More doctors are using e-prescribing

According to the information gathered by Surescripts’ annual audit of electronic prescribing, more and more doctors are using e-prescribing. This is a big increase from what it was 3 years ago. This is great news for us pharmacists because this will eliminate errors due to poor handwriting. For now, Florida is not one of the top 10 states that utilizes this system but hopefully as new and young physicians enter the work force, e-prescribing will be the dominant way of writing prescriptions.

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=BF47DE89B11F4236923EDE6AEA2B31BB

social media, good and bad.

I found an article that talks about social media and how it can be beneficial and detrimental to patients with certain disease states. We all know that the web is full of information, however, not all information is good. The basis of this article is that the American College of Gastroenterology conducted 2 studies regarding the quality of information for patients of gastrointestinal problems. The first one was a Facebook study. Here, esophageal cancer survivor patients and caregivers could join to get information regarding similar patients and them sharing their experiences and different treatments that they have undergone. It was a support network and beneficial. The second study was to assess the quality of information of YouTube regarding information of inflammatory bowel disease. The results were “while YouTube can be a powerful tool for patient education and support, overall Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) content posted on YouTube was poor."
I guess the moral of the story is always talk to your doctor and know where to look for credible information.

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=6AB55993D2CC4281AB5A37FDCD60A6B5

bones of the past and how they can help you.

Back pain is a very common ailment in this day and age. At times back pain can be acute or chronic. Well there is an innovating computer technology that is being developed in the U.K that may help. Scientists and engineers are using the bones of the dead to construct different spine models that would simulate the human spine but its also diversified. Meaning that it accounts that everyone’s spine is different to some degree or another. So ultimately once this technology is fully developed, doctors will be able to individualize and optimize treatments for individuals that suffer from chronic back pain. Although this technology is still in the works, it can revolutionize how back pain will be treated.


http://www.rxpgnews.com/research/Learning-from-old-bones-to-treat-modern-back-pain_476589.shtml

the new iphone can do more for you? lol

I came across this article about the new iphone 4s and its "new" feature which can ruin your life.....or make it better depending how you look at things. I don't know if the article is true but decide for yourself. I thought it was interesting and as a result I highly doubt that I'd ever accept a smart phone from anyone. LOL

http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/gadgets-electronics/blogs/new-iphone-4s-app-breaks-up-marriage

who needs face to face interactions when you got TV?

Just recently the state of California has passed a new act called "the Telehealth Advancement Act of 2011". This an expansion of a 1996 Telemedicine Development Act. What this does is it allows health care professionals to be broadcasted to rural and underpriviledged communities in CA where there are limited health resources or barriers to healthcare access. This is a good a thing on one hand, but it makes me wonder that with time, more states will probably adopt acts like this due to same reasons and also economic reasons. And economically this makes sense because it is cheaper to do practice medicine like this. So with this said, how are we future pharmacists will fit into models like these? would it be good for the our profession overall and beneficial to the community? My answers I dont know and I sure hope so.

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=B7241C2924AD4EF8BB3BAB1AEEB4E5B8

Doctors using social media for business and pleasure

I came across an article that stated that approximately 90% of doctors are using social media for personal use. No surprise there. But around 65% are using it to support their professional practice. And there's nothing wrong with that. This way they can advertise their services, educate patients and non patients, simply put it stay connected with the people. The article didn't state how doctors are using social media specifically, but I hope that they are being professional about it. By that I mean present themselves in a respectful and exemplary manner-no drunk and passed out pics, engaging in reckless behavior ect. I don't know about you guys, but I doubt that I'd take advice from a guy who says to stop smoking and then I find pics of him constantly smoking. What do you think about doctors penetrating the social media for both business and pleasure?

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=1D8D221625984D2281CFC090F0DF62F2

blue cross blue shield fl on the go

I have to say that I became a member just a few months ago and their website is extremely user friendly. Its very convenient to navigate and find anything you need. Honestly, its even more convenient than calling the customer service. And it just got better.

In late may, BCBSFL released an app for the iphone and android phone that allows for members and nonmembers to access their account info and general info without hassle. There, you are able to do just about anything that you need. My personal favorite feature is finding out the price that I'd be paying for prescription drugs from different pharmacies in my area. This way I can choose the most cost efficient price. Other tools and information are available such as real-time updates on weather forecasts combined with weather-related health alerts such as pollen, air quality and UV levels along with tips for managing asthma and allergy symptoms.

Its amazing how such a small addition (an app) is enhancing the everyday use of the website and provides so much convenience and benefit to its users. And because of this change, I'll consider getting this app for my phone.

 http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=771041A6DF104B2699B2F59D19F44226

Diabetes,education and a smartphone

It sounds like something we talked about in class one week ago, right? well the U.S Department of Health, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), and AT&T announced a first-of-its-kind initiative to use mobile devises to deliver Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) to an underprivileged community in Dallas, TX.

I highly doubt that an iphone will be given to this population however, a smart phone will be used. The idea is to give diabetics education via a video app that AADE would provide. Not to mention other goodies like the A1c check, BP measuring etc.

Personally, I think that this is a great idea to let the patient have more control over diabetes. Its very convenient-no travel or waiting for an appointment, or ask the AADE educator a question for a particular situation. This may even raise more awareness and make the patient more compliant to the medication therapy. But it makes me wonder, if this takes off, are trivializing diabetes? meaning its impersonal that we don't  have a "face to face" interaction with a health care professional about something as serious as diabetes?

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=F5961131851E4C4EB45572F40B5DD959

a better way for smoking cessation?

So the University of Southern California’s Institute for Communication Technology Management and the USC Center for Body Computing  released results from a study measuring the impact on smoking cessation with the help of  LIVESTRONG.COM’s MyQuit Coach, an application that enables people to kick the habit of smoking with the help of a smart cigarette tracking system and a supportive online community.

The results of such type of cessation method were twice as successful as to people that didn't have a supportive online community. This is interesting to me because it makes me think- DOES it really work and how? According to the data gathered, yes. But I'm still on the fence about it. I mean how could this be different and better than having the support from people beside you that REALLY want you to quit smoking? Maybe.... I should enroll my mom and find out for myself.

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=FB6EB22E409F42E190A2DEDFB386B695