Category: HealthRevolution

Rural US Hospitals Are Getting Clobbered by Ransomware

Rural US hospitals are losing the fight against ransomware due to limited resources compared to bigger organizations.

According to Cyberscoop, witnesses testified in a recent Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting that smaller hospitals are struggling to combat ransomware attacks. In most cases, while there is plenty of information available to help organizations, the issue stems from a lack of resources, including qualified cybersecurity personnel.

“We also saw cybercriminals shift their focus to small and rural hospitals with this group lagging behind in strengthening their defenses,” said Kate Pierce, senior virtual information security officer at cybersecurity firm Fortified Health Security. “Our rural hospitals are facing unprecedented budget constraints with up to 30% or more in the red, with the public health emergency scheduled to end in May.”

Unfortunately, the issue is only going to get worse as bad actors exploit small hospitals’ vulnerability. Some are even stepping up the pressure on smaller hospitals specifically, posting patient information — including nude examination photos — online in an effort to force hospitals to pay up.

“In recent years, increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks in the healthcare and public health sectors posed alarming threats to people in Michigan, as well as across the country,” said Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich.

March 17, 2023
Sleep Loss Robs Your Health And Wealth
Enjoy your extra hour of sleep this week, because most Americans switch to Daylight Savings Time Monday and will have to get up one hour earlier. However, sleep loss is a year-round problem that affects everything from your health to your wallet.

Economic Impact Of Sleep Loss

A Rand Corporation analysis found that the United States economy loses 2.28 percent of GDP each year due to sleep deprivation. That amounts to about $411 billion based on 1.2 million working days lost each year.

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that absenteeism from insomnia costs employers an average of $976 per year per employee.

Added Healthcare Costs Of Sleep Loss

Sleep loss disorders add $94.9 billion to healthcare costs in the United States, according to a study by Mass Eye and Ear, a Bingham General Hospital.

People suffering from sleep loss make twice as many doctor visits and receive twice as many prescriptions as those without sleeping problems, the study reports.

Study author Neil Bhattacharyya, MD, FACS, who is also a professor at Harvard Medical School, thinks the costs are even higher than his study showed. He notes that many patients suffering chronic sleep loss are probably not yet diagnosed.

“If we as a country continue this pattern,” said Bhattacharyya when the study was released in 2021, “this huge burden to the healthcare system will grow and affect patient care for everyone.”

Get Your Seven Hours

Benjamin Franklin knew the importance of sleep on well-being and finances when he wrote, “early to be and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Accordingly, he lived his mantra keeping to a strict schedule of sleeping from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Franklin was on to something, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which recommends at least seven hours of sleep for adults 18 to 60 years of age.

The health risks from sleep loss include heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, and other mental distress.

Sleep Loss From Insomnia

New research revealed last week showed that people who suffer from insomnia are 69 percent more likely to have a heart attack. The report was presented at a joint meeting of the American College of Cardiology and World Congress of Cardiology.

If you get less than five hours of sleep, your risk of heart attack is greater, according to the study. In addition, women are more likely than men to suffer heart attacks.

“Not surprisingly, people with insomnia who also had high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes had an even higher risk of having a heart attack than those who didn’t,” said Yomna E. Dean, author of the study. “People with diabetes who also have insomnia had a twofold likelihood of having a heart attack.”

Benefits Of Good Sleep

On the other side of the ledger, good sleep provides health benefits.

Last week another study related to sleep demonstrated that people who get sufficient sleep are better able to stay with exercise and diet goals. The study was presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Resources, the benefits of getting good sleep on a regular basis include:
- Fewer illnesses
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Reduced risk of chronic diseases
- Lower stress and better mood
- Clearer thinking and better decision making
- Improved relations with other people
Preventing sleep loss takes a plan, according to the CDC. It provides some tips.
- Do what Franklin did. Go to bed and get up at the same time.
- Make your bedroom dark, quiet, relaxing, and comfortable.
- Remove electronic devices, such as televisions, computers, and smartphones from your bedroom.
- Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
- Exercise.
If all that is too dry for you, take inspiration from Shakespeare. He wrote a lot about sleep. For example:

“The deep of night is crept upon our talk,

And Nature must obey necessity.” – from the play Julius Caesar

(This post was first featured on savingadvice.com)
March 17, 2023
The Rise of Wearable Tech and Its Impact on Health and Fitness
Wearable technology has grown in popularity in recent years, revolutionizing the way we track our health and fitness. From smartwatches, fitness trackers, virtual reality headsets, and smart clothing, wearable tech has become an integral part of our daily lives. With the ability to monitor our heart rate, sleep patterns, steps taken, and our mental health, wearable technology has the potential to transform the way we approach our overall well-being. This article details the rise of wearable tech and its impact on health and fitness, examining the latest trends and advancements.

What Is Wearable Fitness Technology?

Wearable fitness tech is a type of technology that measures and collects data about our physical activity levels, heart rate, calorie burn, sleep patterns, and more. The data collected is used to create detailed graphs and reports about our current health and fitness status, allowing us to monitor our progress over time.

The report and data collected about your current health status are then printed and saved in PDF by online printing services for future health adjustments. Some of the most popular types of wearable tech include:
- Smartwatches
- Smart clothing
- Fitness trackers
- Virtual reality headsets
- Wearable ECG monitors
Wearable technology has the potential to revolutionize how we manage our overall health, providing data-driven insights into our activity levels and other health metrics. Wearable tech is not just a trend, it is here to stay and it can offer us a powerful way to track our progress and make changes in our lifestyle choices.

How Wearable Fitness Tech Is Used

Wearable fitness tech is used to help users understand their activity levels, set fitness goals, and create action plans to reach those goals. This technology can be used in various ways:
- To monitor your daily exercise habits
- To track nutrition
- Sleep patterns
- Hydration
Wearable tech can also be used to provide actual feedback on your progress and offer insights into where you need to make changes to reach your goals.

How Wearable Tech Can Enhance Your Fitness and Health
- Tracking your physical activity levels on a daily basis: You can use this information to make small adjustments to your lifestyle and improve your overall health.
- By setting goals for yourself and using the data from wearable tech to track your progress: You can stay motivated and encouraged to continue working towards better health.
- Wearable tech can also help you become more aware of your body’s limitations and give you the tools to adjust accordingly.
Examples of Wearable Devices in Healthcare

Wearable devices are becoming more popular in healthcare settings, allowing for more efficient monitoring of patients’ health. Devices such as Apple Watches, Fitbits, and glucose monitors have been used to detect changes in blood pressure or glucose levels, alert patients when they need to take medication or rest, and remind them when to get regular check-ups with their doctor. Wearable devices can be used to give doctors more accurate data on their patients’ signs, which can lead to earlier detection of health issues and improve patients’ health outcomes.

Endnote

With the ability to track our activity levels, monitor our signs, and even help us manage our mental health, wearable technology can empower us to take charge of our health like never before. However, it’s important to remember that technology alone is not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. We must use these devices as tools to help us achieve our health and fitness goals, while also prioritizing things like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep.
March 9, 2023
Impossible Foods May Lay Off 20% of Its Workforce

Impossible Foods may be poised for a second round of layoffs, with a report putting the number at 20%.

Impossible Foods makes plant-based “meats.” It’s product is sold in stores and used in Burger King’s Impossible Whopper, as well as other fast-food meals. Despite its success, the company appears to be on the verge of additional layoffs.

According to Bloomberg, via TechCrunch, the company is planning to let roughly 20% of its workforce go. With a total of 700 employees, this would impact more than 100 workers.

Impossible Foods already let 6% of its staff go in October, well before some of the biggest layoffs in the tech industry. The most recent report is somewhat surprising since Impossible Foods appears to be doing well financially, with strong sales, positive growth, and good cash flow.

January 30, 2023
Amazon RxPass Offers Unlimited Prescription Deliveries for $5/mo

Amazon has rolled out its latest healthcare endeavor, offering Prime members unlimited prescription for $5 a month.

Amazon has been pushing into the healthcare space, with much of its efforts centered around Prime Pharmacy. The company is doubling down on those efforts with its latest RxPass program, delivering unlimited prescriptions to Prime customers’ doorsteps for a mere $5 a month.

“Prime members already get fast, free delivery on prescription medications, and RxPass is one more way to save with Amazon Pharmacy. Any customer who pays more than $10 a month for their eligible medications will see their prescription costs drop by 50% or more, plus they save time by skipping a trip to the pharmacy,” said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. “We are excited to offer our customers surprisingly simple, low pricing on the eligible medications they need each month.”

The company says customers have two different ways to save money, making RxPass an ideal program for individuals that rely on medication to manage ongoing conditions.

Amazon Pharmacy offers choice and convenience, whether customers are paying with insurance or not. When not using insurance, Prime members now have two innovative, affordable options to pay for prescription medications. Prime members who typically take two or more medications per month to manage chronic or ongoing health conditions could save significant time and money with the $5 a month RxPass subscription. Alternately, Prime members can save with the Prime prescription savings benefit—available for no additional fee—to get discounts up to 80% off generic and 40% off brand name medications at more than 60,000 participating pharmacies nationwide, including Amazon Pharmacy and the PillPack by Amazon Pharmacy service.

RxPass is certainly one of Amazon’s most aggressive moves into the healthcare space and could help the company carve out a sizable presence, despite early challenges.

January 24, 2023
The Growing Supplements Industry

Well over half of consumers worldwide take vitamins and supplements on a daily basis. In fact, the overwhelming growth of the supplements industry can be observed across every demographic in the US. All ages, genders, and regions of the country have seen a sizable supplement intake. In fact, in the past 12 months, American adults have consumed several different kinds of these products.

Weight management supplements, vitamins, herbals and botanicals, specialty supplements, and sport nutrition supplements are only some of the most popular types on the market today. Let’s example why the supplements industry is growing below.

Why the Industry is Growing

The market for these products hit record growth in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5%. These numbers are only projected to rise as experts identify the several reasons for the increase in popularity of these products. Global health factors like a greater aging and at-risk global population, and increased mortality rates are to blame. The death rate and the number of deaths due to illness have both increased in recent years. That in combination with the fact that 1 in 6 people will be over 60 years old in 2030 has turned many to these alternative forms of healthy living. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a large impact on the growth of the supplement industry. In 2020, supplement sales rose across demographics, and the purchases of household vitamins rose to a shocking 90%.

There has also been new scientific support for vitamins and supplement usage that has increased confidence among users and encouraged new users to hop on the bandwagon. Vitamins may improve physiological and cognitive functioning, reduce injuries, improve performance, or even slow the rate of brain shrinkage. These new developments in commercial supplements are now pioneered by field experts. Leaders and scientists like Ernesto Sigmon of Black Edged, LLC and Karen Howard of Organic and Natural health Association are effectively shaping the supplement industry as we know it. It is because of their work and the increased interest in these products that the vitamin industry is projected to reach a global value of $98.6% by 2031. At this growth rate of 7.6%, fast changes and upcoming trends are inevitable.

Innovations in the Supplement Industry

New supplement categories like sleep gummies, irish moss, and mushroom coffee are constantly entering the scene and finding great success. In the past 5 years, the three aforementioned products have seen anywhere between a 200% and 1,500% increase in popularity and sales. Pre-workout supplements are an entirely independent sector of the market that has also seen great success post-pandemic. Companies like Truvani, Trubrain, and Your Super are garnering millions in revenue. This is mainly thanks to the ingredients that they offer to consumers, benefiting their bodies and minds in more ways than one. Common ingredients like Beta-alanine, caffeine, and citrulline are very common and can help with muscle fatigue and building as well as energy elevation. These effects are very appealing to consumers, explaining why these companies are having such great success during this time.

In Conclusion

The supplements industry will only continue to grow, and its nutritional complexity will only deepen. It is important to stay on top of these developments and use these products responsibly, as one’s health and well-being depends on it.

Source: PreWorkout.org

December 4, 2022
Four Features To Add To Your Healthcare Business Website

No matter what your business, you need a website these days and when it comes to representing your business and your industry, you’re going to need different things on it to suit a user’s needs. You’ll also want to think about the best web hosting services.

When it comes to healthcare, that’s certainly the case. More and more people go online these days to seek medical advice, whether it be for aches and pains, anxiety or depression, and even addiction, with most treatment centers having websites these days highlighting what rehab treatment consists of.

If you have a medical or healthcare business that you’re looking to build a website for, or perhaps want to make sure you’ve got all the right features on your site, then here are four things you simply must have on it…

Your Services

Of course, first and foremost you need to make sure that you are showcasing the services you have on offer. Ultimately, that’s how potential customers are going to know whether to use you or not.

It’s really important not to be too technical here, as most people won’t really understand that and while they need to know you are experts in your field, you need to balance it with language everyone can understand.

Calls to Action

Lots of calls to action should be on the page. You need to encourage people to contact you and on the homepage, about and services pages especially give users plenty of opportunity to get in touch.

The ways to do so should be varied, with contact forms, live chat, email addresses and telephone all available from the page, while it’s also useful to make it easy to tap and get in touch for those browsing on mobile.

Testimonials

Trust is such a big part of any healthcare website and even falls in line with how a website may rank on Google in accordance with EAT and YMYL. Therefore, as well as showcasing your own expertise, highlight how you’ve already helped people too.

Testimonials are a good way to do this as you can deliver to customers the positive experiences of others and how they have been helped by your business and expertise. This is a reassurance that what you’re telling customers on your website works, and you’re much more likely to earn patients through this method.

Helpful Guides

Helpful guides and advice on your site can also showcase your expertise further as well as being a good starting point to earning new clients.

The first port of call for anyone seeking a healthcare professional is searching online for any medical ailment they have and how to deal with it. If you can have content online that highlights this, followed by calls to action, you’re much more likely to see a potential client or patient take that next step and get in touch with you.

October 25, 2022
Pfizer Poised to Raise COVID Vaccine Prices Significantly

Pfizer is preparing to raise prices for its COVID-19 vaccine, potentially buoying the company’s revenue for years.

Pfizer is one of the leading manufacturers of COVID vaccines, but demand for booster shots has been lower than expected. According to Reuters, the company is looking to make up for that slack demand by raising prices as much as 4x over current prices.

The company plans to charge anywhere between $110 to $130 a dose once the US transitions from subsidized dosages to a commercialized market. At the same time, Pfizer plans to honor existing agreements it has through 2023.

Wells Fargo analyst Mohit Bansal said the price hikes could add billions to Pfizer’s annual revenue.

“This is much higher than our assumption of $50 per shot, and even assuming $80 per shot net price in high-income countries, we see $2 per share upside to our estimates” as a result of the price increase, Bansal wrote in a research note.

October 24, 2022
Sony Launches First OTC Hearing Aid in the US

Sony has launched an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid in the US following a change in regulation that paved the way.

Hearing aids in the US required a doctor’s prescription until recently. In mid-August, however, the FDA changed its regulations to allow consumers to acquire hearing aids without a prescription and said they should start arriving on the market as early as mid-October.

Right on time, Sony has announced its first OTC hearing aids for the US market, building on a century of leadership in the hearing aid market.

“At Sony, we strive to realize an inclusive world where everyone can participate, and we see this new product line as an opportunity to increase accessibility for many,” commented Mike Nejat, Vice President, Engineering with Sony Electronics, and head of Sony’s U.S. Accessibility Promotion Office. “With our unique technology heritage, we can help bridge a gap between individuals and their environment.”

Sony’s news was praised by industry experts:

“As a company dedicated to advancing the cause of Wonderful Sound for All, we welcome the introduction of these self-fitting hearing options, with the knowledge that more than 65% of the total U.S. consumer market– that needs better hearing care has not yet achieved it,” 4 says Carsten Buhl, President, WSA Americas. “We expect these over-the-counter hearing aids to help people begin the journey to better hearing health.”

Sony has initially brought two models to the market:

The first two products to debut from the partnership are the CRE-C10 and the CRE-E10 self-fitting OTC hearing aids, designed with the understanding that one size does not fit all, and that people deserve options that best fit their unique needs, situations, and lives. Utilizing the app, the CRE-C10 and CRE-E10 intuitively adapt to each user’s speech and surroundings, blending the latest technology with comfort to meet each individual’s hearing goals.

Sony and advocates hope OTC availability will help more individuals get the assistance they need:

“Many people have ongoing challenges related to hearing loss and because of the negative feeling around it, they often don’t seek the help they may need,” says Tyler Ishida, President of Consumer Business Group, Sony Electronics. “As a leader in the audio innovation space, we are thrilled at the opportunity to improve the hearing assistance landscape with cutting-edge yet quite accessible devices that will ensure new over-the-counter solutions for those living with hearing impairment and also help general consumers engage with their surroundings in a deeper, more connected way.”

October 14, 2022
How Health Insurance Card Scan Trends Are Evolving

Did you know that 25% of health care expenditures in the United States come from administrative overhead? Some of the most common causes are inaccurate patient information, changing facts on insurance benefits, entering lapsed policy information, or basic errors when capturing patient intake information. While some of these mistakes may seem simple to fix, it can actually cost thousands of dollars for medical office staff to correct and can waste valuable work time.

The Cost of Insurance Errors

When errors occur in patient insurance input, everyone involved is affected. Patients miss out on more than $16.3 billion in savings every year due to their insurance benefits being incorrectly input. Global providers lose up to $30 billion per year from fraudulent and error-ridden work, and sometimes these mistakes can even lead to fraud cases. While errors in information alone can lead to this loss of money, there are other problems that can arise when information is left unverified.

Unverified insurance information can lead patients to believe they are receiving coverage for services they do not qualify for. This has most recently been a problem with the rise in telehealth services. Pre-pandemic, Medicare only covered telemedicine for rural patients who had limited access to medical services. Now, 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries have telehealth visits, but not all of them are covered by their insurance plans.

What can make this confusing for patients is that telehealth visits do not have front office staff to help verify their insurance information. This can lead to patients receiving larger bills than they expected and leads to more time being spent trying to solve the issues after the initial visit.

Insurance Card Scan Tech is Here to Improve Productivity

To avoid the loss of productivity and money in solving insurance errors, many offices are transitioning to automated solutions. Automated health insurance card scan, capture, and verification is the solution to curb the inaccuracies that both patients and providers experience. Manual entry and evaluation can lead to mistakes, but AI-powered solutions are fast and efficient with much higher accuracy rates. Verifying information manually typically means calling payers or visiting insurance websites, but automated systems can verify information in seconds, allowing medical office staff more time to complete their other daily tasks.

Automating processes not only benefit medical office staff by increasing productivity and decreasing errors, they also benefit patients. With more accurate insurance capture, patients are able to view accurate cost and pricing models. In fact, many automated systems provide real time price estimates that are more accurate than manual estimates. This can enable better decision making when it comes to patients’ medical treatment, and can even provide access to potential savings they may not have been aware of.

Summary

Overall, AI-powered insurance capture and verification is the solution to insurance input errors. These errors can cost medical offices billions of dollars in revenue as well as countless hours of wasted time. Using these solutions can allow medical office staff to spend their time taking care of other tasks, and can help provide patients with the care they deserve. You can learn more about the benefits of automated processes in the medical field in the infographic below:

Source: OrbitHC

October 2, 2022
Pneumatic Tubes: Keeping Health Systems Running Smoothly

The COVID pandemic may be basically over. In year three, the effects of the disease are still widespread. This is in many more ways than just those felt by individuals suffering long term effects of the illness. Pneumatic tubes have had a role to play, let’s explore below.

COVID Changed Our Processes

COVID caused us to take a closer, and often more painful, look at how we function. The processes we use in virtually everything from production, to shipping, to services performed, and especially to medical procedures and standard hospital operations.

Hospitals and other medical facilities have been under extreme pressure and strain due to many COVID related issues, such as staffing shortages and added standard practices to prevent exposure and infection.

Other issues plaguing hospitals have to do with procurement of necessary drugs, and instruments such as pipettes and sterile water for lab testing. Staffing shortages also affect the supply shortage as there may not be enough time for some staff to stop patient care to transport temperature and/or time sensitive items within the allowed time allotment. Failure to transport labs or blood quickly means that blood is no longer usable or labs need to be re-done, resulting in wasted supply and wasted time.

Hospital staff are constantly running at full speed and their expertise is much more needed in hands-on patient care, rather than being used as courier for labs, blood, or drugs. However, this certainly doesn’t stop the need for these important items to receive speedy transport.

How Pneumatic Tube Systems Help Hospital Efficiency

This is where a pneumatic tube system could be invaluable to any large medical facility, especially hospitals.

The pneumatic tube system has been around since its invention in the early 19th century, and we are quite familiar with the system when it comes to banks or some pharmacies. Carriers are transported through tubes via the use of vacuum pressures, which make each transport extremely fast and efficient. There is a need for frequent transport given the time constraints. The installation and use of a pneumatic tube system seems like an obvious solution for any large medical facility.

The system can be installed within the walls of any hospital. Centralized stations throughout the facility provide efficient and safe transport. They move blood, drugs, labs, and other frequently transported items to any location within the facility. Even from the farthest points in the hospital, this transport via pneumatic tube carrier, would take less than 5 minutes. One hospital which has a fully operational pneumatic tube system, reports transporting upwards of 7,000 carriers every single day.

In Conclusion

The necessity of in-facility transport is such a common concern. Also, time sensitivity and temperature sensitivity of some transported items. With a serious staffing shortage, the installation of the pneumatic tube system makes sense for large medical facilities. Trained staff are no longer couriers and can use their important skills for actually treating patients. It frees up transportation time and provides a safe, sterile, and speedy transport, and saves on wasted supplies.

Source: Swisslog Healthcare

September 21, 2022
Mark Cuban Wants to Take on Amazon in Online Pharmaceuticals

Mark Cuban believes his company can take on Amazon in the burgeoning online pharmaceutical market.

Amazon has its own Prime Pharmacy services, giving users discounted prices for subscription drugs. The company has had mixed results, with a recent survey showing Prime Pharmacy is one of the least important services to customers. Nonetheless, the company is continuing to expand, eyeing a potential entry into the Japanese market.

Despite Amazon being the 800-lb gorilla in the market, entrepreneur Mark Cuban believes he has the winning formula to compete with the e-commerce giant. Cuban launched his own Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Co. earlier this year, competing in the same space as Amazon. Despite the overlap, Cuban told Kara Swisher his secret for success, according to GeekWire:

“I look at Amazon and say, their margin is my opportunity,” Cuban said.

Cuban expounded on what he meant when Swisher asked his opinion on Amazon’s plan to purchase One Medical for $3.9 billion.

“They’re a big company, and in health care, particularly with medications, it’s hard to be lean and mean,” Cuban said. “And that’s what we are.”

Amazon has a track record of dominating in the fields it enters, from e-commerce to cloud computing. That being said, if there’s anyone who can give the company a run for its money, it just may be Mark Cuban.

September 6, 2022
Amazon May Enter Japan’s Prescription Drug Market

Amazon is reportedly looking at its next medical venture, considering a move into Japan’s prescription drug market in 2023.

Amazon has a troubled relationship with the healthcare industry, with mixed results for its efforts. Despite the challenges it has faced, Amazon may be planning to enter Japan’s online prescription drug market, according to Nikkei.

The company evidently plans to create a platform that will allow small and medium-sized pharmacies to arrange at-home deliveries and provide online dosage instructions.

Some of Japan’s largest pharmacies are already working to establish online platforms, but Amazon’s entry in the market could disrupt such plans and help level the playing field. Providing a way for smaller pharmacies to compete online, combined with Amazon’s name recognition, could prove to be a winning proposal.

September 5, 2022
Amazon Has a Prime Pharmacy Problem

Amazon may be trying to lure people to its Amazon Prime with prescription cost savings, but customers aren’t buying it.

Amazon Prime is the company’s popular service that bundles free shipping and lower prices for members. The membership also comes with a variety of other services and features, but it seems that some of them are not very popular.

According to Business Insider, Morgan Stanley conducted a survey to see what services mattered most to Amazon Prime users. The survey found the company’s prescription service ranks dead last among the reasons people subscribe to Prime. In fact, only 2% cited Prime Pharmacy as the reason for signing up.

To put that in perspective, Prime Gaming, Echo/Alexa integration, and Amazon Fresh all ranked higher. The company chalked Prime Pharmacy’s lack of popularity up to its relative newness.

“To compare a newer Prime benefit like the Prime prescription savings benefit, to one like Prime Video or two-day delivery, isn’t a true apples to apples comparison. The Prime prescription savings benefit is relatively new, and we are committed over the long term to making healthcare services easier and more affordable,” the spokesperson told Insider.

Amazon has been aggressively moving into the healthcare industry, even rumored to be interested in Signify Health. Only time will tell if the company’s Prime Pharmacy eventually gains traction.

August 23, 2022
Amazon May Be Looking to Buy Signify Health

Amazon may be looking to buy Signify Health as the e-commerce and cloud giant looks to expand its healthcare offerings.

Signify is a home-health-services provider that is up for auction and attracting interest from major companies across industries. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon is one possible buyer, along with CVS Health Corp. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. There is also another corporate buyer rumored to be interested in the company.

According to the Journal, Signify is valued at roughly $5 billion, although the auction could drive its value as high as $8 billion.

The healthcare industry has increasingly become an important market for cloud providers. Signify uses analytics to streamline the in-home healthcare experience, and it could present a significant boost to Amazon’s healthcare ambitions.

August 22, 2022
Improving Infection Control in Nursing Homes

Nursing homes shouldered the brunt of the damage during the pandemic, revealing long-standing issues with infection control in skilled nursing facilities. COVID-19 killed over 135,000 nursing home residents and more than 2,000 workers, yet nursing home residents make up less than 1% of the United States population. In total, nursing home residents accounted for 1 in 5 COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. In addition to older residents disproportionately dying due to COVID-19, there were economic disparities among this population; low-income seniors eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid were hospitalized for COVID-19 at more than four times the rate of any other Medicare beneficiaries.

The Pandemic Impact on Nursing Homes

Not only did COVID-19 impact nursing homes by death rate, but it also contributed to staffing shortages. In the healthcare field since January 200, over 235,000 caregivers have left the field; that number is 15% of the total nursing home workforce. More than one-quarter of nurses have experienced increased incivility or bullying from administrators, managers, supervisors, and other nursing staff, and more than half of nurses have considered or intend to leave their position in the next 6 months. Two years into the pandemic, nurses in the United States report feeling a range of negative emotions about their work environments. Namely, 71% of nurses report feeling stressed and 69% report feeling frustrated. Over half of nurses reported feeling undervalued as well.

Nurses are essential to infection control, and less favorable work environments heavily impact these practices. Before the pandemic, 380,000 nursing home residents died due to infection annually. Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities are where 1 to 3 million serious infections occur every year. Infection control was the most commonly cited deficiency on state surveys for care facilities; almost half of the nursing homes were cited for poor infection control practices. After the pandemic, these numbers have gotten worse.

Hope for a Recovery?

Nursing homes are on the brink following the pandemic. More than 300 nursing homes have closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022, more than 400 certified U.S. nursing homes are on the verge of shutting down. This is double the closure rate pre-pandemic, illustrating the impact the pandemic had on these facilities. On top of this, most facilities are losing money – on average operating at a margin of almost -5% annually. In the future, 25% of skilled nursing facilities are likely to close within 24 to 36 months if they don’t receive financial relief.

Little was done to support caregivers in a meaningful way during the pandemic, affecting sanitation practices. During the first two years of the pandemic, 80% of nurses experienced PPE shortages and nearly 2 in 3 felt unsafe when reusing PPE as recommended. In 2021, only 30% of the nursing homes had alcohol-based hand rub outside of the resident’s room while 45% had it only inside the room. Additionally, shared equipment was disinfected between residents only 42% of the time.

In Conclusion

Throughout the pandemic, nursing leaders have found communicating and implementing new policies among the top challenges they faced. Simple changes can make a significant difference, and distributing new practices and guidelines with on-the-ground in-person support is the best way to facilitate these changes. Through an in-person program, strategists can see what’s working and what isn’t and provide practical training instead of general guidelines. It’s important to have a a personalized and hands-on approach to learning more about the problems and solutions facing your nursing home system.

Source: IPCWell.com

August 1, 2022
Probiotics: Solving Poor Digestive Health

Bacteria are at the base of each person’s digestive health. There are good and bad bacterias, diverse and undiverse gut microbiomes, and thousands of factors that produce each. Today lots of people have weak digestive systems, as many as 72% of Americans experience digestive distress symptoms regularly.

Our Digestive Systems Need Help

So what does that look like? There are obvious factors such as upset stomachs, diarrhea, and constipation. Although there are less obvious factors like bloating, heartburn, rapid weight fluctuation without a notable cause. Pushed far enough a negative digestive system will even start to lead to disease and illness.

In understanding how to solve any of these potential symptoms, it’s important to understand where they come from. Each person has a gut microbiome. This is a system where trillions of bacteria work to process and digest all that enters the body. It’s when this system is compromised that problems start to arise.

This typically comes from a lack of good or a lack of diverse bacteria entering the gut. Overly processed, sugary, and pesticide-treated foods tend to produce negative bacteria. This makes it harder for more diverse bacteria to grow. A lack of movement, lack of sunshine, or obvious factors like illness also all work to do the same.

Solutions for Digestive Health

This makes the solutions to digestive problems seem fairly simple, and luckily, they are. Put the time and effort into eating healthy, unprocessed foods, working out, spending time outside. These will all start to improve the gut microbiome. These are the same solutions to just about every health issue though, and they’re not always the easiest to achieve.

Regardless of if someone is working too much, can’t afford high quality food, maybe even has a long-term illness, there are many reasons it can be hard to live a positive lifestyle. It’s important to always be working towards these lifestyle solutions, but sometimes supplements and more practical solutions can also be helpful.

The Role of Probiotics

Probiotics are the most useful of the more direct and less lifestyle based solutions. Probiotics are bacteria that will enter the microbiome of a person and colonize the digestive tract to produce more positive and diverse bacteria. These are naturally found in fermented foods like cheese, yogurt, and kombucha, but they’re also now being made into more effective supplements.

These supplements will strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation, stop the growth of negative bacteria, stimulate positive bacteria, and effectively interact with every part of the body. They’re shown to be effective in reducing several forms of diarrhea, clostridium difficile infections, and all the day to day digestive issues people tend to feel.

Probiotics supplements also have promising evidence showing that they can help in the treatment of allergies, metabolic disorders, respiratory tract infections, and UTI’s. The overarching health effects of a strong digestive system are even predicted to help with depression and chemotherapy.

In Closing

Probiotics are not perfect or immutable. They affect everyone differently, can be dangerous to those who are immunocompromised, and should not be used as an excuse to live and eat unhealthily. Instead, they should be used to promote long term health and positive internal systems. Digestive issues are widespread in the modern world and the means to solving those solutions need to be understood.

Source: Nouri

June 24, 2022
Expert Tips to Grow Your Life Insurance Business

Any business or brand has to focus on ultimate growth and development to survive and thrive in this competitive business landscape. The insurance sector is no exception. As insurance is all about financial protection and safety, everyone is a potential customer for insurance companies. But most of them are unable to generate leads and convert them into valuable customers. Having strong marketing and sales strategies can help insurance sellers drive more sales and grow their customer base.

Let’s explore some proven business growth strategies that every insurance company can adopt to grow in 2022.

Find Your Unique Value Proposition

Most of the businesses compete openly with any other businesses in the same industry when it comes to pricing and product quality. But when you identify what you can provide them that anyone else cannot, your marketing efforts get easier than before. For instance, if you are offering insurance services online, it will be your unique value proposition. So, identify it and provide your prospects with experience that no one can offer in the industry. This boosts credibility and trustworthiness as well.

Build Brand Authority

Modern consumers trust brands as they are not built overnight. It takes lots of years and continuous effort to build brand authority and trust among competitors. People love brands that provide quality products and services at affordable rates. As an insurance company, defining your particular insurance products to potential clients is important to grab their attention. You can build brand authority by letting potential customers know who you are, what makes you different from competitors, and how you can solve particular problems of your customers. Your insurance business should have a unique tone so that prospects can easily recognize it across different communication channels and mediums.

Solve Customers’ Pain Points

Consumers don’t care what you are offering but they care about how you help them. This could be a great edge for insurance sellers to grow their revenue. Customers prefer insurance companies who understand and solve their pain points. For example, as a funeral insurance provider, you can help prospects determine funeral expenses and what amount of funeral cover they need. So, try to identify their insurance needs or problems and solve them accordingly. Being a good listener allows you to build strong relationships with potential customers and understand what exactly they want you to do.

Develop a Referral Program

Word of mouth or referral marketing is the most effective approach for growing the insurance business. Having an insurance referral program can work better than a paid advertisement campaign. Customers are likely to refer to an insurance company when they are satisfied with their services. So, encourage your customers whenever they refer your business to a prospect by providing them enticing rewards or gifts. However, you should deliver quality services to run a successful referral program and grow your customer base.

Focus On Content Marketing

As people usually search online before they purchase anything, investing in content marketing could be a great way to get your insurance company in front of more prospects. Content marketing is all about sharing useful and problem-solving content with your target audience in a variety of formats. You can write about the significance of insurance in day-to-day life to encourage them to have the right type of insurance policy. Or you can guide them about the insurance buying process to make things easier for them.

One common reason that keeps consumers from buying insurance is confusion and lack of knowledge. The availability of enough information and knowledge across the web can help them understand the benefits of insurance policies and make the decision-making process easier for them. Creating an insurance blog, social media posts, informative videos, podcasts, and infographics are some common examples of content formats that you can use to educate your potential insurance customers effectively.

Conclusion

By using a balanced blend of sales and marketing tools you can grow your insurance business effectively and boost the possibility to generate new leads. This also helps insurers build and maintain strong relationships with both existing and potential customers. Apart from the type and size of your insurance business, you can adopt the above-mentioned growth tips right now to outpace your competitors and stand out.

June 20, 2022
Why is Data Analytics in Healthcare so Important?
The healthcare system is constantly faced with the challenges of effectively using large amounts of data. Medical companies are facing security issues and the risk of data breach. Therefore, one way out is to set up the medical data analysis software.

Medical data analysis — what is it?

Information about each patient and the population of the entire country helps not only to extend the life of a person and improve its quality, but also to improve the results of treatment through improved procedures, reducing the volume of medical waste.

Medical analytics has the capacity for reducing the cost of treatment, predicting outbreaks of epidemics, early screening of certain diseases, improving the quality of life in general, and introducing modern methods of treatment into practice. Medical staff are collecting huge amounts of data today, and they need the tools to use these numbers.

How important is the analysis of medical data?

Methods and application of machine learning make it possible to analyze huge amounts of information about the immune status of a particular person.

Using the data you can:
- plan medical care for people and predict the course of diseases;
- identify and implement the most effective measures decreasing the number of hospital readmissions;
- reduce the risk of blood poisoning and kidney failure, intervene at an early stage avoiding negative consequences;
- optimize outcome management and costs of medicines;
- develop tools to improve the quality of patient care.
Personalized medicine is focused on treatment decisions based on all information about the patient. To do this, more and more data will need to be processed in the future. For example, each person’s “genetic blueprint”, DNA, will need to be checked for genetic changes.

Benefits of data analytics in medicine

Technological development makes it possible to process small and large amounts of data, to study rare diseases. This is the exclusivity and originality of data analysis.

The development of the necessary technologies helps to implement the results of analyses in the work of a particular doctor and patient. The doctor receives a computer program where the data of his patients are collected. He can see on the monitor the values of medical indicators of patients from his past practice, which are closest to indicators of his new patient being studied at the moment. It allows identifying similar cases and optimizing the treatment regimen.

Analyzing information about how a patient adheres to the doctor’s instructions after discharge from the hospital will help the medical institution to predict the hospital readmission within several months and take appropriate measures.

The study of the patient’s condition data can improve his treatment

Data science plays a key role in monitoring patient health and informing physicians of options to prevent potential problems. Specialists use powerful predictive tools for early detection of chronic and systemic diseases.

Data processing algorithms also help to model exactly how medicines will act on the human body. It allows companies to reduce laboratory experiments, costs, and develop innovative medicines for the treatment of serious diseases.

It is important to take into account the specific challenges in the healthcare system as it involves the collection and analysis of sensitive patient data. It is also very important to understand that the value of digital infrastructures is in the intelligent, controlled use of data for the benefit of the individual and society in general.
May 6, 2022
How Telemedicine Solutions Impact the Healthcare Industry

The pandemic, with its need for isolation, gave a major boost to the development of new ways to diagnose or treat, this was the impetus for the development of telemedicine software development services. Online medicine, which was shunned not so long ago, has become ubiquitous and, moreover, in-demand among customers. But still, many are wary of this option of interacting with a doctor. Let’s figure out what it is, how it works, and how telemedicine solutions can impact healthcare institutions and patients.

What is telehealth software?

IT technology in healthcare is not just the use of gadgets and other devices. This is a whole complex of both software and hardware that is used to store, distribute and analyze health data.

Traditional clinical services, patient monitoring, and record-keeping have now been transformed and simplified with the advent and spread of telemedicine. This also includes remote training of medical personnel. The use of telemedicine software has simplified and popularized video consultations, digital imaging, remote medical diagnosis, and more.

And if we are talking about software for telemedicine, then we must understand what types of it are:

Real-time telemedicine communication software

The software and the scenario of its use are most comparable to a real visit to the doctor. Both the doctor and the patient can discuss issues of interest remotely. This gives doctors the opportunity to assess the patient’s condition and carry out treatment remotely. And for the patient, this option of telemedicine makes it possible to contact a remote specialist or institution for consultation.

Telemedicine platforms for data storage and transfer

This is a step towards transformation in the exchange of information. It is mainly used in the exchange of digital photos and videos for diagnostic purposes, or clinical data between patients and the clinic, or between doctors for additional consultations.

Remote patient monitoring

The target application is home telemedicine. This allows patients to be under constant supervision. It consists of specialized software and equipment that is installed at patients’ homes. This complex also includes monitoring the vital signs of patients and also provides doctors with frequent updates on the well-being of patients.

Integration of telemedicine software

This software is aimed at integration with existing medical systems. These are comprehensive solutions that are aimed at the complete synchronization of all patient credentials and their treatment histories. We can say that this is the way to centralize data.

Integration with Pharmaceuticals

Patients can access many of the professional services given by pharmacies and receive guidance on pharmaceutical therapy management remotely by using telemedicine software.

Benefits of using telemedicine solutions

All of the methods for incorporating software in medicine described above are applicable at all levels of care. Consider some easy instances.

Attempts to get treatment from a doctor in another city or to make suggestions to a patient who lives in another city have always existed. Doctors have sent letters and called patients. However, telemedicine truly took off in the country when the Internet became available in practically every home. It’s a simple and rapid way to communicate, allowing the doctor to provide as much information as possible from a distance.

When a person knows what telemedicine is, he or she can get help in situations where a visit to the doctor is impossible or undesirable. For example:

● The trip to the hospital is long and difficult (the patient has a fever, something hurts a lot, there is a lot of weakness), and the wait for the doctor on duty is long;

● The problem seems non-hazardous or irrelevant, and the person is not ready to spend the whole working day for it, but wants to get confirmation from the doctor that there is nothing to worry about;

● Hospitals are overloaded because of an emergency or natural disaster, so it is impossible to get help there for a minor illness or a chronic problem;

● Because of the quarantine, it is undesirable to go out and even more so to communicate with doctors through whom many sick people pass;

● The illness suddenly appeared suddenly while on a business trip or during a trip to another country where there is no possibility to get qualified help or there is no possibility to invite an experienced interpreter who could explain all the details;

By contacting a doctor online, a person avoids having to sit in lines, spend time on travel and money on time off work in order to get to an appointment on time.

Custom development of telemedicine software

When it comes to developing software for the telemedicine industry, the benefits provided by specialized and even custom applications include:

● More convenient and cheap patient care: real-time consultations, photo-based consultations, including staging solutions, and mobile healthcare accessible.

● Telemedicine solutions help make processes more economical, but at the same time more efficient. Thanks to comprehensive solutions, it is much easier for the patient to see a doctor online, and because of this, transport costs and non-urgent visits to clinics are reduced.

● The storage of medical data is also undergoing changes. Telemedicine solutions allow you to handle huge amounts of data with complete security and precise control.

● Brings automation to medical processes. This aspect has a positive effect on the time spent by doctors and on administrative operations.

But also, custom software may provide some problems too. We at Empeek regularly face the following challenges associated with developing telemedicine applications:

● Licensing and compliance with laws make development difficult.

● Difficulties in building a connection with the server part, since all information exchange must be centralized.

● The provision of platforms should be at the highest level. Telemedicine involves a lot of personal data of users, their medical history and other information that needs to be protected. And besides, you still need to ensure the security of payments.

● Creation of high-quality UI / UX to provide a single space for all parties of communication.

The value of telemedicine software development services is to provide you with a solution based on in-depth market analysis and tailored to your individual needs.

May 3, 2022
The Business of Energy Drinks

Energy drinks and pre-workout drinks are often used by athletes before a big game or before they start a heavy workout. The ingredients that are found in these drinks claim to help increase stamina and endurance, and even virtual athletes can benefit from these drinks. With such a large consumer base, do these ingredients actually do the things they claim? And why are these drinks growing in popularity so rapidly?

The Science Behind Energy Drinks

Athletes tend to reach for pre-workout drinks before any strenuous activity because the amino acids that are found in them can help increase energy, stamina, and help prevent damage to cells. 87% of pre workout drinks contain beta-alanine, an amino acid that improves strength and endurance. 71% of these drinks also include citrulline, another amino acid that can help increase stamina and energy. Some of these drinks also include taurine which can help prevent cell damage that can occur during exercise. All of these amino acids working together along with caffeine can lead to an overall more intense workout with less fatigue.

Looking at athletes off the field, esports players also reach for energy drinks when it comes time to play in virtual tournaments. Many energy drink companies sponsor some of the biggest esports teams today, and gamers tend to use these drinks for the same reasons athletes on the field do. Energy drinks include some of the same ingredients as pre workout ingredients and offer similar benefits. Gamers use these drinks to increase focus, reaction time, and stamina which are all important in maximizing their overall gaming performance.

Athletes both on and off the field are using energy drinks and pre-workout in order to improve their performance, but there are still people who oppose drinking these beverages. Long term use of pre-workout can increase muscle mass and strength, but using large doses in a short time can lead to adverse effects. It is important to remember to use energy drinks and pre-workout in a safe and healthy way in order to reduce the likelihood that these side effects will occur. Opponents of energy drink use have also noted that these drinks are too caffeinated and too artificial. In fact, many pre-workout brands have many ingredients that aren’t even listed on the label!

What’s in an Energy Drink?

In getting criticism about ingredient use and the amount of caffeine in their drinks, many energy drinks companies have started making changes to their recipes. Many brands are switching to using more plant-based energy ingredients such as guarana and green tea. This allows for less artificial caffeine ingredients to be used and leads to an overall healthier product for consumers to enjoy. Brands are also using nootropic elements that are used to increase focus, and are using overall better quality and organic ingredients.

In Conclusion

With these changes being made to already popular products, it is expected that even more people will be using energy drinks and pre-workout to help in their daily routines or before exercise activity. With so many benefits now being packed into a healthier product, it’s no wonder athletes on the field and gamers on the virtual field are using energy drinks to boost their performance.

Learn more about energy drinks and how they can help your workout in the infographic below:

April 20, 2022