reading about benefits is long, complicated, or stressful 48% of people would rather do something unpleasant like talking to their ex or
43% of Americans Worry About How They’ll Pay for Health Care
4 in 10 Americans are worried about how they’ll pay for health care, according to Americans’ Views on Current Trade and Health Policies, a poll conducted jointly between the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Politico. There are no significant party differences between Democrats and Republicans regarding peoples’ worrying about their ability to pay medical costs in the next year. But there are differences in geography, with 53% of people in the South significantly more worried about health care costs compared with other regions of the U.S. Who’s to blame for the high costs of health care that
How Value and Consumerism Will Reshape the $5 Trillion Healthcare Market
Existing healthcare industry players – the stakeholders of hospitals, physicians, pharma/life sciences, medical device manufacturers, and health plans – are operating in a whirlwind of change. While there are many uncertainties in this period of transition, there’s one operational certainty: learn to do more with less payment. That’s due to the growing pursuit of payors paying for value, not on the basis of volume or what’s “done” to a patient in care delivery. At the same time, another force re-shaping healthcare is interest and focus on wellness and health management. Combined with the growing health economic value proposition, wellness and
Doctors Are Growing to Like Digital Health Tools, Says the AMA
Notwithstanding the head of the AMA recently referring to digital health technologies as “snake oil,” it appears that one-half of physicians is keen on digital health. And scale, not age, matters when it comes to doctors using digital health tools. The American Medical Association (AMA) surveyed physicians on their use of digital health tools, finding that primary care physicians (PCPs) and doctors working in larger and more complex practices tend to be more digital. In Physicians’ motivations and requirements for adopting digital clinical tools, the AMA’s digital health study, “Physicians are optimistic about digital health innovation and its game-changing potential
Tracking for Health in America: More Men Than Women, More Young Than Old
1 in 3 consumers track health or fitness via an app, wearable technology, or smartwatch, according to GfK’s global survey on Health and fitness tracking published in September 2016. The key reasons people monitor health or fitness are to maintain or improve physical condition/fitness (for 55%) and to motivate oneself to exercise (for 50%), across the 16 countries GfK surveyed. Improving energy level, feeling motivated to eat and drink more healthfully, improving sleep, making tracking part of a daily routine, losing weight, and being more productive were cited as reasons to health-track by at least one-fourth of health citizens
I'm in amazing company here with other #digitalhealth innovators, thinkers and doers. Thank you to Cristian Cortez Fernandez and Zallud for this recognition; I'm grateful.
Jane was named as a member of the AHIP 2024 Advisory Board, joining some valued colleagues to prepare for the challenges and opportunities facing health plans, systems, and other industry stakeholders. Looking forward to AHIP 2024 in Las Vegas come June 11-13, 2024.
Join Jane at AHIP's annual meeting in Las Vegas: I'll be speaking, moderating a panel, and providing thought leadership on health consumers and bolstering equity, empowerment, and self-care.