Scientific Breakthrough on the Correlation of Liquid Biopsies with Cancer Type
I have blogged extensively about the progress that is being made with liquid biopsy research (see, for example:Grail Picks Specific Method for Liquid Biopsy Clinical Trials). The test is based on the correlation that can be made between cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments circulating in the blood with a malignant tumor that may be growing in the patient. A recent article addressed some new science for assessing fragments of DNA in the circulation based on a machine learning model (see:Genome-wide cell-free DNA fragmentation in patients with cancer). Below is an excerpt from the summary of the article:Cell-free DNA in the blood...
Source: Lab Soft News - June 11, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing Diagnostics Genomic Testing Healthcare Innovations Lab Industry Trends Medical Research Preventive Medicine Source Type: blogs
Members Want to Receive More Targeted Messages from Their Health Plans
As discussed in a recent article, healthcare consumers have expressed a strong opinion that they want to hear from their health plans more regularly (see:Members want to hear from their health plans more regularly, survey shows). Below is an excerpt from the article;Most healthcare consumers are"very interested" in receiving regular messages from their health plans – if those messages are highly relevant to them, and can help them stay healthier and/or save money.....[D]espite the emphasis on wellness and value-based care principles, fewer than one out of five [health plan] members is currently receiving ...
Source: Lab Soft News - June 7, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Electronic Health Record (EHR) Healthcare Information Technology Healthcare Innovations Healthcare Insurance Medical Consumerism Public Health Source Type: blogs
Patients Seeking More Wellness and Holistic Care, Personalization of Services
The question is often raised by health system executives about what patients really want in terms of services. A recent article attempted to answer this question (see:New National Patient Survey Reveals 84% Would Increase Provider Loyalty with More Holistic Health and Wellbeing Support) with an excerpt below:A new survey byWelltok, the leading consumer health SaaS company, confirms that today's patients are indeed expecting more from their providers, which includes hospitals, health systems and physician practices...[P]roviders need to understand what consumers want and how to best support them to drive greater l...
Source: Lab Soft News - June 5, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Electronic Health Record (EHR) Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Innovations Hospital Executive Management Medical Consumerism Quality of Care Source Type: blogs
UnitedHealth Offers Gym Check-In; Cash Rebates for Visiting Fitness Centers
I believe that most health systems and physicians are not sufficiently engaged in promoting wellness among their patients. This is partly a matter of training but also due to the fact that health insurance reimbursement is based primarily on the treatment of disease. By way of contrast, health plans and health insurance companies increase their earnings if their customers remain healthy and seek less care. In other words, health plans and insurance companies are highly motivated to keep their customers healthy. This can be accomplished in part by nudging them toward healthy habits and seeking care early in the course of a ...
Source: Lab Soft News - June 4, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Business Healthcare Innovations Healthcare Insurance Medical Consumerism Preventive Medicine Public Health Source Type: blogs
Retail Clinics May Provide What Patients Want; Moving Away from Hospital Campuses
Have you been wondering what sort of businesses will lease at least part of the space vacated by Sears and other large retails chains that are vacating their mall space. One possibility will be large health systems that are placing selected outpatient services in mall spaces. Details were provided in a recent article (see:Retail clinics have what patients, healthcare execs want). Below is an excerpt from it:Dana-Farber Cancer Institute plans to lease about 34,000 square feet of space atPatriot Place, a shopping and entertainment center in Foxborough, Mass., where it will offer both cancer treatment and hematology ser...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 30, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Testing Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Innovations Medical Consumerism Point-of-Care Testing Source Type: blogs
What Trends Can We Anticipate as Digital Capitalism Reshapes Healthcare?
Thedigital revolution entails the application of digital technology to all types of human enterprise.Capitalism is a system whereby the means of production are privately or corporately owned; development occurs through the accumulation of investment and profits gained in a free market. Healthcare is obviously one of the major business sectors in the U.S., accounting for nearly 18 per cent of the GDP and thus a major focus for investment under capitalism (see:Health Care Spending in the United States and Other High-Income Countries).Digital capitalism is the process by which digital technology is used in an industry such as...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 29, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Electronic Health Record (EHR) Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Information Technology Hospital Financial Medical Consumerism Predictive Analytics Source Type: blogs
More Thoughts About HistoQuery: a Tool for Crowd-Sourcing Surgical Pathology Cases
In a recent note, I discussed HistoQuery, a crowd-sourcing web site to which surgical pathology case images can be uploaded (see:A New Tool for Obtaining Crowd-Sourced Diagnoses for Pathology Images). It was developed by Dr. Ulysses Balis and colleagues at the University of Michigan Medical School and intended as a pathology teaching resource. It seems to me that, in addition to such an audience, surgical pathologists from around the world could potentially use the site to obtain a consensus diagnosis for cases from his or her daily workload. The question then arises as to what type of cases would b...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 24, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Testing Diagnostics Healthcare Information Technology Healthcare Innovations Lab Industry Trends Lab Processes and Procedures Lab Regulation Medical Ethics Medicolegal Issues Public Health Quality of Care Surgical Pathol Source Type: blogs
CVS's Grand Strategy for HealthHUBs and Aetna Becoming Apparent
In a previous blog note, I reported that CVS was launching a new type of retail health facility in Houston called a HealthHUB (see:CVS Expands Its Healthcare Presence with Its New HealthHUB Stores). The first store has now opened in Houston and was discussed in detail in a recent article (see:CVS Wants to Make Your Drugstore Your Doctor). These facilities are designed to offer a greatly expanded set of health services including wellness. Below is an excerpt from the Fortune article. It's very long so I can cover only a portion of it.[CVS] CEO Larry Merlo is working to transform CVS into a wellness pioneer —far ...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 23, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Diagnostics Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Innovations Healthcare Insurance Medical Consumerism Preventive Medicine Source Type: blogs
