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Dump your stuff now, before you die
Lisa Cole Mental HealthcareWho amongst us wouldn't like to feel lighter, freer, less encumbered? I would! Maybe due to my time dealing with death as a healthcare professional, being an older U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, or because of the "gypsy year" I'm in right now, I am convinced we don’t need most of what we think we do. How many of us default to storage units when our home becomes too crowded? What's the inside of our car look like? When will we rid ourselves of all this extra? Or will we? Dump your stuff now, before you die.
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Smart pills: The pros and cons of an important healthcare trend in 2020
Lisa Mulcahy PharmaceuticalSmart pills are highly promising, yet controversial, new developments that have many intriguing potential applications. They are drugs containing tiny sensors that monitor a patient's condition internally or target certain treatments. This monitoring may ultimately happen through telemedicine or other remote means. For example, researchers from Columbia University report they've developed a smart pill for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients that recognizes a specific protein made by cancer cells and delivers medication specifically to combat that protein.
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Considering giving up alcohol? You’re in good company
Victoria Fann Medical & Allied HealthcareFor years now, people have been abstaining from alcohol during the month of January. This trend follows the typical pattern of people wanting to focus on health after holiday indulgences and failed resolutions from the previous year. Once the month is over, many return to their previous habits. This year is different. Now, there is a major trend toward eliminating alcohol altogether. So, why now?
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Groupthink and healthcare: An unhealthy alliance
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareThe term "groupthink" has been in popular usage since the 1970s, and its applicability to the multibillion-dollar 21st-century healthcare industry could not be more salient than it is today. Initially coined in 1974 by Irving Janis, a professor of psychology at Yale University, it is defined by Yale Alumni Magazine as when "a group of intelligent people working together to solve a problem can sometimes arrive at the worst possible answer." Those firmly ensconced in the healthcare ecosystem can likely agree that groupthink plays a larger role than we would like to believe.
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Feeling the way to better acoustics
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesDozens, if not hundreds, of studies have demonstrated the negative impact noise has on occupants. Yet, even with advances in materials and technology, noise continues to be a major challenge to designing today’s interior environments. Perhaps the solution lies deeper than controlling for noise. It may have to do with how we respond emotionally to the sounds around us. Much of the controversy concerning noise in interior environments has followed from the widespread adoption of open-plan and active space layouts.
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Is your job affecting your sleep?
Terri Williams Medical & Allied HealthcareExperts recommend seven to nine hours of sleep nightly. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, not getting enough sleep could negatively impact your immune system. That's in addition to other sleep-deprivation issues, such as a lack of focus and productivity. But even if you sleep the recommended number of hours each night, you may not be getting "good" sleep, especially if you're dreaming about work. A study by Healthy Sleep reveals that 79% of people have work-related dreams.
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ONC outlines plans for health IT during the 2020s
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationFederal health IT officials have, for the first time, released a draft strategic plan that outlines their priorities for the first half of the 2020s. The focus appears to be on moving to a more patient-focused form of healthcare, with health data accessible through smartphone apps and application programming interfaces (APIs). Additionally, the plan is designed to help patients manage their health and shop for care, according to the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
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How I moved on after being discriminated against because of my learning…
Amy Temple EducationA few weeks ago, I applied for a job as a freelance proofreader for a proofreading company. Before I go on, let me say that I am experienced in this field. I recently proofread "My Heart Speaks," a book of poetry written by Ernest Roberson Sr. I participated in the Business Professionals of America's district contest in high school, where I placed in the top 10 of the administrative assisting and proofreading/editing competitions. So, I didn't go into this opportunity totally blind. I was sent a sample essay to proofread — obviously to show my skills — and I honestly thought I did pretty well.
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Study: Private hospital payment rates much higher than Medicare, Medicaid
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationRising healthcare costs be damned; the industry and federal regulators continue to attempt to reign in outlandish prices. But, according to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs, hospital payment rates to private insurance have grown much faster than to Medicare and Medicaid. Researchers reviewed payments for inpatient hospital stays, emergency department visits, and outpatient care from 1996 to 2016, finding private charges rose as much as five times the rate of Medicare during that period.
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Officers pair with crisis prevention teams to protect, serve better
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecuritySince 1991, New Haven, Connecticut, has pioneered police partnerships with mental health workers in its innovative Child Development-Community Policing (CD-CP) program. Now, the city of St. Louis is following New Haven’s lead with its Mobile Crisis Prevention Team. The team pairs St. Louis cops with volunteer community health workers to provide victims and others affected by crime with access to help. They focus on the social issues and environmental conditions that affect individuals. This way, they can address core concerns and redirect individuals before they become further embroiled in crimes.
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