Polycom Inc, a provider of standards-based unified communications, reported that the Telestroke Network Project at NHS (National Health Service) Surrey, a service to bring immediate remote care to those suffering a stroke, is already helping to save the lives of stroke victims by “using its high-definition video collaboration solutions to bring remote patients together face-to-face with medical professionals for vital early intervention,” according to a company press release.
Hansen Medical, Inc, a provider of flexible robotics, announced that surgeons at St. Mary's Hospital, used the Company's Magellan Robotic System to treat a patient with a complex abdominal aortic aneurysm, according to a press release. "This new technology means a broader group of patients who have complex disease might now be operated on," said Professor Nick Cheshire, consultant vascular surgeon and head of circulation and renal sciences at Imperial College Healthcare, in the press release.
Huron Consulting Group, a provider of business consulting services, announced its new healthcare report that gives CEOs in the challenging healthcare field advice about best practices “for leading their organizations through this time of significant change in the industry,” according to a businesswire.com press release. The steps it advised physicians to take include exchanging volume for value; “re-imagining” the care delivery model for better, more effective treatment, and reducing use and overtreatment.
I don’t know about you, but it always makes me a little nervous when I go to the doctor and see her keying something into a tablet or laptop (maybe I should be more worried if she didn’t!). But the gap between our relationship with our doctors and medical technology is increasing, and as Adriana Lopez sees it, it’s not for the better. In fact, she writes that it’s “causing inefficiencies throughout every stage of the patient/provider relationship, beginning with the first encounter in the exam room.” “Have we focused so much on figuring out how computers work, rather than focusing on humans?” she writes.
We’ve all become used to it. With managed care, you can walk into a clinic with no appointment, but sometimes must wait several hours to be seen. Now Take Care Health Systems, which operates walk-in retail clinics in 350 Walgreens pharmacy stores, will let you check waiting times at its clinics online and even schedule an appointment, according to a story at healthdatamanagement.com. All patients must do is go to takecarehealth.com, and there they can see just how long it will take for a walk-in visit that day. The site also allows patients to have access to HEDIS patient satisfaction and quality of care scores. HEDIS is “a tool used by more than 90 percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service.”
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO registration click here.
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Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
