Bienvenido, HolaDoctor!
Welcome, HolaDoctor, to the growing roster of consumer-facing health portals. La differencia, this time, is that HolaDoctor is an entirely Spanish-speaking website of comprehensive health information. The site focuses on health content and tools highly targeted to Hispanics and health issues of most concern. Known previously as DrTango, founded in 1999, HolaDoctor has at least 1.3 million Hispanic consumers who have registered on its site, and operates over 500 multilingual health websites under its corporate umbrella. The morphing from DrTango to HolaDoctor has to do with the organization’s launch of its consumer-focused health and wellness portal reaching out to Spanish speakers in the
Risky Business: the state of U.S. high schoolers' health
From bad driving behaviors to binge drinking and unprotected sex, the health-state of America’s high school population gets a grade of “R” for “risky.” The 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey is out from the Centers for Disease Control from the good people at the Division of Adolescent and School Health, based on survey data among 16,410 young people grades 9-12 who live in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As you read the statistics, keep in mind these are self-reported among kids who are 14-18 years of age. Among the most high-risk health behaviors are the findings that: 1
A picture tells a thousand words and health cost disparities in the State of Maine
The Dartmouth Atlas and other health cost analysts have exposed the phenomenon of varying health costs, from the state of Florida to California, Oregon to McAllen, Texas. Now we have evidence of big cost disparities within a relatively small state – the State of Maine. Details on this story appear in the May 16th 2010 Portland Press Herald, which created the illustration shown here based on pricing data collected throughout the state. Health citizens in Maine are fortunate to have a state-funded resource that aggregates and analyzes data on health care cost and quality from health care providers in the state,
Being Digital Doesn’t Always Mean You’re Young, Demographically Speaking
Being younger demographically doesn’t mean you’re younger, digitally-speaking. Your Real Age isn’t your Digital Age, according to Wells Fargo‘s survey into Americans’ use of advanced tools for daily tasks. The categories of peoples’ digital maturity include: – Digital teens, who are people who are online but don’t use all tools at a ‘high level’ – Digital novices are those people who manage basic tasks online but aren’t yet connecting with others online or managing more complex tasks – Digital adults have the highest digital age, as demonstrated by their using online tools for daily tasks, interacting with others online, and
Health is contagious: the nature of connected-ness
The book Connected was recommended by my colleague, intellectual beacon and friend, Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. In the midst of late nights analyzing health reform scenarios and medical microeconomics, I’ve made the time to read this book in its entirety. It’s been a worthwhile investment. Previously, the authors of Connected, Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, found evidence on connectedness in health in the areas of obesity, smoking cessation, binge drinking, and other lifestyle behaviors that directly impact good or bad health. This week, another team of innovative thinkers led by John Caccioppo from the
Poverty is a major health risk
Poverty is a problem for all of us…and it reaches across the generations. The health effects of poverty begin in early childhood and persist through a person’s lifetime. Poor children have a higher rate of asthma and lower rates of cognitive development. By middle age, diabetes and heart disease hit the poor harder than more affluent Americans. Among older Americans, those living below the poverty line are far more likely to have three or more chronic conditions than those whose incomes are four times greater than the poverty line. Poverty costs not only the poor, but the overall U.S. economy
Geography is health insurance destiny
Where you live is a determining factor in whether you have health insurance. The darker green on the map illustrates states with the highest percentage penetration of people with private health insurance among people under 65. Note the concentration in the Upper Midwest, scattered Midwest, and bits of the northeast. It’s also helpful to live in Utah when it comes to health insurance coverage. The lowest proportions of privately insured Americans are in much of the south, from Florida west to Texas and into southern New Mexico, Arizona and much of California. The Urban Institute has studied health insurance coverage
Health disparities: options for getting even
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” So spoke Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1967 — one year before his assassination. In this week that’s sure to be inspirational and aspirational, I ponder Dr. King and the state of health care in America. Health disparities continue to mar the State of American Health Care. “Race remains a significant factor in determining whether an individual receives care, whether an individual receives high quality care, and in determining health outcomes,” according
Health Plan Illiteracy, or how not to benefit from the Benefit
Health plan illiteracy is alive and well, according to J.D. Power and Associates. The consumer market research firm’s 2008 National Health Insurance Plan Study finds that 1 in two plan members don’t understand their plan. In this second year of the survey, J.D. Power notes that, as consumers understand the benefits of their Benefit, their satisfaction with the plan increases. Thus, there is a virtuous cycle that happens between a plan and an enrollee when communication is clear and understood. J.D. Power looked at member satisfaction in 107 health plans throughout the U.S. in terms of 7 key metrics:
The cost of health illiteracy = 47 million uninsured
The annual financial burden of health illiteracy costs between $106 and $238 billion. This is enough money to cover the 47 million uninsured people in America. That metric, and many other insights, were published this week in an important new report called, Low Health Literacy: Implications for National Health Policy. The report was written by Dr. John Vernon, a professor of finance at the University of Connecticut, and three colleagues from the University of Central Florida, George Washington University, and an executive from Pfizer. This research was sponsored by Pfizer, which has been promoting health literacy as part of
Jane joined host Dr. Geeta "Dr. G" Nayyar and colleagues to brainstorm the value of vaccines for public and individual health in this challenging environment for health literacy, health politics, and health citizen grievance. Click onto the Pfizer Value of Vaccines site and you can watch four episodes covering the challenges with adult vaccination, the employer and health plan member's journey to vaccination, reimbursement, and collaborating for proactive prevention.