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E-Care Management News
Next Generation Clinical and Business Models for Quality Driven Care Management
What’s All the Recent Commotion About Health Care Quality?
In the past several years, the issue of health care quality has received a great amount of press. Most of the news has focused on negatives — medical errors and patient safety issues that jeopardize lives.
Numerous studies have critiqued quality in the US health care system. For example, a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) — “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System” — was released in November 1999. […]
Emerging Themes: Physicians and the Internet
In the past several months numerous studies and analyses have examined physician adoption of Internet technology and tools.
With a dash of perspective tossed in, this essay synthesizes some major findings, conclusions, and wisdom from recent research.
1) Read the Fine Print – Studies Differ About Current Measurements of Physician Adoption of the Internet
How many physicians are online? 37%? 98%? ….somewhere in between? Whatever answer you pick, you will find “scientific” evidence supporting your guestimate in this provoking article in American Medical […]
The Cure is in Hand: Bringing Information Technology to Patient Care
Josh Fisher and Rosemary Wang of W.R. Hambrecht have issued a comprehensive 78 page report examining the wireless handheld market for physicians.
Here are a few highlights:
With less than 1% of U.S. physicians using handheld devices for transactional purposes today, we believe there are exceptional opportunities for companies developing handheld applications for the healthcare market.
We believe wireless handheld devices, which fit seamlessly into a physician’s workflow, will not only involve physicians but get them addicted to Internet technologies.
Already, approximately 15% of […]
E-Clinical Trials: A Boost for Disease Management Options
Two excellent recent studies provide in-depth and up-to-the-minute analyses of advancements in clinical trials. E-clinical trials promise to be a killer application of the Internet in health care.
Clinical trials research is a key aspect of improving disease management processes:
Clinical trials are a required step in taking promising pharmaceutical products and demonstrating their safety and efficacy.
Pharmaceutical products often can provide improved health and quality of life for patients.
Pharmaceutical products often (not always) are cost effective tools for disease management. Treating patients […]
Next Steps Taken in Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration
Medicare is testing the cost-effectiveness of paying for case management and disease management (DM) services. The latest announcement from the Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration describes plans to select at least eight demonstration projects by early 2001.
The demonstration is designed to:
Test proven models of coordinated care to improve the quality of services furnished to specific beneficiaries and manage expenditures under Parts A and B of the Medicare program;
Examine a variety of delivery and payment models applicable to the original Medicare fee-for-service […]
A First Look at Disease Management Under Defined Contribution
Just when you think all the acronyms in health care have been used up, along comes a new one. This one, however, is worth paying attention to. Defined Contribution (DC) promises to be as strong a force in the 00s as was managed care in the 80s and 90s.
What are Defined Contribution (DC) Health Benefits?
DefinedCare.com provides the following basic explanation of DC: Medical benefit defined contributions involve employers and other traditional purchasers of care providing an allowance, that empowers consumers […]
“E-Care: Internet Solutions Changing the Paradigms of Health”
Senior Analyst James Ackerman of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. has authored an excellent analysis of emerging e-care opportunities, a full 34 page report (dated June 1, 2000) and a 2 page summary.
The analysis includes discussion of
wireless, handheld physician automation tools,
home-based patient monitoring/disease management and
medical risk management by payors. A few highlights from the summary:
There are four key factors driving the widespread penetration of the Internet in healthcare. These include:
Spiraling costs and the imperative to find operating efficiencies.
Growth of healthcare […]
A Primer on Disease Management Terminology – is DM Like a Wall, a Spear, a Rope?
Remember the story about the blind men and the elephant? The first felt the side of the elephant and said it is “very like a wall”. The second touched the tusk and declared it is “very like a spear.” Another man held the elephant’s swinging tail and said it is “very like a rope.” And so on….
This is not unlike how people use the term “disease management” (DM). The meaning of the term DM depends very much on your knowledge […]
Lessons from History: Anticipating Implementation Challenges for eDM Programs
In the mid-1990s disease management (DM) outsourcing companies attempted to integrate their services into local delivery systems. They often encountered resistance from local providers (physicians and hospitals), who viewed the DM companies as outsiders.
Today a new wave of companies is beginning to develop Internet disease management (eDM) offerings. The challenge is similar: implementing and integrating eDM offerings into local delivery systems, which are often resistant to innovations of outsiders.
This essay will list and briefly describe some of the challenges experienced […]
An eDM Scorecard: Who’s Suiting up to Play in the Game?
A host of different organizations — some old, some new — are emerging from the wings to provide disease/care management services and tools utilizing the Internet!
…and they are approaching the Internet disease management (eDM) opportunity from very different angles.
Let’s categorize organizations scrutinizing eDM into four broad groupings:
Traditional Health Organizations
E-Health Companies: Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
E-Health Companies: Business-to-Business (B2B)
Other Technology Companies
How might each of these groups view the eDM opportunity?
Traditional Health Organizations
Traditional health organizations that have shown interest in eDM include DM outsourcing companies, […]