How to Protect Patients from Identity Theft

How to Protect Patients from Identity Theft

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How to Protect Patients from Identity Theft

In today’s evolving world, many processes in healthcare have transferred from analog to digital. While this has increased the level of convenience that many healthcare workers, including physicians, nurses, and receptionists, experience, it has also brought with it a number of new challenges. One of the main problems that have come as a result of the digitalized healthcare system is the threat of cybercrime and, in particular, patient identity theft. 

How to Protect Patients from Identity Theft

While many healthcare institutions have some basic forms of cybersecurity measures, this isn’t always enough to safeguard patients from hackers with malevolent intentions. Having an understanding of some of the best ways to keep patient information private can make for a more enjoyable and trustworthy patient experience of the healthcare system. Here is how to protect patients from identity theft. 

Safeguarding Healthcare Institutions from Outside Theft

Today, there are a number of healthcare cybersecurity challenges that organizations are having to battle. One of the most worrisome of these cybersecurity challenges is that of hackers from outside of organizations hacking into their networks. In order to ensure that patient information is staying private, it’s essential that healthcare organizations set up a number of cybersecurity measures that are meant to protect one’s network from being vulnerable to blackhat hackers and other cybercriminals. 

Typically, hackers who attack healthcare institutions are doing so in the hopes of finding financial gain in the process. This can be in the form of a ransom being paid by an organization for the return of information or by utilizing patients’ private information to steal their identities. The first and most important line of defense for a medical institution is its IT and cybersecurity professionals. 

By having a staff of professionals with specialized cybersecurity knowledge, healthcare organizations will be able to respond to threats in real-time. This means that patient information has a better chance of being kept private when healthcare organizations have a skilled team of professionals actively working to protect the cybersecurity measures of an organization. 

Safeguarding Healthcare Institutions from Inside Theft

While many may have an image of nefarious hackers in different locations when they think of healthcare cyber threats, employees within healthcare organizations can pose just as serious of a threat to patient privacy. This is because employees of healthcare institutions have easy access to the private information of patients, making it an easy procedure for them to steal the identities of patients. 

Being that employees have an unprecedented amount of access to the private information of patients; healthcare organizations must be able to detect when patient information is accessed by employees. This way, organizations, and their IT and cybersecurity teams will be able to catch employees who are taking advantage of their access to patient information for nefarious purposes. 

Managing Human Error

Unfortunately, though healthcare workers typically do a great job and fulfilling their duties, human error can sometimes put patient privacy at risk. This happens when employees are frivolous and accidentally act unsafely on an organization’s network — potentially leaving a door open for hackers to exploit. 

Oftentimes, mistakes such as these come as a result of medical professionals being overworked, stressed, and burnt out. As such, it can be incredibly helpful and useful for healthcare organizations to implement strategies for managing nurse stress and physician stress in the workplace. This will mean that there’s less of a chance that human error will make patient information vulnerable. 

As such, ensuring that workers are well rested and not burnt out can be an effective way that healthcare organizations can help to ensure the safety and privacy of patient information. 

Updating Devices and Networks

Since the healthcare system used to be run on analog technology, the switch to digital processes is one that can be time-consuming and expensive. This being the case, many healthcare organizations sometimes opt to implement digital processes in the most cost-effective ways. Unfortunately, these cost-effective techniques can sometimes make their organizations and patient information more vulnerable to cyber criminals. 

By updating systems, devices, and networks, healthcare organizations have the opportunity to make private patient information more secure. Though it can cost more money, in the long run, healthcare organizations can save themselves an enormous amount of time and energy by updating systems to make them safer and more robust. 

Making Employees Aware of Common Forms of Cyberattacks

While higher-ups in healthcare organizations may be extremely familiar with the threat of cyberattacks, many employees within healthcare organizations may not be. This being the case, these employees could unintentionally do things that allow hackers the opportunity to gain access to an organization’s network. As such, organizations can benefit from ensuring that each and every employee is familiar with common forms of cyberattacks so as not to accidentally become susceptible to hackers with nefarious intentions. 

This can be achieved by having in-depth cybersecurity training sessions led by cybersecurity experts. Having cybersecurity professionals available can ensure that employees will be able to ask questions that they may have and gain a deeper understanding of good cybersecurity habits. This can allow healthcare organizations to ensure that employees aren’t compromising cybersecurity measures and are upkeeping the privacy of patient information. 

Keeping Patients Safe from Identity Theft

While cybercriminals have become savvier in recent decades and are becoming more of a threat to healthcare institutions, organizations can help improve the safety of private patient information by taking a few key steps. 

By putting in the time and effort, healthcare organizations can ensure that their networks are secure and they’re not making themselves vulnerable to hackers with the nefarious intention of stealing patient identities. Many healthcare providers also prevent medical identity theft by using biometric patient identification platforms like RightPatient. RightPatient uses patient photos to identify EHRs accurately. Patients only need to look at the camera to verify their identities – this is where fraudsters are red-flagged, preventing medical identity theft in real time.

How to Improve Patient Safety in Substance Use Disorders

How to Improve Patient Safety in Substance Use Disorders

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How to Improve Patient Safety in Substance Use Disorders

Every patient should receive the same standard of care, regardless of background or socioeconomic standing. Sometimes that means adjusting processes and protocols to ensure patients with specialized cases or disorders are kept safe and secure.

There’s still a lot of stigma around treating patients with substance use disorders and what that process looks like. Here are some actionable ways to improve patient safety when treating someone facing addiction.

How to Improve Patient Safety in Substance Use Disorders

Create a Referral Network

Building a strong referral network to consult with experts and refer out is a must when working with patients facing addiction. This effort should be standard practice in areas with high rates of substance abuse disorders. 

In New Jersey, for example, there were 98,628 substance abuse treatment admissions in 2019. This information was submitted by providers of Alcohol and Drug Rehab in NJ to the New Jersey Substance Abuse Monitoring System (NJSAMS), indicating that many more individuals didn’t receive the treatment they needed. 

Medical professionals from all practices should make connections to work with treatment centers and help redirect patients they suspect are struggling with substance abuse.

Educate About Medical Identity Theft

Substance abuse disorders and medical identity theft go hand-in-hand. In some instances, people facing addiction will use another person’s identity and insurance to secure access to substances in an emergency room setting. In others, stolen information will be sold to help support the addiction. 

The first step in preventing medical identity theft is building awareness so all staff members know about the issue, the risks involved, and the red flags to watch for. Then, implementing software and protocols to mitigate the risk of medical identity theft is integral. This means working with registration staff to collect personal identification and verify the information and implement IT solutions for support, such as touchless biometric patient identification platforms like RightPatient that have a track record of preventing medical identity theft in real-time.

Work to Reduce the Stigma

Many people with substance use disorders or suspected of having an addiction are treated poorly by practitioners. While being aware and cautious about drug-seeking behaviors is critical for security and safety, it’s also important not to be jaded or callous. Dehumanizing patients creates more barriers to seeking treatment, which could be life or death.

Research shows that substance abuse disorder training in a healthcare setting can help adjust beliefs and behaviors surrounding patient treatment. Teaching staff to use patient-centric and recovery-centric language can help further reduce bias and stigma when treating patients.

There’s also a lot of controversy in the medical field about medically assisted treatment (MAT) for people with opioid addictions. This issue persists despite the favorable peer-reviewed research that shows a diminished risk of relapse and overdose death when MAT is used. 

Consider making a Reducing Stigma Education Tools (ReSET) training program a part of the onboarding process when hiring new staff. These training programs are designed for healthcare professionals and use examples of real humans facing substance abuse disorders to discuss what they’ve faced and how healthcare providers can improve their safety and quality of care.

Put Security Measures in Place

 Putting physical security measures in place is also important for protecting patients with substance abuse disorders. Ensuring medicines are locked with controlled access, individualized passwords, and security professionals monitoring secured areas is a must. 

Documentation is another essential part of patient safety and security in preventing drug diversion. There should be clear documentation and procedures surrounding diagnostics and treatment delivery, as well as rigorous standards for recordkeeping. Limited access to controlled substances is essential. Those with clearance should be responsible for inventory updates and cross-referencing patient records to identify if there are any issues.

There should also be clear protocols in prescribing controlled substances with limited access to ordering software. 

Engage in Trauma-informed Care Practices

Many substance users turned to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism for something in their lives. There’s a strong correlation between substance abuse and trauma. Children who have experienced abuse or exposure to traumatic events are more likely to develop a substance use disorder. Similarly, people are more likely to experience trauma while actively using. This occurrence is prevalent among women with substance use disorders, who are more likely to experience sexual violence.

Protecting patient safety means avoiding re-traumatization during care. This practice can look different for each patient. Ensuring you have support options available for those who need it during treatment is essential. For example, a domestic violence victim may feel more comfortable with a female doctor. Additionally, some patients may need detailed explanations of what procedures you’re considering and why so they can give (or deny) informed consent.

Training in trauma-informed care and empowering patients helps minimize the risk of triggering events that could lead to further substance abuse. A trip to a healthcare professional should never do more harm than good.

Perform Internal Audits

The best way to evaluate whether a system is working or not is to try and break it. Performing internal audits and tests is an effective way to identify gaps and make adjustments to improve patient safety before someone is harmed. 

Organizing and conducting an internal audit is complex and time-consuming. It starts with having clear goals and metrics to evaluate, then outlining review protocols for capturing data. It’s also important to clarify patient population demographics and the sample size you’ll be reviewing. 

One audit is never enough; reauditing is how you create measurable data. Use this data to reshape your protocols, access controls, and training priorities to ensure a better quality of care. 

Patients with substance use disorders are humans with medical problems. Ensure your treatment of a physical ailment or illness doesn’t exacerbate or trigger their mental health or addiction.

5 Ways to Improve the Patient Experience

5 Ways to Improve the Patient Experience

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5 Ways to Improve the Patient Experience

Very few Americans report being pleased with the healthcare system. Granted, this isn’t the same thing as saying that they are being given poor care. The United States may not top the charts with healthcare outcomes but it does consistently enjoy high-quality technology and medicine, such as touchless patient identification platforms like RightPatient. 

Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement and small adjustments can make a big difference, both in terms of patient outcomes, and general satisfaction. In this article, we take a look at five relatively simple ways you can improve the patient experience. 

5 Ways to Improve the Patient Experience

Be Attentive

Most lay people would be astounded by how much traffic even a typical doctor’s office gets each day. Dozens of patients filter in and are often afforded mere minutes with their care providers. The sheer number of people coming through creates an obvious need for speed. 

While it is important to keep things moving along, don’t allow the need for efficiency to come at the cost of the patient experience and engagement. Be attentive, and handle questions with patience. 

Trendy electronic health services like apps and other remote communication technologies are serving to alleviate some of the pressure on the healthcare system. With some patients electing to handle their questions remotely, it becomes easier to give people physically in the office a little more time and attention. 

Keep Things Realistic

No matter the situation, it’s important to give patients a very clear understanding of where they are at with their health. Sometimes this will mean being blunt. If a patient is overweight, they should leave the office understanding how this puts their overall health and well-being at risk. 

Often, this means having unpleasant, or uncomfortable conversations with patients. That’s ok. The healthcare system does not exist to make people feel good about themselves. It’s there to help patients achieve the best health possible. That can’t happen unless they have a clear, unfiltered understanding of where they are at, and what needs to improve. 

Explain in Detail

It’s also important to keep in mind that patients may know little to nothing, even about things that seem standard to you as a healthcare provider. A recent study revealed that almost 80% of adults with high blood pressure aren’t monitoring the condition regularly, with many not even knowing how. 

For a significant portion of the population, annual doctor visits may be the only time they examine their health in detail. The more information you can give them, the better off they will be.

Keep in mind that just because a patient hasn’t asked a question, that doesn’t necessarily mean they understand what you are saying. The patient may not even know that they should ask a question. Anytime you learn something important about a patient’s health, make sure they leave the office with a very clear understanding of what it means, and how they should be handling it. While you can’t control how they handle their health outside of the office, you can give them all the tools they need to make the right choices. 

Take and Implement Feedback

The healthcare industry isn’t exactly known for its customer service. This makes sense to an extent. Health is an important, serious consideration. Niceties seem unnecessary, even obstructive. 

While you don’t have to treat the hospital system like Amazon customer service, you should consider, and in certain cases, implement patient feedback. This doesn’t mean bending over backward to accommodate patient requests.

Many common complaints — long wait times perhaps topping the chart — are born primarily out of a lack of understanding by the patient. 

Still, you can learn important things about the patient experience by listening to what they say with an open mind. 

Provide Multiple Customer Service Channels

It’s no secret that interacting with the healthcare system can be a difficult and unproductive process. Hospitals aren’t fully to blame. They are short-staffed, and often overwhelmed by the number of people requiring their service. Sometimes, this doesn’t leave very much time to answer the phones. 

Implementing multiple channels of patient communication alleviates the stress on the system and makes it easier for patients and hospital staff alike to go over the information. 

Digital forms of communication, such as healthcare applications, make it easy for patients to ask questions that aren’t particularly urgent. Am I allowed to eat before this appointment? Is it ok if I bring my children with me to the waiting room? Etc.

When hospital staff doesn’t have to constantly field relatively minor concerns, it gives the phone operators more time to deal with serious questions. 

Naturally, not everyone will want to use apps for their healthcare communication. However, by making it an option, you improve the overall experience for everyone and make it easier to communicate quickly with patients. 

Why Seniors Are Targets for Medical Identity Theft

Why Seniors Are Targets for Medical Identity Theft

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Why Seniors Are Targets for Medical Identity Theft

No one likes to think about their sweet and caring grandfather being the target of identity theft. Unfortunately, criminals often cherry-pick the elderly as unwilling accomplices for their crimes. Medical identity theft, which is on the rise, is frequently the tool criminals use to commit fraud and theft using the names and personal information of the elderly.

So, why are older people so vulnerable to the threat of medical identity theft? There are many reasons criminals prefer to target seniors in their attempts to scam people and profit off of the identity of others. Here’s what you need to know to keep yourself or your loved ones safe.

Why Seniors Are Targets for Medical Identity Theft

What Is Medical Identity Theft?

Everyone knows what identity theft is — someone steals your personal information and pretends to be you for a specific purpose, such as using your credit card or opening an account in your name. Medical identity theft is a specific kind of identity theft that involves insurance fraud for financial gain.

To commit medical identity theft, a criminal begins by accessing someone’s personal medical information. If they have access to that person’s name, social security number, and other important details, they can use it to bill insurance companies for procedures that the person did not receive. Even caregivers and family members of seniors who can no longer care for themselves full-time have been known to commit medical identity theft.

Medical identity theft can be hard to prevent. Data breaches are common in the healthcare industry and most people have had their information exposed. It’s a very profitable form of identity theft fraud due to the difficulty of catching criminals and the high costs billed to insurance companies.

Seniors Often Have Chronic Health Issues

One reason seniors are frequent targets for medical identity theft is that they often have chronic health issues. This makes it relatively easy to bill for treatments and procedures that never actually happened. It’s more believable for a senior to have ongoing health issues that require treatment than it is for a person who is young and healthy.

Older People Can Be Less Tech-Savvy

Another problem that tends to make seniors disproportionally targeted for medical identity theft is that older people are frequently less tech-savvy than younger generations. A senior might not know how to protect their privacy online and they might not monitor their healthcare billing regularly, since that could involve accessing an online portal.

There are, of course, seniors who have embraced technology and know how to use it well. However, that doesn’t always protect them from medical identity theft. If their data was exposed during a breach at a major health organization, it could be used for fraud purposes.

While there are major benefits to digital health storage, such as the availability of biostatistics to boost public health initiatives, electronic records also open people up to the theft of their sensitive health information. It’s important to help seniors protect their information if they don’t know how to follow best practices themselves.

The Elderly Are Often More Trusting

Although people do gain wisdom as they get older, some people also become more trusting. They might provide their personal information to someone without realizing the risks of doing so. Unfortunately, that often leads to unscrupulous people targeting and taking advantage of aging people who are excited to create new social bonds with people they believe to be friends.

They Want to Maintain Their Independence and Can’t Risk Speaking Up

When seniors discover that they have been victims of medical identity theft and other scams, they are often embarrassed or worried about what will happen if they speak up. If the perpetrator is a relative, they might not want to get that person in trouble with the law. This makes it harder to catch people who commit medical fraud.

Or, they might be worried that their relatives will worry about their ability to care for themselves and insist on moving them to an assisted living facility. Most seniors who still live independently don’t want to give that freedom up.

Ways Seniors Can Help Prevent Medical Identity Theft

It’s not always possible to prevent medical identity theft, but there are steps seniors and their loved ones can take to reduce the chances of becoming a target. These include:

  • Securing important documents in a safe or similar location 
  • Shredding documents containing personal information (including prescription labels) when they are no longer needed 
  • Being skeptical of phone calls, emails, and texts that ask for insurance information
  • Monitoring healthcare billing notices for fake charges
  • Be careful about clicking on links, especially those sent in emails
  • Know the laws surrounding patient data

Sadly, family members cannot always be trusted. Many people steal from elderly family members. Seniors need to be extremely careful about who they trust with their personal information and decision-making power. By taking these simple steps, older adults can reduce the chances that they will become victims of medical identity theft.

Moreover, healthcare providers also are proactively combating medical identity theft using various tools – one of which is RightPatient, a touchless biometric patient identification platform. During the registration process, patients only need to look at the camera – the platform attaches photos to the appropriate medical records. Whenever a registered patient returns for a visit, the platform matches the live photo with the saved one, effectively preventing medical identity theft. If a fraudster comes in and tries to impersonate the patient, RightPatient will red-flag the individual in real-time. 

Tips for Maintaining Patient Health and Well-Being with Tech

Tips for Maintaining Patient Health and Well-Being with Tech

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Tips for Maintaining Patient Health and Well-Being with Tech

Technological advances are creating seismic changes in virtually every industry, and healthcare is no exception. Providing effective patient care can present a number of significant challenges that have historically plagued the healthcare system at large.

These issues have incurred severe costs over time in the form of wasted resources, care failures, and even lives in many cases.

Tips for Maintaining Patient Health and Well-Being with Tech

Applying technology to solving these problems can fundamentally change the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare system. One area of healthcare that is experiencing particular innovation is that of patient health and well-being. Thanks to technological trends and advances over the past five years, our capabilities in this area have skyrocketed.

In this article, we’ll explore the top areas where tech is revolutionizing patient care.

Why Maintaining Patient Health and Well-Being is Vital

It could be argued that maintaining patient health and well-being is the single fundamental purpose of the healthcare system at large. However, there are several practical and operational ways of understanding this concept that help distinguish patient health and well-being from other systems within healthcare. Maintaining effective protocols for ensuring patient health and well-being is important in a few ways.

Patient health and well-being directly contribute not only to patient outcomes (e.g. the ultimate effectiveness of the treatment or care they receive) but to the patient’s experience and perception of the care they receive. Ultimately, not only the individual patients but healthcare providers, friends and family, and other stakeholders all benefit from favorable patient experiences.

Mitigating lawsuits, decreasing workplace stress for medical professionals, and increasing long-term engagement with healthcare are just some of the advantages the healthcare system can experience when it prioritizes patient health and well-being during the care process.

Top Technological Solutions Raising the Bar for Patient Health and Well-Being

Technology can be used to increase the average level of patient health and well-being in several ways. Here are a few of the top strategies for approaching this goal (though this is not an exhaustive list):

Leveraging the Power of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Patient Identification Tools

Having systems in place to better maintain and access patient records while providing care can create a number of benefits for both patients and medical professionals. Having a patient’s health history and profile information immediately available while providing care can help medical personnel avoid making costly mistakes or misdiagnoses.

A touchless patient identification platform like RightPatient helps prevent patient safety issues, misdiagnoses, and duplicate medical records. RightPatient utilizes biometrics to identify patient records accurately each time patients come in for visits (both physical and telehealth), preventing mix-ups, duplicate EHRs, and more.

It can also save time by mitigating redundant tests or procedures. This can improve patient outcomes and can also improve their experiences while receiving care.

Implementing Biotech Tools for Better Monitoring and Data Capture

The prevalence, quality, and availability of consumer-accessible biotech and medical monitoring tools have reached unprecedented levels. This makes self-monitoring and new approaches to instituting care possible that utilize more sustained, accurate, or multifaceted data.

Tools for tracking blood pressure, heart rate, stress levels, sleep quality, blood samples, and more can be used by patients at home and in their daily lives. The resulting insights can much improve diagnosis as well as the treatment plan development process.

Utilizing Highly Viable Telehealth Options

Telehealth capabilities have also experienced rapid improvements and scaling over the past 3-5 years. This was partly propelled by necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The quality of telehealth services has made telehealth care an accessible, understandable, and preferred option for many patients across the country.

While telehealth won’t completely replace in-person healthcare provision (at least for the foreseeable future), it provides a helpful option for many patients and healthcare entities that can make certain types of healthcare provision much more efficient and convenient for both patients and care professionals.

Telehealth will likely be implemented in increasing measures, both to complement and replace certain types of in-person care, as the healthcare system continues to evolve.

Increasing Medical Professionals’ Access to Databases and Resources

The internet and its organization of information into accessible, centralized places have changed the way medical professionals can access medical knowledge. This can change the process of healthcare provision as well as increase its quality.

Doctors can use a medical prescription database on their phones to check instantly for drug incompatibilities or allergy dangers when writing prescriptions. Nurses can pull up the latest research from a medical database to answer a patient’s questions on the spot. Medical journals can be instantly cross-referenced to provide helpful insights when diagnosing a difficult case.

The wealth and accessibility of medical information and data have fundamentally changed the game for the healthcare process.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics into Surgeries and Diagnoses

Emergent technologies are increasingly making a place for themselves in healthcare provision. Already, AI-capable software is being used to analyze large amounts of data for trends and insights. It can also be used to detect subtle nuances in test results and scans that are indiscernible to the human eye to help diagnose health conditions.

Robotic technology is being utilized in surgeries that require more precision or smaller movements than a human surgeon can perform. These technologies are rapidly expanding and iterating. Though many are still in the early stages of development and adoption, their use will continue to increase because of the clear benefits they present.

Tech Trends Continue for Patient Health and Well-Being

These technological trends and more will continue to develop and will be increasingly implemented to improve patient health and well-being in the coming years. Other technologies that are currently in embryonic or experimental stages will continue to emerge as well that will continue to shift the way tech is applied to healthcare.

It’s important to stay on top of technological solutions that are available now, as well as keep an eye on the technological horizons for significant developments that are sure to come.

6 Key Advantages Of Custom Software For Health Facilities

6 Key Advantages Of Custom Software For Health Facilities

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6 Key Advantages Of Custom Software For Health Facilities

Health facilities are looking for ways to optimize their operations and improve patient care as the healthcare industry becomes increasingly complex. If you’re one of these facilities, you might need to use cutting-edge technology to your advantage—and customized software is one way to do that.

6 Key Advantages Of Custom Software For Health Facilities

Custom software is designed to meet the specific needs of a healthcare facility rather than being a one-size-fits-all solution. So how does this innovative technology help healthcare facilities? Let’s take a look at some key advantages:

Improve Patient Data Management

It’s no secret that patient data management is critical in healthcare. From patient records and medical history to billing information, you’ll need to keep track of a lot of data. Custom software can help you manage this data more effectively, so you can spend less time sifting through paperwork and more time providing quality patient care.

You can find healthcare software development services that can create a system tailored to your needs. Whether you need an electronic medical records system or a patient portal, these tech professionals can develop a solution to make it easier for you to store, access, and update patient data. As a result, you’ll be able to deliver excellent patient satisfaction without worrying about losing important details.

Automate Admin Tasks

Managing a healthcare facility is no easy feat. Many administrative tasks must be taken care of, such as scheduling appointments, handling insurance information, and billing patients. These tasks can be tedious and time-consuming, but they’re necessary to keep the facility running smoothly.

Custom software can automate some of these admin tasks. For example, you can utilize an appointment scheduling system to automatically schedule appointments and send reminders to patients. A billing feature can help streamline the invoicing and payment process. This approach can free up your staff’s time to focus on more important tasks, such as providing quality patient care.

Enhance Communication and Collaboration

In a healthcare setting, effective communication is key. It’s an industry where time is of the essence, and every second counts. That’s why it’s crucial to have a system that allows you to quickly and conveniently communicate with your team.

Custom software can help you enhance communication and collaboration within your facility. For instance, you can use a secure messaging system to share sensitive patient information without risking any data breaches. You might also want to utilize a video conferencing system to hold virtual meetings with your team. Whatever your needs, there’s a custom communication solution provider that can help you interact with your team efficiently.

Better Inventory Management

Healthcare facilities must deal with many inventories, from medical supplies to medications. It can be challenging to keep track of everything, even more so when you’re running low on supplies.

Custom software can be your best solution for inventory management. You can integrate a barcoding system to scan and track items as they come in and out of your facility in real-time. And since it’s customized, you can also include features specific to your needs, such as setting up low-stock alerts. It allows you to monitor what you have in stock at all times to avoid any disruptions in your facility’s operations. And more importantly, this system can manage your inventory more accurately, so you don’t have to worry about human error.

Increased Security

Security is always a top concern in the healthcare industry. With all the sensitive patient data floating around, it’s critical to have a robust security system in place to protect against potential threats.

Custom software can help you increase security within your facility. For example, you can set up access control features that restrict certain facility areas to authorized personnel only. You can also utilize data encryption to protect patient information from being hacked. This will give you peace of mind knowing that your facility has the latest security features to keep all the data safe and secure.

Scalable And Flexible

Healthcare facilities are constantly growing and evolving. As your facility grows, so does the need for new features and functionality. In other words, you’ll need a software solution that can grow with you and meet your unique preferences.

Custom software is highly scalable and flexible, which can easily accommodate your expanding needs. You can add or remove software features and functionalities without requiring a major overhaul. And since it’s tailor-made for your healthcare facility, you won’t have to worry about compatibility issues as everything will be designed to work together seamlessly.

Conclusion

No doubt, custom software can be a game-changer for healthcare facilities. By utilizing the right solution, you can improve the overall operations while providing better patient care. And with all the benefits that custom software has to offer, it might be time to evaluate whether this technology is the right fit for your healthcare facility. If it is, make sure to work with a reputable software development company that understands your specific needs.

How Mobile Health Tech Fuels Data-Driven Health Companies

How Mobile Health Tech Fuels Data-Driven Health Companies

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How Mobile Health Tech Fuels Data-Driven Health Companies

Mobile healthcare technology provides enormous quantities of data. This information is being used all across the country to not only improve patient outcomes at the individual level but also to identify and interpret trends that are taking place at the societal level. 

It’s more than just a trend. It’s a new way of providing patient care. 

How Mobile Health Tech Fuels Data-Driven Health Companies

In this article, we take a look at how mobile health tech fuels data-driven health companies, and improves the outcomes for the communities that they serve. 

What is Mobile Health Tech?

Mobile health tech includes data-taking technologies like cell phones and wearable health devices. These items range from the very common (like Fitbits and other step trackers) to the more specialized.

For example, modern pacemakers fall into the category of IoT-driven wearable health technology because they allow patients and their physicians to monitor the wearer’s heartbeat and get up to the second updates on their status. 

Other wearables include glucose monitors or devices that check blood pressure. These devices have proliferated over the last decade thanks both to the increased demand for the technology—IoT-powered devices grow by the billions each year—and their relative accessibility. 

The devices are affordable, particularly when insurance companies help, and they can serve as a high-quality supplement for preventative care. 

Naturally, they are also great for taking data. 

Identifying Trends

The study of data is really nothing more than the recognition and analysis of patterns. No matter the field, data technicians are always trying to find repetitions and interpret what they mean. In healthcare this is particularly important, allowing physicians the opportunity to better understand the needs of the community that they are serving. 

For example, data is what allowed scientists to quickly understand that Covid-19 posed a most significant threat to older people or those with preexisting conditions. 

In the case of wearable health technology, it can detect patterns of heart disease or other issues that often occur in large numbers across a community. 

This allows physicians to identify factors that might be causing the large occurrences of disease, and help control them.

For health companies, this may mean bringing a new product to market or tweaking the features of an existing product to serve its user’s needs better. 

For the individuals within the community, it may alert them to problems they didn’t even know existed. 

More Personalized Care

Without personalized data, the healthcare system relies primarily on generalities. For example, when a 28-year-old white male weighing 150 lbs walks into a doctor’s office, he may be informed that he is in good health and that he should keep up with his healthy diet and exercise. 

If that same person has been using wearable health technology, however, the recommendations could change. The doctor could notice that the patient has heart palpitations, or that they, in fact, don’t exercise very much. 

Not only can this help catch problems early, but it also empowers doctors to provide significantly more impactful preventative care. 

Sharing Information

Data-driven healthcare environments also make it much easier to share information between doctors and even hospitals. Whereas once hard copies had to be passed from location to location, data can be shared through a link, giving whoever needs it a detailed report in seconds rather than hours or days. 

Not only does this help the entire healthcare system move more fluidly but it also improves patient outcomes by helping people get the care they need quickly. 

Maintaining a Data-Driven Culture

Just because the technology is available does not necessarily mean that every healthcare system in the country is using it to its full effect. Data integration, like any technological adoption, requires a lot of hard work, often from people who are already working hard enough as it is. 

For data integration to happen in the healthcare system it needs to start from the top down. This means that hospital administrators and higher-ups need to prioritize it for themselves, and for the doctors and nurses that use the technology regularly. 

It’s worth noting that periods of technological adjustment often lead to high rates of turnover. Employees feel frustrated that they are being given additional responsibilities without additional compensation, and they look for employment elsewhere. 

High turnover rates can be avoided by:

  • Give your staff ample time. Technological adaptions can take months to begin to work. Be patient, and provide your staff with as much time as they need to understand their new responsibilities.
  • Provide them with the resources they need. This could include specialized training or even updates to your tech stack that accommodate the feedback you are receiving from your staff. It can expensive to accommodate employee requests but it is usually cheaper than turnover. 
  • Be receptive to feedback. The “my way or the highway” routine is a lonely route to take. Listen to what your employees are saying and try your best to respond to their feedback. 
4 Benefits Of Keeping Electronic Health Records

4 Benefits Of Keeping Electronic Health Records

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4 Benefits Of Keeping Electronic Health Records

Keeping electronic health records can ensure timely and accurate exchange of vital information between providers. It can also enhance patient care through 24/7 access to a complete record. It also allows greater continuity of care by allowing access to patient records and lower error rates compared to paper-based systems.

What Are EHRS?

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are digital records of a patient’s health information. This includes their medical results and notes. EHRs are used to manage and track the medical history of patients electronically. This can be done by uploading a patient’s file to a server, where it is accessible by doctors who want to access the information they need. Most reputable doctors, including concierge MD Erin Reese, swear by this system.

4 Benefits Of Keeping Electronic Health Records

Benefits of Maintaining Electronic Health Records

Minimal Errors

Keeping electronic health records can help you avoid errors in patient care and save time by digitizing your records. When you use electronic health records, you can see all your patient’s health information in one place. This means you will not have to search through paper files or go back and forth between different locations to get all their information. In addition, these systems allow for faster communication between providers and patients. This is because they can electronically send information back and forth.

Better Access

Many doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals say that electronic health records (EHR) offer better access to patient information. This can be important for patients who find it difficult to get in touch with their doctor or cannot visit their primary care physician.

When EHRs are used properly, they allow medical professionals to keep track of a patient’s history. They can even watch any changes in their condition. This can help them make better decisions about treatment options for each patient.

Simplified Billing

Keeping your electronic health records up-to-date is important for several reasons. You may not have thought of the benefit it provides to your medical practice’s billing department.

As you know, keeping your EHRs up-to-date allows you to make sure that each patient has an accurate record. This can be especially important for patients who have recently moved and changed insurance plans. These patients will need their files transferred over to their new providers. You will also find that it makes it easier to provide services to your patients and bill their insurance companies.

In addition, by keeping your records up-to-date, you will find out which patients need follow-ups. You can also check who has upcoming appointments scheduled with other doctors.

Better Patient Medical History Record

Keeping electronic health records may seem like a hassle, but there are many benefits to it. One of the biggest is making your patient’s medical history much easier to keep track of.

When dealing with paper records, it’s easy to lose track of what has been done with them and where they are. With an electronic record system, though, you’ll always know where your files are. You can even set up alerts so that you’ll be notified of any changes that have been made or if new documents need your attention.

This can help prevent mistakes during treatment and ensure that the most up-to-date information is always available for doctors who are treating your patients.

However, many healthcare providers are using touchless patient identification platforms like RightPatient to ensure patient data integrity and reduce patient mix-ups. Not only does it help ensure that accurate data is being fed to EHRs but it also ensures patient safety as patients receive the appropriate treatment required. 

Conclusion

In the end, it is electronic health records that can benefit patients and doctors alike. Without them, there could be inevitable delays in care. We hope this has provided some insight into what electronic health records are and how it works to benefit all parties involved.

How-Advanced-Practice-Nursing-Impacts-Patient-Care

How Advanced Practice Nursing Impacts Patient Care

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How-Advanced-Practice-Nursing-Impacts-Patient-Care

Nursing is no longer limited to merely a supporting role in healthcare. Nurses can chart a career path in many specialties and at different seniority levels. As a result, more nurses are completing advanced nursing degrees, such as a master’s or doctor of nursing practice (DNP).

How-Advanced-Practice-Nursing-Impacts-Patient-Care

This increase in advanced practice nursing benefits the sector in many ways. Here’s how advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) impact patient care.

Nurse practitioners can act independently

As nurses progress up the education ladder, they gain more skills. Nurse practitioners (you reach NP status when you have a master’s or doctor’s degree) can act with more autonomy than registered nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree. 

The scope of responsibilities differs from state to state. In states where nurses have full practice authority, they can:

  • conduct physical examinations
  • order diagnostic tests
  • make certain diagnoses
  • put together treatment plans
  • manage chronic conditions
  • prescribe certain medication

In reduced practice states, nurse practitioners can order tests and diagnose but may require physician oversight to prescribe medication. In restricted practice states, nurse practitioners must perform all tasks under physician supervision or with physician collaboration. 

They can provide greater support in emergency care

Emergency and critical care facilities are often under strain during times when there is an influx of patients. Because nurse practitioners have advanced medical training, they would be able to treat patients at low to mid triage levels, allowing doctors to focus on more urgent and life-threatening cases. 

They can fill the gap in the shortage of healthcare workers

Globally, the healthcare sector is facing a skills shortage crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there will be a shortage of 18 million healthcare workers by 2030 and an additional 9 million nurses and midwives will be needed to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3. 

Additionally, the Association of American Medical Colleges expects a shortage ranging between 46,900 and 121,900 physicians come 2032.

These stats are alarming and to make matters worse, many healthcare workers quit the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic or are planning to leave soon. Thus, there will be an urgent need for healthcare workers with advanced skills in the future. 

Nurses who complete a master’s or doctor’s in nursing practice program today can step into this vacuum so that patient care isn’t compromised in the future. 

They can open their independent nursing practice

In full-practice states, nurses can operate their independent nursing practice without physician oversight. This offers patients an alternative to seeing a doctor for preventive healthcare, to treat minor health issues, and manage chronic conditions. It also alleviates the caseload for physicians who are stretched to capacity. 

Nurse practitioners must meet the following educational and licensure requirements:

  • Have completed an advanced nursing degree program, such as a doctor of nursing practice program. 
  • Passed a national certification exam with a recognized certification board, such as the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 
  • Have a valid state license. 

To continue practicing, most states require that nurses renew their certification every five years and their license every 2 years. 

They can specialize

Nurses, just like doctors, have the option to specialize. Nurses who complete an accredited doctor of nursing online program can choose a concentration in pediatrics, adult-gerontology, midwifery, and mental health, to name a few. 

Nurses who specialize can act as a second set of eyes to the physician. Their focused training means they could spot changes in a patient’s physical or mental health or catch early symptoms that a doctor may have missed. 

They can influence policy

Nurse practitioners who wish to move into leadership roles in healthcare can complete a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree or a Ph.D. 

A DNP is more clinically focused while a Ph.D. is more research-focused. Both will allow a nurse to rise to a more prominent role, one in which they can influence policy, advocate for improvements in patient care, and champion patient safety rights. 

They can shape future nurses

Nurse educators are in big demand and are likely to become more sought after to help train a new generation of nurses. Training isn’t limited to clinical practice but also to new technology, techniques, global healthcare trends, and the policy environment. 

The healthcare industry is changing and so are patients’ expectations. Nurses will need an understanding of concepts such as health tech, telemedicine, data analytics, artificial intelligence, integrative medicine, and personalized medicine. 

In conclusion

A career in nursing no longer needs to follow one linear path. With the right training, there are hundreds of nursing specialties to pursue. Advanced practice registered nurses are at the forefront of serving the patients who require specialized care. 

How-Telehealth-Is-Helping-Seniors-After-The-Pandemic

How Telehealth Is Helping Seniors After The Pandemic

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How-Telehealth-Is-Helping-Seniors-After-The-Pandemic

Telehealth is a far more flexible healthcare delivery service compared to traditional means and has been around for ages. However, it took an upward trajectory quickly during the pandemic, and little is known about how it is helping seniors after the pandemic.

Learn more about how telehealth is benefiting seniors and their families post-COVID.

How-Telehealth-Is-Helping-Seniors-After-The-Pandemic

6 Benefits Of Telehealth To Seniors

Telehealth allows seniors to consult with their doctors remotely using either live video, instant messaging, or audio via telemedicine apps. Let’s go over the benefits. 

Reduced hospital visits, hence saving time

Placing a loved one in a nursing home is costly for most families. They are therefore left with no choice but to move in with their loved ones to care for them. With responsibilities of their own like caring for their children and holding down a career, shuttling their loved ones to and from the hospital every so often can be a tall order. 

Telehealth, in this case, helps reduce the number of hospital visits to save time for their caregivers as well as reduce the strain on seniors of having to commute every so often.

Improved overall patient care

Senior patients tend to have a myriad of medical conditions that require them to visit different specialists constantly. This can become quite a burden to many aging patients, particularly those residing in the rural areas where access to healthcare is a challenge. 

With telehealth, these patients can get proper healthcare attention right from the comfort of their homes. This improves their general health, enabling them to live longer and improve their quality.

Less Exposure to Germs

Telehealth helps to minimize germ exposure to senior patients with compromised immune systems, therefore, eliminating more risky situations because the ‘hospital visit’ is done remotely.  

Real-Time Monitoring

With remote monitoring, seniors can get real-time updates on their health statuses. This is unlike when they have to anxiously wait for days before going back to the hospital to get their test results. Also, physicians are able to get real-time reports and similarly,  give feedback almost instantly.

Fewer emergency Situations

It is reported that more than 50% of seniors delay seeking medical care because they feel it is strenuous and too time-consuming to go to the hospital. 

Giving them a chance to still get medical care without leaving their house will significantly reduce this number. Most importantly, it will help lower the number of emergency situations because they are able to be attended to before their conditions escalate.

Reduced costs

Using technology to deliver healthcare to seniors has helped significantly reduce travel-related costs. 

How Can Seniors Use Telehealth?

Well, there are many ways that seniors and their caregivers can take advantage of telehealth. 

For palliative care, caregivers can use telehealth to update the progress of their loved ones to their healthcare providers, as well as seek advice and feedback on how best to care for their loved ones.

Telehealth can also be used in managing chronic illnesses and transitional care for conditions like heart failure. It can also be used for primary care for seniors who are unable or have difficulty moving out of the home. 

Doctors can dispense medication, give progress reports, offer dietary information, and even provide consultation services to senior patients via telehealth systems.

On the other hand, seniors can record and send measurements like their weight, blood pressure, heart rate, sugar levels, and food intake. They can also check their test results, schedule an appointment, and request their prescription refills as well as share their diagnoses and drug allergies.

While telehealth has been more than helpful to seniors even after the pandemic, it hasn’t been without challenges. One of the biggest challenges for seniors has been the ability to navigate technology to use the various telehealth systems properly. Even though only a small percentage have embraced telehealth, the good news is that many more are willing to try it out.

That said, we encourage that you still consider in-visits when necessary, particularly when you feel all is not well. 

Of course, you can use telehealth for regular checkups and even take the initiative to learn how to maintain your wheelchairs and other assistive aids to minimize your visits to the doctor.