Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2014

3 Healthcare Predictions for 2015

2015 will continue to see healthcare grow and change. I hope MyHealthSpin will help you find easy, simple answers to your healthcare questions.

Here are our Healthcare predictions for 2015:

1. More Health Insurance Coverage: More people will continue to be covered by health insurance. Due to ObamaCare and related penalties, more people will have health insurance. Whether you like ObamaCare or hate it, more people having health insurance is good for everyone. Whether we have a government mandate or not, everyone pays for the uninsured. The costs of the uninsured shows up in your health insurance premiums, your doctor bills and your taxes. Additionally, statistics show that people that are insured are healthier. This is good for everyone. A healthier population is happier and more productive.

2. Responsibility: The consumer will have more of the responsibility for keeping healthy. More and more insurance plans are requiring you to be responsible for your health. For example, there is often an extra cost for your insurance if you smoke. You can often get a reduction in your insurance premiums if you go in for an annual physical or join a weight reduction program. Statistics show that people that smoke or are obese have more health problems than those that do not. Therefore, insurance companies will be asking you to take responsibility for your health. If you do not get health insurance, you will pay a penalty. This penalty helps to offset the cost of your healthcare if you need it and do not have insurance to cover your needs/costs.

3. Technology: Technology will continue to grow in healthcare. You are seeing technology everywhere. Your doctor is now using an Electronic Medical Record. Your doctor may be asking you to get your health information through a patient portal. Your mom or dad may be being monitored at home by their physician using an Tablet. Surgeons are using Google glass in surgery. All of these advances will continue to grow in 2015 and beyond.

So those are just a few predictions for 2015.

We all struggle to keep up with the many healthcare changes.

I hope MyHealthSpin can help you find simple, easy answers. To get started, get a FREE copy of Easy HealthCare: What You Need First by CLICKING HERE.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year!

♦◊♦

All of this information and more will be explained in MyHealthSpin’s soon-to-be-released book, Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance. For more information, go to myhealthspin.com .

Posted on Friday, December 26, 2014

Helpful Health Care Links: December 26, 2014

Happy Holidays from MyHealthSpin!

Our helpful health care links focus on a variety of topics this holiday week — an Atlanta CDC worker being monitored for possible Ebola exposure and important information about smartphone apps which are meant to monitor hypertension. We also include a local story from Crain’s Detroit Business reporting on a lawsuit filed on behalf of 159 Detroit residents whose medical records were breached. All are worth your time. And, as always, if you ever come across a healthcare story that you think merits more attention, please send it our way!

When Home And Health Are Just Out Of Reach

A Medicaid experiment helps some elderly and disabled people move out of institutions into their own homes.

CDC Worker In Atlanta To Be Monitored For Possible Ebola Exposure

A laboratory technician working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta may have been exposed to the Ebola virus.

Henry Ford Health Wins Appeal Over Online Posting Of Patient Medical Records

The Michigan appeals court has reversed a decision and dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of 159 people in the Detroit area whose medical records were mistakenly made available online.

3 Ways To Get Cheaper Health Care In 2015

Companies are offering workers more health and wellness options, which means more opportunities for you to shop around for the most affordable care.

Beware The Claims Of Hypertension Apps, Study Says

Many smartphone apps that contend they address hypertension make medical claims without clinical validation or FDA approval.

♦◊♦

Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2014

Managing Your Health Remotely

Is your smartphone doubling as a health monitoring device? If it isn’t now, it will be in the future.

If you’re a high risk patient, your doctor needs to know as much as possible about your health…if you’re a diabetic, what your insulin levels are throughout the day or if you’re a heart patient, when your blood pressure rise and by how much. But short of following you around with a clipboard, your doctor can’t know in real time when and how your health changes.

That is until now.

Doctors are currently testing personal data trackers for high-risk patients. For example, an electrocardiogram is placed in the patient’s smartphone to monitor the patient’s heart as he or she goes about his or her day. That real-time data is then downloaded by the doctor who can then use it to determine the best treatment for the patient.

Information is a doctor’s best friend and these emerging technologies maximize the amount of information a doctor has to make the right decisions about your care Right now, mobile apps, scales, and activity trackers gather all kinds of data that you can use to live a healthy life. The next generation of devices will allow healthcare providers to to take that to the next level.

As with all new technology, a few hurdles will have to be overcome before these devices become commonplace:

1) Patient Ability: These next-generation devices will have to be “patient friendly.” If it’s overly complicated or requires too much time or work on the part of the patient, the device won’t be successful.

2) No FDA Approval: Many of these new technologies are not approved by the FDA, which monitors medical devices.

3) Privacy: There is always a concern that any device that utilizes the internet may not be secure and meet the necessary privacy standards.

These concerns among others are being addressed as the various technologies are being developed. What’s more, you may soon be able to automatically download your health-monitoring data directly into your medical record at your doctor’s office.

♦◊♦

Want to avoid unnecessary grief and expense when you get sick? Then you need this essential guide to the business behind your healthcare decisions. MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to take charge of your healthcare options!

Available for download NOW!