Category Archives: Health Care

What Healthcare Professionals are Saying about Bloodless Surgery

While some of the basic ideas and concepts constituting what is known today as bloodless medicine have been around for centuries, the idea of a set of medical and surgical techniques aimed specifically at eliminating the necessity of blood transfusions has only been around since the 1960s. The idea was spurred mainly by Jehovah’s Witnesses, who became outspoken about their opposition to blood transfusions in the beginning of the 20th century.

Physicians were initially skeptical about performing complex surgeries and operations without using blood transfusions. However, after decades of campaigning and even federal court cases, Witnesses won the right to be treated without blood transfusions.

The early practitioners of bloodless medicine worked almost exclusively with Jehovah’s Witnesses to perform bloodless surgery. In many cases, doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals noticed the results from bloodless operations were actually better than similar operations where a transfusion had been performed. Benefits included quicker recovery times and lower costs. Eventually, these physicians began publishing their results, noting the advantages to these bloodless procedures over traditional blood transfusions. They also explained these benefits to other physicians and encouraged them to adopt the practices with non-Witness patients.

After surgeons in New Orleans and Los Angeles gained attention for performing bloodless open heart surgeries (or “bloodless hearts”), the popularity of bloodless surgery techniques with physicians began to spread around the world. By the late 1970s, bloodless medicine was available at healthcare systems in the U.S., Canada, Europe and India.

Not long thereafter, the public began to take notice as well. Concerns about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) led to people beginning to question where the source of donated blood used in transfusions was coming from. Fear over contracting AIDS through contaminated donor blood led to large numbers of non-Witness patients requesting bloodless surgeries.

Physicians have generally welcomed the increased demand for bloodless surgery in the modern medical climate. Bloodless surgeries have a number of specific advantages to both the patient and surgeon, as well as benefits to the hospital systems offering bloodless surgery. Because more than 50% of surgeries in the U.S. are pre-planned or elective surgeries, many doctors are actually encouraging their patients to consider blood transfusion alternatives.

Why do doctors and healthcare professionals like bloodless surgery methods? There are a number of specific reasons why a particular doctor or healthcare system might choose to offer bloodless medicine program. However, there are two huge advantages that benefit the doctor, the patient and the healthcare system.

1.) Bloodless Surgeries have fewer complications –

Fewer complications mean fewer post-surgery procedures and a quicker recovery time. This is obviously good for patients, but it is good for physicians as well. It frees up more of their time and lessens the likelihood that they could lose a patient in surgery.

The Evolution Of Healthcare Services & Software Development

How Healthcare Industry has evolved till now?

Digitization of the healthcare system has been an inevitable change just like in any other industry. Any organization when it expands, irrespective of the industry, needs to manage a lot of internal departments for coordination & smooth operations. In healthcare industry for example, there are a lot of challenges that requires the role of Healthcare Business Intelligence.

Adoption of IT came in different phases in the industry. Healthcare Software Development changed & improved with every phase.

The first phase brought technology into tasks which were repetitive and could do with standardization & automation like software for accounting & HR ( which includes payroll, hiring, reimbursements etc.).

Then came the phase where IT was evolved in two major ways. Firstly there was better coordination between various departments within an organization. And, secondly healthcare companies could easily integrate with their suppliers thus helping them a great deal in supply chain management. The healthcare application services & software that was introduced then may not have made an impact immediately, but was certainly a foundation for the healthcare software development in the years to come.

The third phase which is the ongoing phase for those looking after healthcare business intelligence. Many organizations have entered into this phase where there is complete digitization of processes & channels. The technology today has more power than in simply help in complete normal functions of an organization. technology has enabled people to do the tasks more valuable for them, letting the healthcare application services , say in the healthcare industry, take care of the rest.

The third phase focused more on the needs & convenience of the patients and less on the processes unlike the first two phases. This helped build a fully integrated & proper digitized healthcare system.
Now that even the patients are getting the hang of the healthcare IT system and in fact finding it more handy, it’s time institutions to get completely acquainted with technology and go all in.

It’s incorrect if hospitals and other healthcare institutes still believe that patients don’t want to utilize healthcare application services as it involves medical care which is a sensitive issue, and only use them specific cases. On the other hand, the lack of use of services is due to the nature of the services provided & not medical care. What is needed then isn’t a change of mindset, which has already taken place after the digitization of every other industry, but to bring improvement in the healthcare software development.

Reform Means Planning for Healthcare System Wellness

Wellness is not simply an absence of illness, it is an active process of becoming aware, planning for, and carrying out healthy choices that bring about positive change.

Understanding and maintaining wellness is critical in every one of our lives – and in the lives of the people we serve who are recovering from mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

As members of the behavioral health community, we must engage in the active process of becoming aware, planning for, and carrying on the hard work of healthcare system reform. This kind of healthcare system wellness is our responsibility. Federal healthcare reform legislation is a big step in the right direction. However, maintaining wellness is an ongoing process. In considering the wellness of our healthcare system there are several dimensions we as providers and consumers of healthcare services should be attending to. These dimensions of healthcare system wellness include funding, health information technology, service provision, quality improvement and research. Some examples of the planning and activities we can take part in.

Funding

– Reform the payment system to stop the promotion of paying for procedures and replacing it with payment based on the quality care.

– Aggressive reform of billing practices that stymie providers from making the necessary changes to create seamless healthcare services. Including funding for coordination of care, case management, transportation and allowing providers in every state to bill for more than one service in a day in the same clinic.

Health Information Technology

– The development of patient registries for the uniform collection of clinical and administrative data. Registries will allow for better monitoring and continuity of care while helping to make the business case for behavioral and primary care services integration

– Making sure that our electronic health records are compliant with Health Level Seven (HL7) international interoperability standards. Required by the US Department of Health and Human Services, these standards will enable electronic medical records to exchange, manage and share information between providers.

Service Provision

– Adoption of the healthcare home approach to care. This approach requires a bi-directional care provision which challenges the traditional thinking about how providers work with one another. Specialty mental health and primary care providers must reach out to one another and work in a coordinated fashion to provide disease management services for people with severe mental illness and/or substance use conditions.

– The implementation of wellness programming as a Medical Home standard of care for all people diagnosed with a severe mental illness and/or substance use condition.

– The expansion of peer-led wellness programming as an effective way to promote healthy living and care coordination.

China Healthcare Sector Analysis

China’s healthcare industry is entering into a new era with advance development of the infrastructure system. The industry is blessed with several advantages like large population of the country, increasing ageing population, increasing prevalence of lifestyle disease and many more. The government has also boosted the industry growth by blessing the sector with a US$ 120 Billion reform package. Backed by these all factors, healthcare sector in China is expected to outperform all other sectors in the country in terms of growth.

According to our new analytical study on the sector called -China Healthcare Sector Analysis- the China healthcare spending is forecast to grow at CAGR of over 18% during 2010-2012. Currently, the market is characterized by major changes in rural healthcare infrastructure. Anticipating the future growth, many private sector giants are looking to invest in the sector to get a pie of the chunk.

Our report has found that medical device market is expected to grow most in all other segments. The government decision to improve the healthcare infrastructure in rural areas will result in increasing demand of medical devices and equipments. Backed by this increasing demand, the medical device market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 20% during 2010-2012. In this regard, our report provides rational analysis of various factors which will drive this market segment over the forecast period.

It also provides extensive information on Chinese pharma market with the detailed description of traditional Chinese medicines and western medicine market. It also highlights several emerging market trends like medical tourism market, healthcare IT market, telemedicine, etc. The research study gives detailed statistical and analytical review on demographics, macroeconomic indicators, disease profile, healthcare services market, key drivers and restraints. It contains all the vital information that will help clients to draw up their market strategies and assess opportunity areas in China’s healthcare market.

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About RNCOS:

RNCOS, incorporated in the year 2002, is an industry research firm. We are a team of industry experts who analyze data collected from credible sources. We provide industry insights and analysis that helps corporations to take timely and accurate business decision in today’s globally competitive environment.

Trimming Waistlines And Healthcare Costs With Hcg

There have been two prominently growing trends in America the past couple of decades: our waistlines and our healthcare costs. Estimates are that since 1990, healthcare costs have tripled to now over $2.5 trillion per year. Mirroring this increase in healthcare costs has been an increase in the number of overweight individuals in this country, which is now nearly 70% of Americans. Being overweight significantly increases risk factors for developing a number of health conditions such as:
type 2 diabetes
coronary heart disease
high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
stroke
hypertension
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
gallbladder disease
osteoarthritis (degeneration of cartilage and bone of joints)
sleep apnea and other breathing problems
some forms of cancer (breast, colorectal, endometrial, and kidney)
complications of pregnancy
menstrual irregularities, infertility
depression
The numbers are looking grim for our next generation as well, with increasing numbers of children and adolescents becoming overweight. The size of our waistlines directly corresponds to increased healthcare costs, with obese individuals paying on average $1,430 more per year(over 42%) in healthcare costs compared to normal-weight individuals. Overweight and obese individuals account for over 9% of total healthcare costs in this country. The economic consequences of our expanded waistlines is substantial and no single intervention would have a greater effect improving health and reducing healthcare costs than an effective, affordable weight loss program.
There are no easy solutions. Diets that rely simply on reducing calories or counting points are generic, are not sustainable for people long term, and lead to perpetual weight cycling or yo-yo dieting which in itself is dangerous and a health risk. Bariatric surgeries are very expensive and associated with risks and complications. What is needed is a customized, individual approach which focuses on diet, exercise, behavior modification, stress reduction, and appetite control. In addition, often times there are other contributing factors to why it is difficult for some people to lose weight such as hormone imbalances, digestive dysfunction, environmental toxicity. Even simple aspects of nutrition such as experience and comfort preparing foods, grocery shopping habits, and social and media influences need to be addressed. Very often, it requires someone with the knowledge and experience of the complexities of nutrition and weight loss to guide and supervise patients for success to be realized in a sustainable manner.
Diet Doc physicians are highly trained experts in this field. They have collectively seen thousands of successful cases, and will give you the proper advice and support as you transition into the slimmer, healthier person you want to be. Their diet is customized and much more expanded in calories than any other program out there. They have developed an effective maintenance program to keep the weight off long term. Diet Doc offers its hcg diet and hcg weight loss clinics throughout the country with locations in San Diego, LA, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, Dallas, New York, and Miami.