Addressing Dentistry’s Role in the Opioid Epidemic

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Unfortunately, the opioid epidemic that is currently grappling the United States isn’t exactly news. Headlines appear on a daily basis in regards to this addiction, the overdoses and fatalities, as well as the healthcare community’s contribution to this crisis, both the good and the bad.

We’ve seen Congress, the Surgeon General, and many other organizations make extreme efforts to combat this crisis, yet despite the widespread media attention, many healthcare professionals still don’t realize how dangerous the drugs can be or how addictive they are.

DoseSpot recently conducted a live webinar in an effort to educate and discuss the critical role that dentists in particular play in mitigating the current opioid epidemic that is upon us and during that time, the following crucial points were made:

The blame game needs to stop

Blaming others only diverts the necessary action of collectively coming together as a nation, regardless of one’s associated industry. Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Politics – there needs to be a strong, unified foundation for which we can assemble and fight this battle together.

Break the habit: prescribing patterns of pain medication

Dentists serve a unique role in overcoming this epidemic due to the nature of their work and the procedures they perform, specifically wisdom teeth extraction. It’s a fair statement that the majority do not enter the healthcare industry with ill intent of harming their patients, yet it’s also fair to say that lack of proper education and prior pharmaceutical marketing tactics have fueled poor prescribing patterns. In order to change one’s behavior, programmed thoughts and approaches must be reevaluated.

Opioid addiction does not discriminate

This addiction can affect anyone regardless of one’s socioeconomic status or in some cases, a person’s relationship to their dentist. What DoseSpot coins as “The Insider Threat,” we reveal how certain folks pose a potential risk relative to obtaining controlled substances, both knowingly and secretively. Stories of addiction that are shared during our recent webinar further prove that opioids do not discriminate.

Solutions are available

The truth of the matter is, there is not one single solution that can work independently. It needs to be a collective effort and innovation is critical to success. There needs to be multifaceted solutions to tackle this complex problem ranging from increasing specialty training and education to proper treatment technology, data, and analytics.

To learn more on dentistry’s role in the opioid epidemic, watch the full webinar here.

Presenters:

Greg Waldstreicher, CEO, DoseSpot

Dr. John Zweig, Chief Dental Officer, Dental Associates

Donald Whamond, Chief Technology Officer, Dental Associates

Jason Wolan, Director of EHR Implementation, Great Expressions Dental Centers

Daniel Smelter, Director of Business Analysis, Benevis, Inc.

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 Impact of Digital Health on the Ages

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How does digital health affect the circle of life?

Today, a patient’s well-being rests in the hands of multiple healthcare professionals, including primary care providers, specialists and surgeons – and sometimes in their own hands with the latest medical devices and technological advances.

In keeping up with this new delivery model, it’s important to understand how people of all ages, pediatric to geriatric, attribute to the nation’s overall population health, its effects on the healthcare system and the United States’ bottom line, while also understanding how technology can play a major role.

This free eBook addresses:

• The definition of digital health, the current landscape, as well as what’s to come
• How individuals of all ages affect the health care system and how digital health can help
• Three health care specialties positioned for digital health growth
• The role of technology as we shift to value based care
• Missing pieces of the digital health offering

Download your free copy 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 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 Forecast: 3 Segments Positioned for Telehealth Growth

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It’s no surprise that technology should be considered a key player as we shift to value-based care. With smartphones, tablets and computers, health information is readily available for patients with a simple click of a button. Why should a consultation with a healthcare professional be any different?

Telehealth greatly increases the scope of the healthcare industry and is bound to open huge opportunities in increasing the quality of healthcare. The ultimate goal here, is to prevent hospital readmissions through better management of individuals with chronic conditions, while also reducing associated costs. By enabling remote patient monitoring and remote access to clinicians, market growth is inevitable as awareness and implementation of standards for reimbursement and adoptions of these care models expands.

While several reports claim that “technology gets in the way of the patient experience,” patients are in fact the ones demanding such access to care. This increase in patient demand for telehealth services has prompted many companies and healthcare organizations to think outside of the box and reevaluate the patient-centric model, while questioning what that care model really means to a patient.

Well, it’s simple. Patients want a customized, cost-effective and convenient healthcare experience to which telehealth can provide.

A recent report states that the global telehealth market was valued at $14.3 Billion in 2014 and is estimated to reach $36.3 Billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 14.30% from 2014 to 2020.

With these numbers in tow, we predict the most growth in three different segments:

Behavioral Health and Addiction

As mentioned in a previous post, telehealth has the ability to bridge the gaps in care of behavioral health patients and providers. Not only does it provide a convenient, more comfortable and less expensive medical consultation, but it broadens accessibility to patients whom may not have many options when seeking a behavioral health provider, especially in rural areas. Unfortunately, the lack of psychiatrists and addiction specialists across the nation, as well as the stigma often involved, are contributing to the mental health and addiction issues and creating barriers to appropriate care.

Patients will see their primary care physician and may not receive the exact treatment plan that they need; after all, primary care physicians do not specialize in behavioral health or addiction and often, these illnesses require a lot of time and patience to which the physician may not be able to accommodate. Telehealth will be able to connect patients in need with specialists regardless of their location who know how to treat these specific health issues.

This effective care model will not only lessen the hit on the nation’s bottom line as more and more individuals grapple with suicide, addiction, and other mental health issues, but also revolutionize the way people view the stigma involved and encourage patients to seek help as they are able to receive treatment from the comfort of their own home.

Geriatric Care

Geriatric patients stand to benefit tremendously as a digital health consumer. As mobility can be especially difficult for these patients, the ability to see a physician remotely removes one of the largest barriers to care. Furthermore, transporting patients of this age may potentially do more harm than good.

With telemedicine, providers can more quickly spot at-risk patients and provide interventions to avoid an otherwise unnecessary hospital admission. Similarly, nursing homes can partner with health systems to provide bedside care for their residents at a fraction of the price of an onsite physician.

These infrastructure synergies provide connectivity with electronic health records (EHRs) and create clear communication among hospitals, senior care facilities, referring physicians and patient families. They also provide the link to population based management databases and other health care analytic functions to measure value.

Surgery

Many surgical departments find telehealth to be a more convenient and cost-effective way for pre- and post- operative instructions for procedures of all magnitudes including wisdom teeth extraction, colonoscopies, stent placement and more.

With in-person visits and paper instructions, patients may misinterpret or even forget important information relative to their surgery. This includes what medications to stop taking and how to physically prepare for surgery, while providing a clear, direct line of answers for any questions a patient may have. With instructions digitally delivered prior to surgery, telehealth reduces patient no shows and saves valuable scheduled operating room time.

For post-op patients, providers can check the patient visually, ensuring that patients are following their treatment plans and making adjustments as needed. Through this continuous connection, providers are empowered to deliver the guidance that many patients need as they go through the healing process. These virtual check-ins ensure the patient is on the road to recovery, thus reducing readmission rates all without the patient ever having to leave their home.

Furthermore, telehealth can improve treatment and medication compliance, specifically with controlled substances, i.e. pain medication. Opioid addiction often begins at the hands of a prescriber and with the nation currently facing an opioid epidemic, marrying technology and follow-up appointments when prescribing these types of medications serves as the optimal solution for the safety of all involved.

Technology should no longer be viewed as a barrier to care, but rather embraced in order to improve the healthcare industry, including the improvement of interoperability as well as patient outcomes. Telehealth not only meets the ever increasing demands of patients, but it also assists in preventative care by creating greater access to such care, thus reducing down-the-road costs and burdensome associated with chronic disease. With many chronic diseases being completely preventable, the prevent vs. treat mantra should be sound in every healthcare professional’s mind, while realizing that telehealth is a seamless way of delivering healthcare for all involved.

There may currently be barriers in place regarding reimbursement from payers, but that’s sure to change as more and more payers jump on board for this new delivery model. After all, who’s to say telehealth won’t become the norm and be known as simply….health?

Sources: American Well; OpenPR; mHealth Intelligence; Healthcare IT News

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 Uber of Healthcare…No, Really.

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As the healthcare industry shifts to a value-based care delivery model, that is, the value equivalent to patient outcomes over cost, more and more initiatives are being introduced as a way to combat the ever-increasing wasted costs our healthcare system experiences. This includes efforts to reduce hospital readmissions, better manage pharmacy drug spend and medication adherence, and broaden access to care, especially for the elderly, disabled and low-income patients.

While many programs are in place to provide services for the above mentioned, one may not realize how transportation costs are attributing to the rising healthcare spend. One may also not view Uber as an innovative solution for reducing such costs, however the company, partnered with Circulation, has recently announced a HIPAA compliant pilot program with certain hospitals that will provide non-emergency medical transportation in urban areas within Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Why does this matter?

In a given year, 3.6 Million Americans, including almost one million children, will miss doctor’s appointments due to a lack of transportation or one’s inability to drive, resulting in wasted spend for the healthcare system. More specifically, Medicaid spends $3 Billion per year on non-emergency medical transportation, with a third of those payments being deemed inappropriate.

How does it work?

Circulation is integrated with existing and on-demand secure healthcare information systems that schedules non-emergency medical rides that are affordable and tailored for patients’ specific needs such as wheelchair accessibility. Patients do not even need to utilize the Uber mobile app or own a smartphone. They can simply call to schedule their pick-up time and after dispatch confirms their eligibility and transport authorization, they will receive a text, call or email confirming the driver’s estimated pick-up time and description of the vehicle to which they are then safely driven to and from their destination.

Research thus far has proven to reduce wait times for transportation by almost 30 percent and cut costs by almost a third, while boasting patient satisfaction at 80 percent.

Uber and Circulation provide more than just a ride – they are creating a seamless experience for patients, providers and hospital staff all from one convenient interface and in real-time. The system not only allows the scheduling of transportation, but also notifies providers when a patient has arrived for their appointment.

With the current unmodernized healthcare transportation system in place, this program proves to be an innovative step in the right direction.

Sources: Business Wire; HealthcareIT News; Circulation; JAMA

Photo Credit: Google Play

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.

XLDent Completes EPCS Certification with DoseSpot’s Dental e-Prescribing Platform

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Needham Heights, MA (PRWEB) February 19, 2015

DoseSpot, an industry leader in e-Prescribing integration platforms for medical, dental and telehealth software, today announced that Professional Economics Bureau of America’s XLDent has successfully integrated DoseSpot’s EPCS certified module for Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS). In addition, XLDent successfully completed an EPCS integration review by Drummond Group and XLDent’s dental customers are now equipped to e-Prescribe controlled substances in 49 states.

“Following DoseSpot’s successful completion of EPCS certification last year, we are thrilled to be working with our existing customer base to provide EPCS capabilities within our easy-to-use prescribing interface” said Greg Waldstreicher, CEO, DoseSpot. The certification comes in advance of the New York state mandate whereby all prescriptions must be sent electronically including controlled substances. The mandate goes into effect March 27, 2015 and will have a major impact on the dental industry as dental providers are most frequently prescribing a combination of antibiotics and controlled substances.

The DoseSpot Dental platform integrated with XLDent offers dentists the ability to route e-Prescriptions to the patient’s pharmacy of choice after automatically checking for any drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions. “With the NY mandate on the horizon and recent reclassification of hydrocodone combination medications, it’s critical for dental providers to adopt an e-Prescribing solution capable of sending all prescriptions electronically” added Greg. “XLDent continues to be at the forefront of dental e-Prescribing and we’re excited to see what the future has in store for e-Prescribing in dentistry.”

“XLDent partnered with DoseSpot in 2011 to offer integrated e-Prescribing services when it was mandated by the state of Minnesota and now we’re excited to be one of the first dental software solutions to integrate EPCS capabilities into our Dental Practice Management and Electronic Dental Record offering” said Dawn Christodoulou, President, Professional Economics Bureau of America, Inc. “It continues to be a pleasure to work with DoseSpot, a company that shares in our vision to bring valuable, patient-centered solutions to the table.”

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

About XLDent 
The XLDent dental practice management system takes advantage of the latest in software development and design tools to provide its clients with the most intuitive, robust, easy-to-use dental program available. XLDent is an electronic dental records system that automates key business processes and ensures dental teams have the tools they need to manage the practice more profitably. Key benefits include a comprehensive suite of products written for a mobile, wireless, tablet PC environment. Other key benefits include seamlessly integrated e-Prescribing through DoseSpot, flexible Progress Note system, efficient clinical workflows, and dentist and Patient Portals. XLDent supports general and specialty dental clinics and is used by single practitioners as well as large multi-dentist, multi-location clinics nationwide.

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.

Read the full press release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/02/prweb12528541.htm

Telehealth and Ebola: Are they a match?

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As Ebola enters the United States and case numbers continue to rise, the ever-challenging and pressing question among health professionals remains the same: how is one to deliver care effectively without risking disease spread? With the help of Vidyo, a software company specializing in visual communications, a Nebraska medical center may have the answer.

About a month ago, Vidyo’s video conferencing platform was used in the Biocontainment Patient Care Unit at the Nebraska Medical Center—one of only four units in the U.S. equipped to handle these types of cases. It was here that medical professionals were treating Dr. Richard Sacra, a Massachusetts physician who contracted Ebola in Liberia while working in child delivery. The video conferencing unit was used to help doctors treating Sacra interact with the patient and connect him to family and friends. The Medical Center, located in Omaha, NE, has worked with New Jersey-based Vidyo since 2011.

With the Ebola virus becoming a dangerously salient international issue, the ability to remotely treat infectious diseases via Tele-ICU applications—equipped with medical devices like otoscopes, dermatoscopes and labs— is becoming more important than ever. To prevent the spread of infections in sterile settings, Tele-ICU enables hospitals to establish centralized monitoring facilities to address patient needs during overnight hours. Now afforded the option to evaluate a presumed ill patient remotely via video, many healthcare professionals are hopeful that such measures will protect caregivers from exposure, permit a quick response to treatment and protect the public from potential epidemics.

For more information on how digital health is addressing disease epidemics, check out MobiHealthNews’ article 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.

“Map My Body:” Google’s Newest Health Endeavor Spans the Genome

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SOURCE: Vanity Fair

We’re surrounded by hundreds of health terms on a daily basis, but what does it truly mean to be “healthy”? Google X, the research branch of Google, may soon have an answer for us. As first reported by the Wall Street Journal and later confirmed by Google, Google X has embarked on a bio-medical research project called ‘Baseline Study’ that will aggregate anonymous genetic and molecular information. The Study will initially test 175 people to solidify data collection methods—with thousands more to come— to create an accurate picture of the healthy human.

The 175-person pilot group will go through extensive medical testing, including blood and saliva analyses. Once completed, the Baseline Study team will review all samples with researchers at Duke University and Stanford University, the anticipated sites for the eventual, large-scale study.

In response to privacy concerns, Google told the Wall Street Journal that any data collected for Baseline will be anonymous, used only for medical purposes, and will not be shared with insurance companies. Baseline’s aim is to act as a reference database for the chemistry of a well-machined, healthy body—and, subsequently, identify abnormalities much earlier. With the birth of Baseline, the hope is that the medical community will move towards prevention rather than treatment in response to disease.

Sources: The Next Web and  Business Insider

For more information on Google’s groundbreaking health plans, check out this article by TIME Magazine: http://time.com/3045429/google-baseline-study-human-health/

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. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

The Health Tracking Race: Who Will Win?

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Ready to get fit from the comfort of your own smartphone or tablet? Recent developments in the tech sphere likely have you covered. Over the past few weeks, three major players in the digital health industry–Google, Apple and Samsung–have unveiled newly polished, fitness-ready consumer health apps for public viewing. The initial verdicts on Google Fit, Samsung’s Gear Fit, and Apple’s iOS 8 Health app are officially out. Take a look below to see what consumers are saying:

Google Fit 

Google Product Manager Ellie Powers describes the new Google Fit platform at the 2014 Google I/O, Google’s annual developers’ conference held in San Francisco.

Basics: fitness and health tracking platform for Android smart devices. Google Fit will aggregate users’ fitness data in one place, and sync data from popular wearable devices created by Nike, Adidas, and more.

Pros: comprehensive data analysis in one location, complete picture of users’ fitness and better tracking of fitness goals, single set of APIs for all health products.

Cons: too similar to already-existing data aggregation platforms, failure to address how medical professionals might access this data, potential compatibility issues.

Gear Fit by Samsung

Basics: a wearable activity-tracking wristband with a heart rate monitor, pedometer, and flexible display screen. Well-suited for basic activities such as running, walking, cycling, and hiking.

Pros: excellent display resolution, customizable screen features (backgrounds and clock face), changeable watch bands, compatible with at least 17 Samsung smartphones and tablets, notable ‘smartwatch’ features (phone call, text message, and email alerts).

Cons: error-prone and “bare bone” activity trackers, faulty mileage calculations, very low battery life (vs. JawBone and FitBit models), poor accessibility (requires bulky “charging cradle”).

Apple iOS 8 Health

     

Basics: iPhone app that allows users to collect biometric information (i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and automatically send it to doctors or hospitals via the Medical ID feature.

Pros: comprehensive set of activity trackers (fitness, nutrition, sleep patterns, blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, etc.), customizable and seamless user interface.

Cons: performance concerns with exchange of medical data (physicians bombarded with low-priority data and patient compliance issues).

Sources: TechCrunch, Apple, and The Verge. 

Need more convincing? Engage your critical consumer eye with these helpful articles:

Gear Fit by Samsung: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2014/06/22/samsung-gear-fit-review-a-combined-fitness-band-and-stylish-smartwatch-for-your-galaxy-smartphones/

Google Fit: http://news360.com/article/243439279

Apple iOS 8 Health: http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/02/a-closer-look-at-ios-8s-health-app-video/

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. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

E-Prescribing 101

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Electronic prescribing is not just the ability to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies. E-Prescribing can also increase care quality in a number of ways:

• E-prescribing makes sure that the prescriber is providing enough specific information for the pharmacist to fill the prescription, including the name of the drug, the dosage, its physical form, the route, and the physician’s instructions.
• Electronic prescribing software eliminates the time and effort of trying to understand the prescriber’s handwriting, as well as the chance of an error in that translation.
• E-prescribing significantly reduces the chance that the prescriber’s intentions are misinterpreted.
• E-prescribing is often used in conjuction with clinical decision support to ensure that any drug to drug interactions or drug to diagnosis issues are found and reported to the physician before the prescription order is completed.

Electronic prescribing is considered one of the most important areas of Healthcare IT, which is why Medicare created payment incentives for physicians who use a qualified e-prescribing system. In 2009, the incentives are an increase of 2% in revenue for each patient when e-prescribing is used. Due to the 2009 HITECH Act, electronic prescribing is required as part of any EMR (EHR) which qualifies for Medicare reimbursement in 2011.