Featuring posts written by the DoseSpot e-Prescribing Integration Team!

Congress, Dentists, and the Opioid Crisis: Is Good, Good Enough?

Posted: July 13th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, Controlled Substances, Dental, In the News, Public Policy, Security | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

As the opioid epidemic continues and more policies have recently been implemented to curb this crisis, it seems that a crucial piece of the puzzle is missing: mandatory electronic prescribing. Like Devon Herrick mentions in his latest post, e-Prescribing is a commonsense solution for an issue that isn’t slowing down in the United States. Now is the time for Congress to step up and take advantage of solutions that are not only available, but approved and certified by the DEA. It’s clear that efforts to prevent and treat the opioid epidemic will fall short without additional investments and while states have implemented Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), they’re not mandatory and the ability to further capture data will undoubtedly be a pivotal cornerstone while facing this epidemic and for several reasons. With electronic prescribing:

  1. A prescriber can track a patient’s medication history and make smarter treatment decisions, i.e. doctor shopping, recent prescriptions filled, and drug-to-drug and drug-to-allergy interactions.
  2. There is no more need for paper prescriptions, therefore no more interpreting messy handwriting, no more altered dispense quantities, and no more stolen prescription pads.
  3.  A significant decline will occur relative to the rate of fraud, resale and abuse of opioids because e-Prescribing secures all information exchanges from diversion.

Electronic prescribing has been utilized by doctors for a few years now, but the e-Prescribing of controlled substances is last to hop on the bandwagon. Until recently, federal regulations prohibited e-prescribing of controlled substances due to perceived risks, however electronic prescribing diminishes these elements of risk.

Click here to learn more about e-Prescribing and start saving time and money today!

Since New York mandated that all prescriptions must be sent electronically, dentists in particular, have seen a vast change in the number of opioid prescriptions: “In a study of dentists, within a few months after iSTOP was implemented in New York, opioid prescriptions fell by about half, from 31 percent of dental visits before iSTOP to 14 percent in the following three months. The quantity of pills per prescription also fell. The total numbers of opioid analgesics prescribed fell by three-quarters (78 percent).”

Whether it’s mandated or not, the numbers don’t lie – electronic prescribing proves to be the smarter and safer force as we battle opioid addiction. Congress, take note.

Sources: National Center for Policy Analysis; PLOS; National Safety Council; NPR; Congress

About DoseSpot DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.


The Opioid Epidemic—Are Dentists the Black Sheep?

Posted: June 23rd, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, Controlled Substances, Dental, In the News, Public Policy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Once again, the dental industry is in the hot seat regarding their perceived contribution to the opioid epidemic that the United States is currently facing. As part of their “Hooked” series, NBC News recently reported on this deadly triangle: the relationship between dentists, drugs, and dependence and how dentists are at the forefront of this crisis, even citing that they’re taking the easy way out when treating patients.

“We see it across medical and dental practices that physicians and dentists are giving patients extra medication just in case to avoid seeing the patient again or writing for refills. This is an obvious problem that leaves a lot of left over medication and patients hold on to it.” -Dr. Brian Bateman, Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoenocomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The article highlights a young woman’s journey from substance abuse to recovery, stating that her addiction to opioids started at her dentist’s office. She was having her wisdom teeth removed, a very common procedure among adolescents that typically warrants pain medication, but she was prescribed a 30-day supply and was not properly educated on the effects an opioid can produce. Having only experienced pain for a few days, she continued to take the medication because it made her feel invincible, powerful even, and the extra pills were just laying around. Unfortunately, this is how opioid addiction usually starts: with a prescription. Patients these days are also going to extreme lengths to obtain these substances such as doctor shopping to receive more medication, buying or selling on the black market, and sharing prescriptions with friends and family.

Click here to learn more about e-Prescribing and start saving time and money today!

Of course this isn’t the first time dentists are being victimized as the gatekeepers for these controlled substances. There has been a dramatic rate of response from organizations across the country in regards to this increasing epidemic. Senator Dick Durbin of IL recently wrote a letter to the American Dental Association (ADA), among other associations, which ultimately bashed the industry and claimed that dentists fail to take responsibility for its role contributing to the crisis and that they’re taking advantage of perceived financial incentives to over-treat pain. Likewise, articles published by JAMA and Harvard have made notion that the dental industry is a crucial piece of this epidemic puzzle.

Let’s play devil’s advocate and take a step back to evaluate what is most likely going on in dental offices. What are the pain points, exactly?

Paper prescriptions are not their friend.

Prescription pads or print-out prescriptions leave an immense amount of risk. Who’s to say a patient won’t alter the pill quantity, claim they lost their prescription, or worse, steal a prescription pad? It’s very easy to swipe a small piece of paper without anyone noticing.

They don’t know the unknown.

If a dentist doesn’t know a patient’s medication history, current medications, allergies, or any history of substance abuse, they cannot make an educated decision when it comes to what they prescribe.

They’re simply trying to do their job.

When a patient goes in for a procedure, a dentist naturally wants to make them as comfortable as possible—before, during, and post-surgery. However, prescribing opioids and at high amounts have become the norm nowadays and other alternatives, such as higher doses of acetaminophen or ibuprofen, aren’t even considered.

Luckily, e-Prescribing can mend all of these pain points, while also creating greater clinical efficiency and relieving a dentist’s anxiety for potential risk. It’s completely acceptable to not know all the answers or available resources that are out there as we combat this opioid crisis, but it’s not okay to turn a blind eye. Bottom line is: education is crucial during a time like this. Don’t remain a victim; take action and spearhead the change.

Sources: NBC News; JAMA; Harvard; Boston Globe

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

 


National Safety Month; The Danger of a Prescription

Posted: June 21st, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, Controlled Substances, Dental, In the News, Public Policy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

The National Safety Council, in an effort to create awareness and reduce the leading causes of injury and death, has established June as National Safety Month. When one thinks of safety, perhaps the following comes to mind: wearing a seatbelt, keeping a close watch on little ones, or having emergency numbers on hand at all times. However, many fail to remember the importance of safety for prescribed medications—specifically prescriptions of controlled substances.

In 2012 alone, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is more than enough to give every American adult their own bottle of pills. In comparison to ten, even five years ago, this number is dramatically increasing as time goes on and more and more opioid overdoses are being reported on a daily basis. Prince? Elvis? Sigmund Freud? Bueller…? While their stories may have been reported nationwide, people from all over the country and from all different backgrounds are unfortunately experiencing this crisis right in their backyard.

Click here to learn more about e-Prescribing and start saving time and money today!

The dental industry is often victimized as the gate keeper of such prescriptions, but luckily there are efforts in place to monitor how, when, and to whom these controlled substances are prescribed. That is, so long as the dental community, both prescribers and Dental Support Organizations (DSOs), are ready to step up and take action. Fortunately, electronic prescribing (e-Prescribing) has the power to assist in alleviating the opioid epidemic that is upon us, but how exactly?

  • e-Prescribing diminishes the possibilities of duplicate or lost prescriptions since the prescription is sent directly to the patient’s pharmacy
  • A patient will no longer have a paper prescription where the dispense quantity can be altered
  • Prescribers will have access to a patient’s medication history, therefore they can determine if a patient is “doctor shopping” or has a history of substance abuse

Be an innovator and stay ahead of the curve, all while enhancing patient safety and quality of care. A patient’s wellbeing and the ever increasing amount of lost lives depends on it.

Sources: World Health Organization (WHO); American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.


The Maine Mandate—Confronting Controlled Substances Head-On

Posted: June 14th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, Controlled Substances, Dental, In the News, Public Policy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

The annual Maine Dental Association (MDA) Convention commenced in Rockport, ME on Friday, June 10th and it’s safe to say the event was a tremendous success. The DoseSpot team was fortunate to not only attend, but also announce the keynote speaker, Dr. Harold L. Crossley, whom is well known for his expertise regarding street drugs and the chemical dependency associated with such drugs. In his two-part session, “Street Drugs Exposed”, Dr. Crossley provided intriguing insight to the controlled substance epidemic that the United States is currently facing. He explained that chemical dependency is a primary, chronic, progressive, and relapsing disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. Dr. Crossley also further defined the term “chemical dependency” as a primary illness or disease that is characterized by addiction to a mood-altering chemical. It is progressive and chronic, and if left untreated, it can be fatal.

Headlines regarding overdoses seem to appear on a daily basis and one thing is certain—these drugs do not discriminate. The American Society of Addiction Medicine states that four out of five new heroin users are first addicted to prescription opioids because when the pill supply runs out, heroin is typically the next option. To be fair, the origins of this epidemic aren’t necessarily because of a prescriber’s bad behavior. The majority are well-intentioned prescribers that are simply trying to do their job the best way they know how. This disease and the increasing rate of fatalities, however, are devastating local communities across the country and have caused some states to take aggressive action.

Click here to learn more about e-Prescribing and start saving time and money today!

In an effort to better monitor the prescribing of such drugs, Maine has become the second state behind New York to mandate electronic prescribing for controlled substances and the third state to set a limit on the duration and daily strength of opioid prescriptions. Prescribers will also be required to partake in addiction training every two years. This may ignite some eye-rolls and perhaps a tinge of anxiety, but let’s look at the bigger picture. Dentists are often criticized for “irresponsibly” prescribing controlled substances and “taking advantage” of perceived financial incentives to over-treat pain. On the other hand, the majority of dentists believe they have been victims of prescription fraud or theft. The good news is, e-Prescribing can alleviate many pain points that dentists and society are collectively experiencing.

Here at DoseSpot, we understand that making any type of change can be difficult, but e-Prescribing doesn’t need to be one of them. Contact us today to learn how seamless the e-Prescribing transition can be with DoseSpot on your side.

Sources: Portland Press Herald; Boston Globe

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot, partnered with Lexicomp, is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.


Setting the “Stage” for MU3: Details on Federal Approach Expected Soon

Posted: March 9th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, In the News, Incentives, Public Policy, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

As the days of March begin to pick up, so do developments in the Healthcare IT arena. Washington insiders recently began speculating that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will release Stage 3 meaningful-use (MU3) rules later this month. Per usual, ideas are already circulating as to what these rules will—and should—include.

According to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the third stage of the incentive program will have a primary focus on data-sharing, or interoperability (a surefire MU3 “buzzword”). While rules provide adequate guidelines for adoption, many healthcare professionals would like to see actionable results—such as Athenahealth’s Vice President of Government & Regulatory affairs, Dan Haley. In a recent article published in Modern Healthcare, Haley stated that the rules for MU3 should also require the “actual sharing of records rather than merely [setting] standards for how to accomplish interoperability…Providers should be able to see in one place a summary of a patient’s longitudinal health history…Without the need to [access] multiple systems.”

In addition to MU3 implementation suggestions, many healthcare professionals have expressed interest in seeing new tech-savvy “bells and whistles.” Some are pushing for better “unique device identifier” support, which would allow public health officials to track specific devices through the vast healthcare system. Another purported new standard for technology could be the inclusion of “patient-generated health data” from devices including fitness monitors and health-tracking apps, which may help clinicians track the day-to-day lifestyles of patients in innovative ways. Stay tuned for the official release of MU3 requirements towards the end of this month!

SOURCE: Modern Healthcare 

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.


Taking a Peek at Patient Engagement in Beantown: Beth Israel’s New Pilot Study

Posted: February 6th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, Incentives, Public Policy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Further initiatives to end incessant EMR entry during medical appointments may now be in place within one of Boston’s own. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) recently received a $450,000 grant from the Commonwealth Fund to solidify a program allowing patients to add to and update their own medical records during visits. This program, called OurNotes, is an extension of the larger and well-known OpenNotes initiative. The idea for OpenNotes began 5 years ago and quickly mobilized into an approach that gives patients access to their physicians’ visit notes. OpenNotes has spread rapidly across the U.S. and is now used by more than 5 million patients and providers nationwide.

Throughout this pilot, Beth Israel will collaborate with a number of health sites and providers across the country, including Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System, Seattle-based Harborview Medical Center, Seattle’s Group Health Cooperative and Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri. The OpenNotes initiative started making waves in Boston during the 2012 calendar year, when researchers conducting a survey at BIDMC found that patients with access to clinicians’ notes were more engaged and witnessed more positive health outcomes. Results from this year-long study included data from more than 13,500 primary care patients and 100 physicians.

The OurNotes Pilot will initially focus on primary care, with the intent to later expand into other specialties. Jan Walker, RN, MBA and co-founder of OpenNotes hopes that the pilot will further increase patient engagement and improve adherence to medications. Walker also stated that patients in the OurNotes pilots at both BIDMC and additional sites will have access to other parts of their medical records, including problem and medication lists. After this initial phase of testing, each of the five sites will have the opportunity to develop its own prototype for further implementation.

SOURCES: mobihealthnews and OpenNotes.org

For more information on the OpenNotes initiative, check out Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s official press release here!

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.


“Stuck in the 70’s:” Modern Medicine, the FDA and Medical Device Legislation

Posted: December 19th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, In the News, Public Policy, Telehealth | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Will Congressional bills slated for 2015 review finally bring medical device regulation into the 21st Century?

The year was 1976. Apple was founded, bell bottoms were in, Jimmy Carter was elected President and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began its first regulatory measures on medical devices.  The notion of “tech-savvy” Americans had not yet come to fruition, nor had the ubiquity of iPhones and tablets—in fact, no consumer would have known what to do with such a device during this era. Today, increasing numbers of hand-held devices allow us to connect with providers, manage and track medications and organization medical records. In 2013 alone, the Apple Store reported 97,000 mobile health apps in use and over 60% of physicians were using tablets. With these solid numbers marked in the medical sphere, why is the FDA still stuck in 1976?

In a recent article released by Forbes Magazine, John Graham illuminates the FDA’s continued regulation of novel, cutting-edge medical devices under outdated amendments and what this antiquated authority means for new health tools. According to the FDA’s original amendments, a medical device is an “instrument, apparatus, implement, machine…or related article, including any component, part or accessory…” Technologies of the 21st century, namely smartphones, smartwatches and tablets, don’t seem to fit within this definition in any regard.

Despite the amendments’ verbose restrictions, the FDA has informed patients and providers alike on how it intends to regulate new technologies. With the final guidance for medical mobile apps passed in 2013, the FDA intends to focus its regulatory oversight on only a subset of mobile medical apps that present a risk to patients if they do not work as intended. In the final guidance, the FDA defined the term “mobile medical app” and Congress defined the technologies subject to FDA regulation.

While it appears the FDA is making strides in the right direction, many find its law-related verbiage unsettling. Early-stage startups remain weary over the FDA’s “enforcement discretion,” which includes the self-perceived ability to withhold smartphones, tablets and more. After much discussion at last week’s mHealth Summit in Washington, DC, the consensus is this: the FDA cannot be expected to generate consistent regulatory standards without appropriate legislation. Fortunately for the medical sphere, this may be resolved in the next Congress with the following propositions:

MEDTECH Act: would legislate that electronic health records (EHRs) and other technologies that only store and communicate information are exempt from FDA regulation.

SOFTWARE Act: would define the term “medical software” as software distributed directly to consumers and not integrated with a drug or device but includes the use of a drug or device. Such software would be subject to FDA regulation. The bill also includes the terms “clinical software” (used by medical professionals) and “health software” (used by consumers to store and communicate data but doesn’t include the use of a device). Both clinical and health software would not be subject to regulation.

SOURCE: Forbes Magazine

For more information on the FDA, legislation and the future of U.S. health innovation, click here!

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.


The Med Melee: Medication adherence in the U.S. and where it stands today

Posted: November 21st, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, In the News, Public Policy | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

“Take once a day with food. Take once every PM before bed with water—but make sure it’s on an empty stomach.” Instructions such as these are all too familiar to many Americans balancing multiple—and sometimes complex—medication regimens. Whether it be an infection-eradicating antibiotic or a more robust prescription for a chronic illness, most of us (at some point in time) have had to take some form of prescribed medication. But how well are we doing?

A recent article published in Forbes magazine addresses this exact question and the results are bewildering to say the least. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 82% of all American adults take at least one prescription medication and 29% take five or more. Adherence to specific medication instructions is critical, yet there are 700,000 emergency department visits and 120,000 hospitalizations due to adverse drug events in the U.S. every year. It’s estimated that medication non-adherence leads to a U.S. death every 19 minutes and adverse drug events have led to over $3.5 billion spent annually on extra medical costs.

The numbers mentioned above confirm that medication adherence in the U.S. is not where it should be. Unfortunately, this problem is purported to get worse before it gets any better. The CDC estimates that the number of adverse drug events will continue to grow based on a number of factors, namely the development of new medications and the aging American population. With these variables in mind, the concept of medication therapy management (MTM) is more important than ever. MTM evaluates a patient’s prescriptions to identify and resolve issues such as drug interactions, inappropriate drugs or doses and whether a patient is taking the medications as prescribed.

The digital health space is making great headway in the realm of MTM with newly polished apps such as Medisafe and MyMedSchedule, which allow patients to receive personalized notifications from providers or caregivers as scheduled medication times approach. With memory issues, inadequate support and lack of education as potential inhibitors of medication adherence, automated alerting technologies, educational tools and an integrated network of care support are a logical next step to steer American medication adherence in a better direction.

Want more statistics on the current state of medication adherence in the U.S.? Check out the full Forbes article, “It’s 10 PM, Do You Know Where Your Meds Are?” here!

SOURCES: Forbes Magazine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.


DoseSpot Completes Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances Certification with Drummond Group

Posted: October 15th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Controlled Substances, In the News, Newsletter, Public Policy, Security, Standards | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

Needham Heights, MA (PRWEB) October 15, 2014 - DoseSpot, an industry leader in e-Prescribing integration platforms for medical, dental and telehealth software, today announced that its software application has completed the required third-party Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) audit with Drummond Group Inc., a global software test and certification body that was approved by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to audit EPCS software applications.

DoseSpot selectively pursued EPCS Certification with Drummond Group, one of the first DEA approved certification bodies. “After undergoing Drummond Group’s extensive audit process and phased approach to understanding the EPCS requirements, DoseSpot may now deliver audited and trusted EPCS software to their customers,” said Aaron Gomez, Drummond Group’s Director of EPCS Auditing.

The audited EPCS software also incorporates industry leading two-factor authentication and identity proofing technologies to meet the requirements of the DEA Interim Final Rule for EPCS. “We strive to provide an easy-to-use e-Prescribing interface and our team has successfully incorporated the EPCS functionality without disrupting our existing user experience,” said Greg Waldstreicher, President, DoseSpot.

DoseSpot prescribers will now have the ability to e-Prescribe controlled substances in 49 states. “In less than six months, New York will be the first state to mandate e-Prescribing, including EPCS,” added Greg Waldstreicher. “We are committed to offering the best e-Prescribing integration experience for our current and future software customers and have made the process for enabling EPCS incredibly easy.”

For more information on DoseSpot’s EPCS software, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com or contact Lindsay Walsh, Lindsay(at)dosespot(dot)com.

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts™ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. To request a demo of DoseSpot’s e-Prescribing integration platforms, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com/.

About Drummond Group Inc. 
Drummond Group Inc. is a global software test and certification lab and third-party auditor that serves a wide range of vertical industries. In healthcare, Drummond Group tests and certifies Controlled Substance Ordering Systems (CSOS), Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances (EPCS) software and processes, and Electronic Health Records (EHRs) – designating the trusted test lab as the only third-party certifier/auditor of all three initiatives designed to move the industry toward a digital future. Founded in 1999, and accredited for the Office of the National Coordinator HIT Certification Program as an Authorized Certification Body (ACB) and an Authorized Test Lab (ATL), Drummond Group continues to build upon its deep experience and expertise necessary to deliver reliable and cost-effective services. For more information, please visit http://www.drummondgroup.com or email DGI(at)drummondgroup(dot)com.

Read the full press release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/10/prweb12249755.htm


Keeping Up With the Healthcare Happenings

Posted: September 22nd, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Basics, In the News, Incentives, Public Policy, Telehealth | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

With the 2014 calendar year coming to a close in just a few months (gasp!), HealthWorks Collective, an online health and editorial community, has released its list of health trends to keep an eye on through 2015. Think your predictions are spot on? Take a look below to see what’s on tap for the U.S. healthcare industry:

1. More providers will be hiring health coaches.
Chronic conditions in the U.S. continue to increase—so will employment. Health coaches fill a unique demand for managing chronic conditions, as they engage with patients one-on-one and keep clinical staff informed about financial or family concerns, marital problems, treatment plan adherence, etc.

2. Healthcare mobile apps on the rise.

With the release of Apple’s new Healthkit along with a slew of other mobile-friendly health apps, this trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Patient-centered apps for monitoring aspects of health like calorie-counting and heart rate are gaining popularity at a quick pace and healthcare systems will continue developing and implementing apps to improve patient experience.

3. New care and payment models will expand.

Insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid programs will continue to push for more relationships with accountable care organizations (ACOs). Different payment models will also be proposed—many healthcare professionals anticipate a trend towards “shared savings” incentives with physicians based on lowering cost and improving care quality.

4. Big Data will play a key role in patient care.

Electronic health records and other emerging technologies enable providers to automate processes and capture vital clinical data. These technologies, however, are limited in not being open to innovation. By the end of 2014, expect provider advocacy for making application interfaces open-source so they can be used to create new and exciting programs.

5. Healthcare comes to the home.

Technological advancements and increasing healthcare access will lead to more remote care services. This means that more patients can be monitored and coached to health at any time and place. “At-home healthcare” will increase patient quality of care, improve patient satisfaction, and reduce costs.

6. Increasing transparency.

Expect the level of transparency demanded from healthcare systems to increase, along with the production of tools to help inform patients. The price of treatments, procedures and clinicians along with performance metrics and hospital outcome reports will all be made available for patients to peruse at the click of a mouse.

7. Partnerships for care delivery will expand.

Healthcare partnerships will soon include community-based groups such as social service agencies, gyms and other non-healthcare service providers. As the industry strives to better address population health management, expect more unconventional approaches to healthcare such as church-based group care sessions, outdoor exercise at nature centers, reduced price health care transportation services, etc.

Source: HealthWorks Collective

For more information on the aforementioned trends, check out HealthWorks Collective’s full article here.

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescriptsâ„¢ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.