The Collaborative Forum

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (from McGill University in Montreal) examined patient medication adherence and concluded that a physician’s medical management and communication skills influenced whether a patient stuck with the regimen. Given the significant impact medication adherence has on healthcare quality, costs, and outcomes, we all have a stake in figuring out what makes patients adhere to doctors’ treatment recommendations.

The study found doctors with strong communication skills had the lowest noncompliance levels and concluded that these findings are significant because they point to possible steps providers and healthcare organizations could take to improve medication adherence by educating and training physicians. Researchers felt that the more communicative physicians may have had better results “either because they followed up with their patients more effectively, or their patients were more motivated to report problems.”

Communication is key!  This study bears out the importance of communicating effectively, to get better outcomes. We know that and see that all of the time. Read the rest of this entry →

In the vein of my post last week, there is yet another new study that discusses hospital readmissions for heart failure patients: this one published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Over the past 15 years or so, hospitals have been discharging patients after shorter stays in order to cut costs. However, the JAMA study of Medicare heart-failure patients from 1993-2006, showed that more patients are returning to the hospital for additional care within a month of their initial treatment.

 This is the very same problem I saw in my work as a cardiologist, which is why I founded Pharos Innovations to develop Tel-Assurance^â in the first place.  With “in the trenches” patient care experience rather than simply a technology or marketing vantage point, we understood the root causes of frequent readmissions.  Namely, challenges with individuals modifying their behavior. Read the rest of this entry →

Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it awarded grants totaling $220 million to organizations across 15 communities that will be pilot sites for the comprehensive use of health information technology in transforming healthcare delivery. We should all be very heartened by this news.

In establishing this Beacon Community Program, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has taken a significant lesson from past chronic care management demonstrations. Through the advanced use of I.T. the Beacon Communities are set to tackle specific goals of improving healthcare and population health status. They will address obesity and diabetes management; preventable emergency department visits and re-hospitalizations; increased immunizations; better adherence to smoking cessation; and appropriate cancer screening guidelines, among others. Read the rest of this entry →