Hello,

I need 2 different discussion posts for a healthcare financial management class. Please make sure they have a different analyzation and ideas. the deadline is 16-20 hours.

Respond to the following question (minimum 200 words) and provide at least two responses to others.

In an outpatient setting, technology will be leading change in health care. A Harvard Business Review article in January 2016 sponsored by Dell and Intel stated, “Telehealth, remote biometric monitoring, and technology-assisted health coaching are powerful tools in the fight to improve chronic care outcomes because they provide in-the-moment support to patients learning to manage diet, exercise habits, and medication routines. For example, an FDA-cleared mobile app that delivers real-time motivational messages, behavioral coaching, and educational content right to the mobile devices of patients with Type II diabetes has demonstrated significant drops in their A1C levels. Even simple text message programs can make a difference. Text2Breathe, a program of the Children’s National Medical Center, sends care information and reminders to parents of children with asthma, helping reduce emergency room visits.”

https://hbr.org/sponsored/2016/01/technology-is-helping-shape-the-future-of-health-care

What are your perspectives on Telehealth? How do you see it impacting the financial management of healthcare? If you have any direct experience please share.

I NEED 2 DIFFERENT POSTS

RESPONSES I NEED 4 OF THEM

By CHISPHOER

Chronic conditions compose a considerable amount of healthcare costs in the United States and account for nearly 30% or more of the care an individual will receive in their lifetime. With that being said there must be more focus on telehealth as it becomes the most effective communication tool for providers and patients. Singular communication and physical visits or scare tactics are the way of the past in healthcare. Yes, it may well have once been enough for one visit to the doctor to change an individual’s lifestyle or health practices, but Americans now seem more stubborn than ever. Many remain unconvinced that a simple change in diet can improve their health or that one missed dose of medication can be the difference between a health issue and no complications at all. Our society needs continuous reassurance, and telehealth provides that source of reassurance for individuals seeking care or individuals that are unsure in the care they may have been provided. It is sad to say but it is almost as if care providers need to market or advertise prevention, medicine, and healthy lifestyles to individuals for them to actually make a change. The more an individual hears and understands their condition and necessary steps to monitor and take care of their condition, the more likely they are to actually invest their time in their own health.

With respect to financial management of healthcare I believe telehealth can assist in making leaps and bounds in savings for healthcare providers. Not only is it inconvenient for healthcare facilities to accommodate unwarranted visitors who stroll into their facility with minor conditions that can be solved from home, but it is wasteful in the resources of time and money. Time can be better spent with patients that need undivided attention and care and money can be saved from administering care to individuals that may have a self-fixing problem that they themselves are capable of caring for. Ease of access is the most important issue facing healthcare today. Simple features like reminders and alerts to provide care are essential to lessening the burden on providers and overcrowding healthcare facilities. Telehealth is certainly the wave of the future.

Turnock, Bernard J. Public Health: What is it and How does it work? 6th Edition. Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2016.

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By ashlie

i very much agree with the idea of TeleHealth & I found this article to be very interesting!

In my current role as a Clinic Supervisor for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine-Scranton for Geisinger, we have explored this idea for our Joint patients. This would provide them access to an interactive app through their phone which maps out their journey & expected recovery. It includes information on Physical Therapy & allows the end user (the patient) to be highly involved in their recovery process. This would help with our financials in the future as patients would be less likely to be readmitted as they would know exactly how to manage their own care.

I think the active involvement of the patient is key as it allows them to have awareness of their care plans. With technology being key today, it allows patients to have a visual of care plans, including what to do & what not to do. The hands on experience is useful as it allows patients to be very active in their own care.

I think it will help healthcare facilities in the future as it will allow patients to be more involved in preventative care. If patients can visually see care & treatment plans through an app, they will be more aware of their health. If patients are utilizing this tool, they can work towards preventative healthcare, keeping readmission rates down as well as visits to the Emergency Department (ED). Preventative health is key for keeping healthcare costs down & telehealth will be a huge impact of this as well. Using telehealth can help provide education for patients to prevent illness & remind them to schedule preventative healthcare visits.

As a side note, I think this will also increase Patient Satisfaction which would in turn help to increase volumes & financials. All in all, telemedicine would be a huge financial benefit for healthcare facilities in the future. Thank you!

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by joe

This morning I listened to a podcast that had an interview with Dr. David B. Nash, the dean of the Jefferson College of Population Health, and in it he talked about the need to manage the population’s health through prevention. He talked about how when treating people our focus should be to “shut off the faucet, instead of mopping up the floor.” Essentially, medicine should be focused on stopping the bad habits (shut off the faucet), instead of focusing on treating people when they get sick (mopping up the floor). I think that Telehealth will be an important tool among many in preventing people from becoming diagnosed with a chronic, costly disease. Wearable technologies like Fitbits and Apple Watches that can monitor people’s health and activity are useful and help keep people mindful of their activity levels. Technology like this as well as behavioral and educational tools described in the article will go a long way in helping practices manage their patients and therefore help manage their expenses as well.

The Telehealth that I have had direct experience with was more of the “mopping up the floor” variety though. When I was initially hired, the hospital I previously worked at always had a psychiatrist within the building, but a couple years in they ended their association with the psychiatry practice and instead chose to do telemedicine with a psychiatry service. There was a mobile video screen that could be taken to a patient’s room and on the other end was a licensed psychiatrist who would speak with the patient and determine a plan of action. This arrangement likely saved the hospital a good deal of money, but I was never in favor of it because I felt that something as delicate as psychiatry, especially within a clinical setting, is better handled in person. Unfortunately, with the tight margins that hospitals work with today that might not always be possible, especially for rural hospitals who don’t have enough money to hire a full-time trained clinical psychiatrist, of if there even is one in their region. Therefore, Telehealth like this can help fill in the gaps as needed and help give people the care they might not have been able to receive before.

-Joe

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by Danielle

Despite being preventable, chronic illnesses including heart disease, strokes and diabetes are the route of many deaths in the United States. In addition, chronic illnesses account for 86% of United States health care costs. It is evident that we must seek alternative ways to reduce this number. Telehealth is an innovative way to reducing healthcare costs and improving the health of many United States citizens. Many chronic illnesses are caused by lifestyle choices such as poor eating habits and lack of exercise. In order to diminish chronic illness it is necessary to create new and healthier habits. Patient engagement serves as a way to change habits and in order to truly influence positive behavior changes, opportunities that flow into everyday life must be readily available to patients. Telehealth is a strong tool that can provide in-the-moment support to patients facing chronic illnesses. In an article retrieved from healthleadersmedia.com it is reported that telehealth can reduce healthcare costs by reducing avoidable hospital visits and providing readily available care to patients in a convenient way.

Reference:

https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/hospitals-reaping-financial-benefits-telehealth