Fauquier ENT Blog

Showing posts with label electronic. Show all posts

December 15, 2012

Voice Amplification for Patients with a Weak Voice

There are certain voicebox conditions that naturally tends to a weak sounding voice. For some, the voice is weak all the time sounding breathy or just lacks projection. For others, the voice starts out OK, but than becomes weak after talking for some period of time. There are both pathological (ie, vocal cord paralysis ) as well as functional (ie, muscle tension dysphonia ) causes of a weak voice, but in the end, a patient just wants a better sounding voice one way or another. Although v…

12/15/2012 0

July 09, 2012

The Problem with Patient Based Portals and Mobile Healthcare Today

I was recently asked by a large New York City based consulting firm regarding my thoughts about mobile healthcare and where I see things headed. I gave them my two cents, but thought to share with my readers. As any patient who has been through the healthcare mill knows, there is a profound lack of communication among private offices, hospitals, and health systems. Let's start with a true story... I recently saw a patient in the hospital who was admitted through the emergency room…

7/09/2012 0

December 20, 2011

Doctor Distraction Happens... It's Mandatory!

I admittedly snorted out loud when I read a New York Times article earlier last week regarding increased physician distraction due to electronic devices, especially with the advent of the smartphone with its emails, text messages, calls, and other alerts that ping intermittently throughout a typical work day. There is no question that electronic devices distract physicians as the article pointed out... But that's like complaining about a leaky faucet when there's a flooded bas…

12/20/2011 2

September 27, 2011

HIPAA Allows for Regular Email Communication Between Patients and Physicians

There is a widespread mistaken belief that HIPAA prohibits physicians from communicating with patients using regular un-encrypted email as well as with other physicians about patient care. HIPAA, for those who don't know, is a law that requires patient information to be kept private with safeguards. Email (such as yahoo, gmail, aol, etc) is not considered a secure form of communication. However, HIPAA does allow for such un-secured email communication under certain circumstances. I q…

9/27/2011 0

September 24, 2011

United Kingdom Ends $17 Billion Electronic Medical Records Initiative

The Wall Street Journal on Sept 23, 2011 reported that the United Kingdom will scrap the entire electronic medical records (EMR) initiative that has been 9 years in the making with nearly 6.4 billion pounds already spent. That action was hinted at back in August 2011 after a scathing parliamentary report stating the initiative to be wasteful and incapable of delivery. I'm not surprised... It's hard enough to get a group of doctors in one hospital to agree with a treatment plan …

9/24/2011 1

November 23, 2010