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The benefits of incorporating a mobile medical unit through your practice

Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare Administration

Mobile medical units have proven to be a money-saving, health-boosting boon to patients across the U.S., and in other countries as well. Many doctors are eager to expand care to more patients by directly traveling into their communities, but aren't really clear on how to properly utilize a mobile medical unit for maximum positive impact. Here's everything you need to know about the benefits of putting your practice on the road, so you can truly improve the lives of those you meet and treat.

Computer program breaks new ground in treatment for triple-negative breast…

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with about 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents 15-20 percent of all breast cancers. More aggressive than other forms of breast cancer, TNBC may spread beyond the breast, may return within three years of chemotherapy, and may be fatal within the first five years. Chemotherapy has no guarantee of success, and even drug cocktails cannot predict which combinations, among hundreds, will work.

Blood pressure: Go low to improve memory

Jason Poquette Pharmaceutical

Pharmacists are in a unique position to promote patient adherence to blood pressure medication and to encourage self-monitoring of blood pressure, and now they have more reasons than ever. For years we have known that lowering blood pressure helps prevent heart disease. In 2017, new guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended treatment to begin for any patient with systolic blood pressure over 130 or diastolic over 80. But a new study suggests that even lower numbers might be appropriate if we also want to lower the risk of mental decline.

Do gender disparities in healthcare now include surviving a heart attack?

Joan Spitrey Medical & Allied Healthcare

The conversation of gender disparities is not a new one in healthcare. Since Dr. Bernadine Healy talked about the Yentl Syndrome in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1991, the gender disparity conversation has continued. Dr. Healy discussed how women were far less likely to be treated for a heart attack than males, however, once the heart attack was discovered, they were then treated mostly as equals. Therefore, it gave rise to the concept of the Yentl Syndrome, where a woman had to prove they were "just like a man" before receiving attention.

Ride-sharing programs may reduce patient no-show appointments

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

Lyft and tech company Hitch Health recently released the findings of a yearlong, nonemergency medical transportation pilot that took place in Minneapolis at the Hennepin Healthcare internal medicine clinic. The result of the pilot seems to show a great deal of promise, as the outcomes of the survey showed that "targeted patients who have missed appointments in the past" reduced no-shows by 27 percent. Missed appointments cost the healthcare industry an estimated $150 billion a year.

The radical idea of the healthcare sabbatical

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

In the stressful world of healthcare, nursing, and medicine, worthy staff members work themselves to the bone in service to the common cause. Nurses, doctors, physical and occupational therapists, radiologists, and others put out enormous amounts of energy day in and day out in a wide variety of healthcare milieus. With burnout widely prevalent, why don’t healthcare organizations offer sabbaticals for their most valued employees?

Study: Female reproductive history linked to dementia risk

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied Healthcare

The issues related to gender and Alzheimer’s disease were a primary topic at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference held in Chicago in July. Research discussing a woman’s reproductive history that showed an association to the risk of dementia was presented. Another study along the same lines discussed a relationship between the total months of pregnancy and having Alzheimer’s disease.

Study: Doctors interrupt their patients after just 11 seconds

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

"Nah, nah, nah (fingers in ears, shaking their head) … I can’t hear you!" It seems like a scene from the movie "Office Space" or some ‘80s flick in which the teacher tunes out the more verbose taped-glasses student. This is a fanciful and, perhaps, overly simplified version of the truth, but a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine finds that doctors only spend 11 seconds on average listening to patients before interrupting them.

Wellness trends in the workplace: Do they stack up?

Ana Reisdorf Medical & Allied Healthcare

According to the recent Workplace Wellness 2017 Survey Report conducted by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, up to 75 percent of employers offer some type of wellness program to employees. The primary goal of these programs is not only to help maintain a healthy workforce, but also to reduce healthcare costs, boost attendance, and increase productivity. The survey revealed that common wellness trends for 2017 include coverage for chiropractic services, sponsoring wellness events and competitions, providing standing desks and fitness trackers, as well as offering healthier food in cafeterias and vending machines.

Increase in marijuana-impaired driving has police concerned

Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

Oklahoma law enforcement officers are worried that marijuana use may increase impaired driving as the state begins to introduce legal medical marijuana. Police are working with Oklahoma AAA to handle the increase in impaired drivers. However, Oklahoma is the not only state worrying about the increase in impaired driving. As more states go on to make marijuana legal, there are going to be traffic implications for each.

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