white space hcm

sitting is killing you

2012-02-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Medical Billing and Coding for this infographic. Consider it a PSA. Good thing we moved to a standing desk last year!

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

long term brand metrics and social media

2012-01-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

According to an article published by eMarketer, social media campaigns give a long-term boost to brand metrics. Their conclusions were based on a study conducted by BzzAgent regarding CPG (consumer packaged goods) and it found that social media campaigns provided an immediate boost to brand advocates willingness to recommend a product. The percentage increased from 39% to 61% percent immediately after being exposed to the campaign and stayed over 50% when asked about likelihood of recommendations up to a year out.

Although this is a small sample size and specifically about CPG, it does illustrate the impact of social media on brand metrics which eventually impact the bottom line. Just further evidence that social media should play an active role in any integrated marketing campaign.

infographic: how marketers are measuring roi

2011-11-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Interesting to note that 70% of marketers are not reporting regularly to management regarding the social media conversations happening around their brand in social media.

inforgraphic: one nation under video

2011-10-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

This infographic comes to us courtesy of Column Five and shows that more folks report spending time watching and/or sharing online video this year over last year. Just more evidence that everyone should consider video as part of their digital strategy.

medical journals make a comeback

2011-10-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

According to Medical Marketing and Media, advertisers are showing a renewed confidence in medical journals as spending is up across the board. Is it because they seem like a safe bet since they are so highly targeted? Regardless, it is a good sign for everyone. What are your thoughts?

digital healthcare: where are we now?

2011-09-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Iron Mountain surveyed about 200 healthcare facilities regarding scanning in paper records and what their plans are for the future. Then they made this cool infographic depicting the results. Anything surprising about the results?

consumer health apps

2011-09-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Mobile health is exploding. There are apps for smoking cessation, mental health, diet, cardio, and on and on and on. Next summer there will likely be slightly more than 13,000 health apps intended for use by consumers available for download in Apple’s AppStore, according to MobiHealthNews’ latest report: Consumer Heatlh Apps for Apple's iPhone.

Which ones do you have and how often do you use them?

infographic: docs go digital

2011-08-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a great infographic courtesy of SpinaBifidaInfo.com entitled The Doctor's Tech Toolbox.

tweet in case of emergency

2011-08-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a paper written by Raina M. Merchant, MD, Stacy Elmer, MA, and Nicole Lurie, MD, of the department of emergency medicine at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, that leveraging social media, including Twitter, during and after disasters, as communication tool to communicate as well as broadcast information.

Routine collection and rapid dissemination of these measures can inform decision-making among patients, healthcare providers and administrators. Monitoring systems via social channels during an actual disaster could help responders verify whether certain facilities are overloaded and determine which ones can offer needed medical care, Lurie et al wrote.

As social media gains credibility as a viable and reliable tool in times of crisis, the authors point out that there are still causes for concern. The spread of disinformation, although often corrected by other users, is real possibility as well as the reality that many at-risk, vulnerable populations may not have the ability access to this technology.

Regardless, social media is here to stay and this is a clear signal that it is gaining credibility in all circles.

facebook, privacy and health

2011-06-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Path of the Blue Eye Project for putting together this great infographic about Facebook, privacy and health. According to this study, Facebook doesn't seem to be dominant with regards to health. Most people don't use it to find health information and fewer people share personal health content on the site. As the infographic suggests, could it be because of privacy concerns.

what makes a good mobile hospital app?

2011-06-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

FierceMobileHealthcare recently published an article with some great advice and insights for hospitals thinking about creating an iPhone application. The keys are interactivity and time. Don't just take what is on your website and put it into an app, make it it interactive. Allow patients to receive reminders and post-discharge instructions. And get it right the first time, people don't have much patience for an app that isn't useful or user-friendly and will usually discard it or stop using it within a two-week time-frame. The final insight was that people want to be able to access hospital resources quickly in an emergency situation, so keep that information upfront and easy to find.

80% of internet users search for health related info online

2011-05-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

According to a Pew internet study conducted in late 2010, 8 out of 10 adults searched for some sort of health related topic online. What does this mean? That you need to be where your potential customers are, online. Whether you are a physician or a marketing manager for a medical device, online is often the first place your potential customers will interact with "you" and you need to ensure it is a positive, informative experience. And if you don't control your online presence, someone else will. From online reviews, to tweets, to Facebook posts, there are probably already people talking about your practice or your device. So be proactive, get started managing your online presence today. If you haven't done anything yet, start small, set up a Facebook page, maybe start a blog and link it to your website. Get online and see what your peers are doing. Be willing to learn and be humbled. Enjoy the learning experience and don't be afraid to ask for help.

infographic: the changing scope of advertising

2011-05-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

infographic: twitter in healthcare

2011-05-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a very informative infographic courtesy of Appature with regards to the use of Twitter in healthcare. See who is most followed and most influential.

Click to Enlarge

[Via: Appature]

infographic: the ipad in healthcare

2011-04-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of MobiHealthNews, here's an infographic charting the iPad's interest and opportunity in the healthcare industry. Apple's form factor has played a big part in it's widespread adoption by healthcare providers, etc.

prescriptions most marketed to doctors (infographic)

2011-04-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a great infographic via our partner company Appature that details the prescriptions most marketed to doctors.

Appature’s customers often ask us about top drug sales, allocation of marketing budgets, and typical attitudes of Healthcare Professionals and patients. We designed this infographic as a simple and fun way to answer some of these typical healthcare marketing questions.

Click to Enlarge

social media sites help patients make healthcare decisions

2011-03-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

According to National Research Corp.'s Ticker survey, one in five Americans us social media websites as a source of healthcare information. This does not come as a total surprise as people have always gone to their friends, family and people in their trusted network when seeking this sort of information. Now it just so happens that social media websites are the fastest and easiest way to connect with those folks.

Key findings of the NRC survey:

When asked about social media's influence, one in four respondents said it was "very likely" or "likely" to impact their future healthcare decisions.
When asked for their level of trust in social media, 32 percent said "very high" or "high," and only 7.5 percent said "very low."

physicians, patients and geolocation

2011-01-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

image via www.chrisgash.com

According to American Medical News, as geolocation services become more mainstream, physicians should understand how this will impact them. From patients "checking-in" online letting folks know they are at the doctor's office to instantly writing a review of their visit. There is also the potential for users to upload incorrect listing information for a physician's office or create multiple listings on site such as Foursquare and Gowalla. The key takeaway from the article is that physicians should be aware of this new technology and be proactive. They should find out what information is out there online related to them or their practice and take corrective measures as necessary.

Combining geolocation with mobile technology makes it easier for patients to apply a large amount of information to the things they already do without making them think too hard about doing it. This is why many believe geolocation will play a larger role in health care in the future. But it may be in ways no one today can imagine. Just like how, until recently, no doctor would imagine patients broadcasting to the Web that they were in their physician's office.

the mac app store presents more opportunity for healthcare

2011-01-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

With the opening of the Mac App Store, healthcare companies now have another channel to use when targeting their customers. These apps will be more robust than the mobile apps that we have all gotten used to since they will be running on laptops and desktops. The opportunity to build some really dynamic feature sets is huge.

sms messaging works

2010-12-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

FierceMobile Healthcare posted the results of a recent study showing that SMS messaging worked to improve medication adherence and overall patient health.

Text messages containing both medication reminders and information about a specific skin condition helped greatly improve adherence to treatment regimens, self-care behaviors and quality of life while also lessening disease severity, according to a newly published scientific article in the journal Dermatology Research and Practice.

Text messaging is a very cost-effective way to deliver content that achieves results with little effort because it is automated. There are so many situations in the healthcare space where this could be useful, from smoking cessation to reminders for people with diabetes to measure their blood sugar.

social should be part of your seo strategy

2010-11-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

eMarteter has posted a nice article that summarizes the findings of an SEOmoz study about the importance of social media to SEO efforts conducted earlier this month. It found that 71% of respondents said they use social media as part of their SEO strategy. Not a big surprise, but good to see the statistics back up what everyone has speculated. The reason being that social media marketing can be an excellent driver of content visibility, by helping to keep content fresh and abundant, and also by increasing the number of inbound links a site receives. Nearly 53% responded that they started a blog with specific SEO goals. What efforts are you employing?

the wireless patient

2010-10-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

17% of U.S. adults used a smartphone in 2009. That is almost 1 in 5. As more and more people move into the wireless world, hospitals need to figure out how and start marketing to the wireless patient. No longer are executives the only ones constantly checking their email or walking with their heads down and their fingers tapping. Smartphones are now the last thing everyday consumers check before going to bed and the first thing they look at in the morning. In response to this upward trend, forward-looking hospitals are beginning to focus their marketing efforts on mobile technology such as mobile-specific sites, geotargeted mobile ads, and custom smartphone applications. HealthLeaders has a great article outlining what some hospitals are doing to reach out to this crowd. "Patients are using the site on the go—whether they have a medical condition they need to address or whether it's top of mind," says Marcus Gordon, who was strategic marketing manager for the 331-staffed-bed hospital; he has since become director of marketing and public relations at Atlanta Medical Center."We're also seeing the mobile-specific website as a conduit for finding physicians and physician offices and directions."

ted talk about social networks predicting epidemics

2010-09-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a fantastic TED Talk by Nicholas Christakis about how real social networks can aid in predicting epidemics.

After mapping humans' intricate social networks, Nicholas Christakis and colleague James Fowler began investigating how this information could better our lives. Now, he reveals his hot-off-the-press findings: These networks can be used to detect epidemics earlier than ever, from the spread of innovative ideas to risky behaviors to viruses (like H1N1).

emailing your doctor improves care

2010-09-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

There is some interesting research coming out of Kaiser Permanente that says folks who email their doctors are more likely to take screening tests and keep their respective conditions under control. More specifically, people with diabetes or hypertension, or both, who e-mail their physicians about the ups and downs of their test results and other aspects of their care appear far more likely to undergo screening tests and keep their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood-sugar levels under control compared with those who don’t e-mail their doctors, according to a study of 35,423 patients published in the July 2010 issue of the journal Health Affairs. What can be concluded is that by emailing their doctors, patient tend to be more involved in their own care and get feedback on their results, thus making adjustments as they go.

ipad gaining traction with physicians

2010-08-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

We have mentioned previously that the iPad was a popular device among physicians, well the trend is gaining steam and shows no signs of slowing down. Mobile Health News has put together a fantastic infographic (we love those) showing the iPad in healthcare. It wasn't designed for healthcare, but sure is making an impression. The size, portability and ease-of-use all make it a wonderful device for the hospital setting.

the iphone's role in healthcare

2010-08-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Business Insider published a very insightful article about the iPhone's role in medicine today and in the future. It is clear the the iPhone is here to stay and will only keep improving. As companies such as LifeScan have already demonstrated, you can connect a blood glucose meter to an iPhone and track your test results. Mobile health or 'mHealth' is rapidly developing and finding its way into the mainstream. What types of mHealth applications do you find useful and what would you like to see developed in the future?

do electronic medical records improve er wait times?

2010-08-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

According to a recent article in Healthcare IT News, the answer to that question is yes. The patients at hospitals with the most advanced type of electronic medical records are likely to spend 22.4 percent less time in the emergency room than at other hospitals, a new study from the W.P.Carey School of Business at Arizona State University shows. Additionally, emergency rooms with advanced electronic medical records demonstrated shorter treatment times.

roche issues social media rules.

2010-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Medical Marketing and Media is reporting that Roche has issues social media rules/guidelines. They have two sets of rules. One for when speaking "about" Roche and one for when speaking "on behalf" of Roche. These top-level rules do a good job of establishing a set of parameters for employees while acknowledging that social media is an ongoing conversation. The document, developed by an internal social media advisory board, urges employees to think about long-term goals before engaging in social media and to recognize that it's not a one-off proposition.

new app tracks and shares your fitness

2010-08-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Mashable recently published an article where they highlighted a new mobile application for both the iPhone and Adroid called Skimble that helps you accuratley track all of your fitness activities. Additionally, it lets you share your results with friends on social networks as well as compete with those that have also signed up. There are even opportunites for real prizes! There are over 45 activities that can be tracked. Nothing like a little competition to get you motivated.

nejm updates website including archives

2010-08-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

According to Medical Marketing & Media, The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has launched their updated website which now includes online archives of articles dating back to 1812. Improvements to the site include a more sophisticated search function, better graphic integration at the article level (after a click, graphics display within the article, instead of prompting a new window or player) and additional levels of customization within the MyNEJM offering.

physicians and smartphones

2010-07-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Healthcare IT News is reporting that a new study conducted by the Spyglass Consulting Group reveals that 94 percent of physicians are using smartphones to communicate, manage personal and business workflows, and access medical information. An interesting side note is that physicians clearly prefer Apple iPhones to the RIM Blackberrys by a margin of 44% to 25%.

branded med ed on the rise

2010-07-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

According to an article in Medical Marketing & Media, branded medical education is on the rise. This is because reps are making less office visits and there is less scrutiny by governing bodies on the content. These speaker programs, which are clearly disclosed as such, allow manufacturers to have a say in content, unlike certified CME programs, and all of the content is overseen by the FDA. And according to recent surveys, these programs get results. After sitting through a branded med ed program, 80% said they will incorporate the information into decision-making, 72% will read and research what they heard, and 71% will consider prescribing the product more frequently.

a beginner's guide to social media

2010-06-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jonathan Richman who writes Dose of Digital, we have a great beginner's guide to social media. Although he applies the learning specifically to the pharma space, it is applicable and can be applied across industries. This is an extememly dense and robust post with a lot of information, so we suggest you bookmark it so you can come back to it again and again. It is a great reference. For starters, here is a good overview about social media and why you should care:

meaningful use hurdles

2010-06-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

According to a new report, 8 out of 10 hospital CIOs are worried they won't be able to make the governements 2015 deadline for demonstrating meaningful use of electronic health records (via Healhtcare IT News). A large part of the problem is that the current infrastructure meant to support meaningful use EHRs is not sufficient. "Healthcare organizations are building high-performance race cars to travel back country roads," said Daniel Garrett, leader of the health information technology practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers (the company that conducted the survey of 120 hospital CIOs).

Other issues include:

Lack of clarity and a final ruling hinder meaningful use implementation
Shortage of skilled staff
Vendor readiness and fallout from consolidation are unclear
Existing infrastructure capabilities are being questioned

What can be done to help hospitals overcome these issues? Does the government need to adjust expectations?

social media and crisis management

2010-06-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

As social media evolves into a legitimate communication channel it should be incorporated into crisis communication plans as a great way to quickly reach a lot of people. Lisa Gualtieri has written a great post about about a real case study regarding the use of social media in a crisis and has also put together a good list of lessons learned for rapid health communications.

1. Develop a rubric to assess the type of crisis as it impacts your institution
2. Identify and coordinate with partners in advance
3. Prepare a communication plan for each type of crisis
4. Carefully construct messages to convey needed information succinctly
5. Create messages that inform and allay unnecessary fears
6. Use social media, which can be both fast and local
7. Use crises to educate people

nejm iphone app

2010-06-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

The New England Journal of Medicine has released a terrific iPhone application. For now it and the content are free, so get downloading. As more and more doctor's are using smartphones, these types of applications are becoming very effective tools to market products and services to them. The App offers four pages covering articles, images, audio and video. According to Toby Plewak, NEJM’s Manager of Product Development, the article page covers most everything available through the print/web version as well as all of the “online first” (early release) articles for the current week.

apple and healthcare (together again)

2010-06-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

The healthcare industry has really embraced Apple. The iPhone and now the iPad really seem to be gaining traction with hospitals. Cardiovascular Business has put together a nice overview of some of the more recent developments. Among the highlights, hospitals that previously tried tablets are keen on the iPad because of they are lightweight and the battery-life is much better and word that doctors will use them during rounds to share information with patients at the bedside.

don't dismiss cyberchondriacs

2010-06-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

The BBC News has published a very insightful article by medical law expert Dr Anthea Martin warning physicians not to dismiss cyberchondriacs. Results showed that doctors experienced "considerable anxiety" when faced with a patient bringing information from the web to a consultation, while others admitted to feeling threatened and challenged. However, doctors should not rush to judgement. [They] must listen to what every patient has to say and should consider carefully information presented to them by the patient - even if after doing so they decide to dismiss that self-diagnosis of dengue fever.

facebook posts might lead to terminations at hospital

2010-06-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

According to an article in HealthLeaders, five hospital workers are being considered for termination after it was found they might have posted personal discussions about hospital patients on their Facebook pages. Hospital officials became suspicious earlier this year that a breach of patient privacy may have occurred on Facebook and launched an investigation but said that as yet it has found no evidence that patient names, photographs, or other information was posted on the site. From the sounds of it, it looks as if no HIPAA violations occurred and the employees might have been discussing patient scenarios...regardless, it looks as if the hospital would consider this a breach. What are your thoughts? Should the workers be terminated?

like having a doctor in the family

2010-06-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

OrganizedWisdom.com is a great resource for medical information. According to their website they are the first realtime, health and wellness discovery engine. The company's WisdomCards™ provide an easy way for people to discover great links, shared by experts, organized by topic.

patients not getting web suggestions from physicians

2010-06-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

New research by Kyp and Opinion Research Corporation has found that just one in four patients report their physicians giving them recommendations for conducting online health research. “Patients would like to use the web to research health issues, but are being put off by the huge number of different and competing websites they have to choose from,” said Kyp CEO Nicholas Miller. “The healthcare industry should support physicians in connecting patients with online resources that help them understand and manage their conditions. The market is there and it is asking for direction.” (Via Medical Marketing & Media). This is very interesting insight. Would doctor's want to provide this sort of information? Would it make their jobs easier or more difficult? What sorts of implications could it have legally and how could they be mitigated? Is there an opportunity here for each physician to have their own web portal where they control the type of information they give the patients?

hospital takes a page from amazon.com

2010-06-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Edward Hospital and Health Services is taking a page from Amazon.com's marketing efforts. According to this article in Healthcare IT News, they just implemented a new CRM system that will help them make personalized recommendations. Whenever those targeted access Edward Hospital’s website, they'll receive individualized communication based on their specific health needs, which can be derived from psychographic, demographic, geographic medical history and marketing campaign data aggregated by the CRM database.

It is also worth checking out their Edward's website, as it is very non-traditional.

the real-time web and healthcare

2010-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

According to ReadWriteWeb, now that 72% of physicians are using smartphones, the medical field is rapidly moving toward a more mobile and real-time future. And its already happeneing, AirStrip Technologies allows doctors to monitor patients in real-time via their smartphones and Apple has applied for a patent for an embedded heart rate monitor in the iPhone. Crowdsourcing for geo-location data is also gaining momentum. Asthmopolis has created a device that you attach to an asthma inhaler that tracks location. The program uses a GPS device called a Spiroscout that can be mounted on an inhaler to determine the time and location when an inhaler is used. This information is then collected on a central server and used to "map and track asthma symptoms, triggers, and your use of rescue and controller medications". What a brilliant idea. What other devices could benefit from such information?

what the new iphone means to healthcare

2010-06-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

According to HealthLeaders the pixel boost and HD video capabilities on the new iPhone are big news for the healthcare industry. Being able to view super hi-res images can be particularly useful in medical education and medical emergency situations.

doctor uses ipad in real surgery

2010-06-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Here is some video of a doctor in Japan using an iPad in a real surgery. Very cool. The surgeon from Kobe University actually had his staff hold the iPad displaying an image of the patient's internal organs as he operated and adjusted the image through a plastic covering (via DVice).

fake patient social media campaign

2010-06-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

ClickZ has written a very interesting article about Medseek, who created a fake e-patient complete with a Facebook page. Her persona was created to distinguish the firm from competitors in the eyes of hospital executives, its key clientele. A month later Medseek was getting panned on healthcare and pharma marketing blogs for failing to recognize that social media environments are places for real conversations among real people - not phony composite characters posting advertorial messages. They plan on introducing more fake e-patients and stand by their campaign. They feel that these fake e-patients represent a large number of real people and help to inform their potential customers (top-level hospital execs). What do you think?

bing maps highlights healthiest places to live

2010-06-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

Bing Health Maps has taken data from Health and Human Services and created a visual way to search the health of counties across the U.S. Using Community Health Indicators you can select health indicators such as Birth Indicators (low birth weight, premature births, births to women under 18, etc.); Death Measures (homicide, lung cancer, stroke, etc.) or Health Risk Factors (obesity, smokers, high blood pressure, etc.). Very clever. By the way, happy one year anniversary Bing.

social media and healthcare trends

2010-06-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

iHealthBeat has great article summarizing current and future trends in social media for the healthcare space. As we know, hospitals are are now very active in social media and patients have greatly increased their online activities, especially in forums and online communities. According to iHealthBeat, here are some current trends to watch for:

Managing a conversation
Engaging e-patients
Convergence with personal health records
Social media for providers

telehealth patients "experience" better care

2010-06-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

A recently concluded study conducted by CARME (Catalan Remote Management Evaluation) and reviewed by Hospital IT Europe has found that patients "experience" better care through telehealth. What is especially interesting is that this is the first time a telehealth system combining remote patient monitoring with motivational educational support tools has been researched, and the results demonstrate significant additional value and effectiveness for managing the health of chronically ill heart failure patients. Just more evidence regarding the effectiveness of telehealth.

scientific evidence for popular health supplements

2010-05-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

geolocation + healthcare pros and cons

2010-05-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

The Buzz Bin has written a great post about the potential pros and cons of combining geolocation and healthcare. They list customer relationship management, promoting wellness programs, social media leadership and integration with health resources as pros and privacy, limited hospital resources and hospitals being risk averse as cons. I think as hospitals are getting more and more comfortable using social media (they are rapidly adopting it) they will be coming less risk averse so we might see the con list start shrinking...

microsoft healthvault's peter neupert sounds off

2010-05-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Harvard Business Review has a great blog post written by Micorsoft HealtVault's Peter Neupert about the current state of healthcare. He argues that unlike almost ever other industry, the healthcare industry has not been innovative enough and is stuck. He says that [t]he regulations and mindsets governing health care have simply inhibited the kind of broad–scale innovation that's happened in other industries. We've been locked into the past with a fee–for –service model that's out of date. We need to reward and drive "value" based upon innovation to drive better health outcomes. Thoughts?

tech savvy e-patients are here

2010-05-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

HealthLeaders Media has a great article discussing e-Patients and how they are changing the face of healthcare. They are technologically savvy, information hungry, and [have] a sense of entitlement about the level of service and the types of services they want. They'll demand up-to-date, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-access information about the cost of care and billing, online appointment scheduling, the ability to e-mail their physicians, and hospital Web sites that have more information than can be found on Google maps. How ready are physicians and hospitals to deal with these types?

medical devices and social media

2010-05-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Pharma was first. Now medical device companies are noticing the success that they have had using social media and are ready to take the plunge. However, they have the same fears pharma did when it first started. Legal and regulatory, HIPPA laws and other hurdles stand in the way, but as pharma has proved, they are not insurmountable. This MedAdNews article does a great job of explaining how medical device companies should approach social media. And the key is starting small.

the first man-made synthetic cell

2010-05-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Researchers say they have created the world's first synthetic cell according to this New York Times article. Genome pioneer J. Craig Venter is on a quest to create synthetic life, by synthesizing an entire bacterial genome and using it to take over a cell. And it looks like he is getting there. Dr. Venter described the converted cell as “the first self-replicating species we’ve had on the planet whose parent is a computer.” Wow. There are sure to be many opinions about this!

healthcare apps for the ipad

2010-05-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Reed Smith has put together a great post highlighting 25 great healthcare applications for the iPad. These look to be useful for both healthcare professionals as well as patients. Thanks Reed!

scientists turn glucose into electricity

2010-05-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

The results of a study in France indicate that glucose can be harnessed to power electronic devices. This GreenBeat story is reporting that this breakthrough could have far-reaching implications for makers of medical devices ranging from pacemakers to artificial organs. This is the first time scientists have proven that they can create electricity from bodily fluids. Congrats!

healthcare information technology adoption on the rise

2010-05-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Looking at the results of this NaviNet survey, it seems like the ARRA is the primary driver for small physician practices to adopt new healthcare information technology in their offices. Overall, it looks like these size practices are moving in the right direction, whatever the reaseon.

healthcare infographic

2010-05-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a great infographic that illustrates some behind the scenes facts about the state of healthcare:

Via: Online Schools

are we really ready for dna information?

2010-05-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Image via http://www.bbruner.org/

Now that DNA tests are in the news, as we have seen in the past few days, the Wall Street Journal is asking the right questions. Are we really ready to be handed this information about ourselves? Can we even interpret it? Or is in not that big of a deal? Do we really still need doctor's to act as gatekeepers?

follow-up: fda to look into gene tests sold at walgreens

2010-05-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we posted about Pathway Genomics and their partnership with Walgreens to sell genetic tests in their stores. Well today comes the news that the FDA claims to have no record of approving the test. Uh-oh. You can read more about the story in this Reuters article.

genetic test to be sold at walgreens

2010-05-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

The New York Times is reporting that Pathway Genomics is going to announce a deal with Walgreens to sell their genetic tests in most of their 7,500 stores. Prices will range from $79 to $249 depending on how full of a test a customer orders. It was only a matter of time...

amazing healthcare and pharma social media resource

2010-05-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

Image via Brand Logic

Dose of Digital has done a wonderful job of compiling a social media wiki for pharma and healthcare companies in general. It is a great resource that is updated regularly. Bookmark it.

less physicians are meeting with pharma reps

2010-05-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Image via The Wall Street Journal

According to The Wall Street Journal, pharma reps are finding it more and more difficult to meet with physicians. As elluded to near the end of the article, what are some more creative ways of calling on physicians? Via the Web? Video conference?

state of the union: social media in healthcare

2010-05-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

iHealthBeat has done a great job of summarizing the state of social media in healthcare today. They outline the trends to watch as follows: managing a conversation, engaging e-patients, convergence with personal health records and social media providers. As more people realize the benefits of sharing their information, the real value in it, privacy will become less and less of an issue.

iphone heart rate monitor

2010-05-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

According to Mashable, a recent Apple patent application describes an “integrated sensor for detecting a user’s cardiac activity” embedded into an electronic device. It goes on to mention that based on this information it could identify the user, determine their mood, etc. What about for patients with cardiac issues? Could this information be sent to a remote monitoring service that could respond as necessary?

congrats dendreon

2010-05-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Seattle's biotech company Dendreon, as the FDA has approved its vaccine to treat cancer. It is the first vaccine approved to treat cancer, specifically prostate cancer in men. Read more about the story in this Reuters article.

twitter tips for health professionals

2010-05-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

In this post, twitip does a great job of outlining 7 tips for health professionals starting out in social media. She explains in further detail how each of the following can help you be more effective: confidentiality, respect, sharing, use of language, advice, engaging and aligning.

your life, quantified

2010-05-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Image via FastCompany

There is a new trend called lifeblogging where people quantify and share the details of their lives. The Quantified Self movement is a hyper self-reporting strategy that sheds light on our everyday habits by quantifying them, visualizing the results, and publishing them on the Web. The results are fascinating for those interested in the data. However, what is this new movement doing to privacy concerns? Are we shifting away from being overly private with our health information?

empowered patients

2010-04-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Microsoft HealthVault is profiled in this recent TechFlash article and things are looking good. Doctors are monitoring patients remotely. Consumers are empowered. Everybody is winning.

self-manage your health

2010-04-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

CureTogether is the beginning of something amazing. The concept is simple: CureTogether helps people anonymously track and compare health data, to better understand their bodies, make more informed treatment decisions and contribute data to research. What we are learning is people want to share their medical information (anonymously in this case) if it means learning more about their condition and connecting with others.

healthcare + geolocation

2010-04-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

There are many ways healthcare will be able to use geolocation. The possibilities are really endless. With the popularity of foursquare and other "check-in" services, there are a lot more people starting to use geolocation. This article by Sean Cowan does a nice job of explaining just some of the possibilites. What scenarios can you think of?

hospital social media success stories

2010-04-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

This article has great collection of hospital social media success stories. From Tweeting live surgery to recruiting doctors to soothing angry patients, hospitals are using social media for many reasons and have been very successful in adapting to this new trend. Well done.

more hospitals using ipads

2010-04-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

Accoding to Mashable, a California hospital district is providing 100 iPads to their staff to help with tasks such as email, X-rasy and EKG results. The device sychronizes with their desktop software and a lot cheaper than the alternative touch-screen tablets making the purchase a no-brainer.

inspiring tedmed talk about data

2010-04-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

PatientsLikeMe is an amazing repository of patient generated disease data from people with life-changing conditions. Below is the amazing and inspiring story of how and why the site was created by Ben and Jamie Heywood after their brother Stephen was diagnosed by ALS.

iphone apps for healthcare professionals

2010-04-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

iMedicalApps has put together a great list of the top ten iPhone medical apps for healthcare professionals. Whether you are a student, already a physician or working in the healthcare field, these apps will be of interest to you. Even people looking for good healthcare related information will find many of these apps useful.

online prescribing on the rise

2010-04-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Doctors are becoming more and more tech saavy. According to Surescripts, LLC, the number of e-prescriptions nearly tripled last year to 191 million from the previous year's 68 million, representing about 12% of the 1.63 billion original prescriptions, excluding refills. And that number is expected to continue to rise. What does this mean for the patient? For the pharmacist? Will this increase prescribing errors? Lots of questions still to be answered, but this trend is certainly here to stay.

tedx seattle recap

2010-04-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

So the TEDx Seattle event I had the honor to attend last week was a smashing success. The speakers topics ranged from doing good with chocolate, to the intrinsic value of show and tell, to how to understand and harness the potential of the mobile phone in third world countries. You can find detailed overviews of all of the presentations here.

attending tedx seattle today

2010-04-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Attending TEDx Seattle today. Very excited! Check out the details here.

jewish hospital and st. mary's healthcare iphone application

2010-04-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's Healthcare has created a great iPhone application. It allows you to find a physician, schedule an appointment, register for events, get current hospital news and more. This is a great example of a hospital going mobile. Here is the demo video:

news: announcing cymbal interactive

2010-04-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

As part of our mission to provide our clients with comprehensive, cutting-edge marketing services, White Space Healthcare Marketing is pleased to introduce the newest member of The Nucleus Group: Cymbal Interactive.

Cymbal Interactive helps healthcare companies strategically navigate interactive media and execute digital marketing campaigns with breakthrough results. Cymbal’s mission is to help move customers to “action through interaction” with a range of innovative digital solutions designed specifically for the healthcare marketer.

If you’re unsure about how digital can assist your marketing efforts, please read the Digital Strategy white paper and view an online presentation at www.cymbalinteractive.com/digitalstrategy.

We invite you to learn more about Cymbal Interactive and find digital solutions created specifically for you by visiting their Web site at http://www.cymbalinteractive.com/.

free health screenings coming soon

2010-04-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

According to this New York Times article, under the new law, more generous “wellness” benefits should eventually be available to almost all Americans with insurance.

hospital pilots ipad app

2010-04-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

A Florida hospital has wasted no time adopting the new iPad technology. It is currently piloting a program that uses interactive video on the iPad to help patients learn about procedures. You can read more about it here.

ipad + healthcare

2010-04-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

Very good insight in this article about the the potential uses for the iPad in healthcare. Agree that two places it could become relevant are patient education and at the bedside.

er wait times sent via text

2010-04-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

It is great to see more hospitals are embracing technology to keep patients informed. This article discusses the latest hospital in Florida to use text-messaging to let potential patients know about ER wait times. However, they emphasize that it is for information purposes only and that this information should not deter patients from seeking care.

social media + cause marketing

2010-04-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

This post has some good examples of how social media can be a great vehicle to help cause marketing efforts be more successful.

social media + crisis communication plan

2010-04-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Social media can be a slippery slope of healthcare companies with all of the regulatory and legal implications, but not having a crisis communication plan could lead to bigger problems that one might anticipate. This article does a good job of laying the foundation for such a plan and outlines the basics:

Set a listening strategy
Identify go-to people
Define response scenarios
Pre-approve responses

motivating diabetes patients

2010-04-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

The city of New York has launched a Web site with the hopes that is will make them more active and informed participants in their own care. The Diabetes Wellness Center features advice from clinicians, patient success stories, healthy eating and exercise tips and more. They have the right idea, let's hope they promote it properly. Check out the full article here.

how you will be affected by healthcare reform

2010-04-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

This interactive infographic created by The New York Times does fantastic job of explaining how different people will be affected by the healthcare reform in simple, easy to digest chunks of information.

a lesson in social media

2010-04-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Not sure I agree with the author of this article that Nestle handled this situation well. I think this is a good example of how not to engage the customer, or rather how to enrage the customer.

impact of healthcare reform

2010-04-07T14:38:00.001-07:00

According to The New York Times, healthcare reform could be a boon for hospitals and drug makers as approximately 30 million formerly uninsured enter the healthcare system as insured.

questioning the value of social media

2010-04-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

This Wall Street Journal article is a good read for anyone involved with social media. It looks at both sides of the social media argument, those that see the value and those that question whether it can really do anything for them.

the age of social networks

2010-04-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

According to the statistics, women rule and the middle-aged are social media's largest share holders. This post by Brian Solis contains some quality information regarding the demographics of those using social media.

mHealth: The future of health is mobile

2010-04-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Very insightful slide deck put together by Jay Bernhardt of the CDC called Mobile & Social Media Breakthroughs: H1N1 and Seasonal Flu.

doctors go digital

2010-04-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is a great story about a need and a solution. A smartphone application was created by a hospital around the need for physicians to be able to quickly contact their top referrers in just a few clicks.

cme + digital

2010-04-07T13:45:00.001-07:00

Here is another example of healthcare moving in the digital direction. It is predicted that by 2016, 50% of physician CMEs will be delivered online.

the future of wireless medicine

2010-04-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

In this TEDMED talk Ted Topol discusses the future of wireless medicine and according to him it is going to be big. Really big.

the digital divide and the ARRA

2010-04-07T13:23:00.001-07:00

The question on everyone's mind is, will the ARRA widen the already existent digital divide? Will rural health organizations be left behind since the cost of entry is too high? Or will the Regional Extension Centers that the ARRA creates do enough to help these hospitals attain meaningful use? This article does a good job exploring both sides of the argument.

healthcare innovation

2010-04-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

A great article in the Harvard Business Review regarding about 10 innovations that will transform medicine. Which one do you think is most important?

patient-centric EHR implementation

2010-04-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

According to this case study by Group Health, giving patients access to their EHR drives meaningful use of health IT. Patient-centric EHR use resulted in lower costs, higher quality, happier providers and satisfied patients.