Erica Frank's Blog (21)

With HIMSS11 kicking off this Sunday, meaningful use continues to be in the spotlight, and will certainly prove to be an important topic at the show. Just this week, the HIMSS organization released findings from a survey to assess hospitals' adoption of health IT and meeting meaningful use.

27 percent of the 442 hospitals polled are expecting to achieve all 14 core meaningful use measures  by May 2012. While this is encouraging, it still shows there is plenty of room for…

Mobile technology in health care is going to be a major focus at the upcoming HIMSS 2011 show. With four of twelve innovation showcases highlighting mobile health care technology, this is one trend that is going to be front and center at the conference.

As on-the-go clinicians are relying more and more on mobile devices, technology must meet existing demands, and evolve to address the growing challenges (and opportunities!) the mobile era presents to the industry. We'll keep…

Taking care of an aging relative can be a difficult task, but thanks to some new smartphone apps, the job may become a little bit easier.

An article in today's Wall Street Journal examines a few apps on the market to help keep track of medication dosages, nutritional requirements and other health care needs.

The reporter cautions readers to be diligent in their research, however. Anyone can make an app, so it's important to check with your doctor or visit the…

Physician social networks like Sermo present a great opportunity for doctors to communicate to one another in a private forum. According to a post by Dr. Kevin Pho on KevinMD.com, controversial debate is frequent, along with discussion of patient cases. While this site, along with others, is for physicians only, Dr. Pho points out that anything written on a social network is recorded electronically and can end up surfacing in the future.

There's a debate on whether or not some…

Now more than ever, patient confidentially is a top concern for those in the health industry. With the implementation of EMRs throughout the country, hospitals and clinics must be diligent in securing patient data. Simple guidelines for clinicians, such as not talking about patients and cases, have been…

Thanks to the internet and social media, patients are more empowered than ever before, learning about their ailments and afflictions and connecting with others to share their experiences. While it’s important to educate yourself and be your own biggest advocate, it can pose a problem when a patient believes they are more knowledgeable than their physician who…

The colonoscopy is often considered one of the most embarrassing and uncomfortable medical tests, yet it can save your life. Colon cancer is a highly treatable form of cancer if caught early, but people are still needlessly dying from the disease due to fear. Though colon cancer screening rates are on the rise, awareness is still important.…

Brian Stelter had a goal to lose 25 pounds in 25 week, in time for his 25^th birthday on September 3. He knew he needed a support group and decided to take advantage of Twitter. His motto was “eat, tweet; eat, tweet.” Ideally, he would share each morsel of food he consumed, but he found that he wasn’t always honest with his Twitter followers, or himself. As suspected, however, his…

Everyone loves a smartphone, but now more than ever physicians are using smartphones and PDAs (and the accompanying applications), making the healthcare market an attractive one for smartphone sales.…

I posted a few weeks ago on how hospitals are using social media to create a stronger brand. The Mayo Clinic is taking that a step further by opening a Center for Social Media that will “train other health care organizations to use Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to connect patients and doctors,” according to…

Long wait times in the ER can be scary for patients. It can mean the difference between life and death. Hospitals across the country are closely monitoring ER wait times in hopes of attracting more and more patients and improving patient care. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, some hospitals in Utah are going so far as to display those wait times on websites, Twitter and billboards. It's a pretty interesting concept, and a spokeperson for one of the hospitals using this method affirms its…

Yesterday the Obama administration unveiled a new website – http://HealthCare.gov – aimed to provide the full range of public and private health insurance plans available to people based on their individual experiences.…

With aging baby boomers requiring more and more healthcare, and the healthcare reform bill ultimately leading to millions more insured patients in the future, hospitals want to ensure they have created a strong and meaningful reputation and brand. Increasing their social media footprint is one method of building that brand, and hospitals across the country are taking to this…

We know how powerful social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are when it comes to connecting people, but many of the health-focused sites aimed at connecting patients are beginning to worry some doctors. It's commonplace for patients to search for health information online, and while chatting with someone suffering from your disease or ailment may provide support, it may also cause confusion for some people. Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News contributor warns that while social networks are a…

A great article in today’s Los Angeles Times examines the new “e-visit” - an online physician consultation. Many patients have already had e-mail communication with their doctors, but the e-visit may grow in popularity for non-emergency conditions or to answer questions about minor…

It’s commonplace to join a social network in order to stay in touch with friends and family, or chat with strangers who share similar interests and hobbies. For those suffering from chronic illnesses, the power of joining a social networks goes well beyond that. It’s a way for patients to express just what they’re going through, be honest about their experiences and in some…

Today KevinMD.com takes a look at the use of Twitter in the operating room. Does it have a place, and if so, what is the real purpose? The argument is that it's a fast and easy way to share valuable information with a large audience. For educational purposes, you can quickly inform other health care professionals about cases and procedures being performed.

On the other hand, there are some pretty serious privacy issues at hand. There's also the concern that a family…