Healthcare

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 19 mar 2015

Corporations utilize business strategy to achieve their long-term goals and objectives. Healthcare strategists work towards understanding the pulse of the customers and markets that they serve and mould their organization's actions to provide best solutions. In the process their goal is to grow and retain their customer base and maintain the financial health of their organization. Richard Miller, CEO of Virtua Health Inc, believes that balance of power in health economics will shift to the consumer in future as the Affordable Healthcare Act matures. According to him, 'They'll be buying their products and their insurance, whether in a public exchange or a private exchange. So the relationship to the customer may change when you aren't dealing with large employers insuring people.' The relationship with the consumer will be more direct and participatory. While explaining his organization's recent focus and strategy towards women's health, he says, 'They are the decision makers. So when you talk about economics and the consumer being front and center, I want to talk to the women in the community who are going to make the economic decisions in their families.' Read on...

philly.com: Business strategy - Marketing to women improves hospitals' health
Author: Jane M. Von Bergen

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 18 mar 2015

As life sciences industry and markets are continuously evolving, managers need to acquire new skills and expertise to adapt, perform and succeed. Health economics, biopharmaceutical supply chain, research & development and innovation are some of the areas that require special consideration in this regard. According to Professor Jan Rosier of Michael Smurfit GSB at University College Dublin, 'For years marketing has been a driving factor when launching new drugs. Now people in the industry need to look much more at how much a drug is going to cost, the impact of this and the effectiveness of the drug in this context. The cost of a drug and how it is linked to the treatment of diseases will come much more to the fore.' Read on...

Business & Leadership: Management skills need to move beyond marketing and profit in life sciences
Author: Sorcha Corcoran

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 17 mar 2015

According to Pew Research Center data, seven out of ten US adults say that they track at least one health indicator, and 21% of this group use some form of technology to track their health data. With numerous health platforms being launched in the market, that utilize sensors built in smartphones and wearable fitness devices to record physicial activity, the demand is expected to further increase in future. The huge data obtained from such devices will benefit biomedical research, drug development and human health. Professor Ida Sim of University of California at San Francisco says, 'Such technologies hold the potential to encourage the general public to participate in medical studies and make the research community more collaborative and open.' She is the co-founder of non-profit 'Open mHealth', where her team is leading the initiatives to build open source software that facilitates sharing and integration of digital health data. According to her, 'The data can be used to do variety of things like combining genomic information and behavior data from wearables to discover new insights into health and disease.' While explaining some of the challenges related to digital health data, she says, 'Making sense of data from various digital health devices is challenging when the devices don't represent data the same way. Currently, wearable devices and other healthcare tools describe the data they collect using their own languages that are not shared or integrated with other devices.' She further mentions her collaboration with Professor Michael McConnell of Stanford's Preventive Cardiology Clinic, where Open mHealth platform is utilized and digital health data is used to aid in the care of patients with cardiovascular conditions. While mentioning privacy issues related to patient data, she says, 'At Open mHealth, we believe that the focus should be on individual users having ownership of their own data.' Read on...

Stanford Medicine Scope Blog: Harnessing mobile health technologies to transform human health
Author: Lia Steakley Dicker

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 03 mar 2015

In addition to just aesthetics, architects are now applying neuroscience, by studying how brain reacts to various environments through brain scanners, to design schools, hospitals, community spaces etc. Eve Edelstein, president of consulting firm Innovative Design Science, says 'Understanding the power and significance of design is not a luxury. It has a direct impact on wellness issues and a direct influence on activity within that space.' According to Betsey Olenick Dougherty of Dougherty + Dougherty Architects, 'Visual access to sky, trees and landscape stimulates brain function. Providing vistas throughout the facility and particularly in classrooms has been a major strategy in the design of this building (Corona del Mar High School, Newport Beach, California).' Justin Hollander, co-author of the book 'Cognitive Architecture' and urban planning professor at Tufts University, says 'Patterns matter. And edges matter. The research argues that not only do we need order but our brain likes hearing stories...When you go to Times Square, you're told a story. You go to Disneyland, it's a story.' He further adds, 'Humans have a clear bias for curves over straight or sharp lines. Studies have shown that curves elicit feelings of happiness and elation, while jagged and sharp forms tend to connect to feelings of pain and sadness.' Hospitals and care centers are now being designed based on how brains of Alzheimer's patients reacts or how lighting affects patient's sleep cycle. Neuroscience shows light triggers brain reactions far beyond vision. 'It has an impact on heart rate.' says Edelstein. Michael Arbib of University of Southern California Brain Project and the vice president of the Academy of Architecture and Neuroscience, says 'Smart architecture can learn from brain science. To use artificial intelligence to build buildings that can better interact with people...is going to be very applicable to a home.' Read on...

Al Jazeera: Smart buildings- Architects using brain science for design guidance
Author: Haya El Nasser

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 22 jan 2015

Although pharmaceutical industry comprises of well entrenched big corporations with strong R&D investments and there hardly seem to be any room for entrepreneurs with the 'fail fast, fail often' philosophy of startup culture. But Kevin Xu, CEO of MEBO International & Skingenics, argues otherwise and suggests entrepreneurs to still seek opportunities in the drug development industry by looking at right places within the various components of the pharma ecosystem. They should observe and anticipate innovations and emerging technologies. Mr. Xu provides following four specific suggestions for entrepreneurs to find their niche in the drug development world by understanding & developing a relationship within R&D - (1) Look at the supply chain and search for gaps in what's available and what's needed for maximum accuracy and efficiency. (2) Figure out what's in demand and develop the right expertise to develop a niche as an expert consultant. (3) Go to trade shows as they are invaluable resources for both networking and information-gathering. (4) Look at the periphery and find out what is needed in the inside. They can develop specialized tools outside the industry which can be utilized by those working in drug development. Read on...

Entrepreneur: 4 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Break Into the Drug Industry
Author: Kevin Xu

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 12 dec 2014

Internet of Things (IoT) promises to bring diverse set of smart devices together through seamless network technologies and provide human-centered connected solutions. Home hubs are being launched in the market to sync everything from refrigerators to air conditioners to locks. But most homes are not yet ready with enough smart devices, although near future will see the growth of such connectivity and numerous possibilities resulting from smart homes. Roberta Gamble, Vice President of Frost & Sullivan Energy & Environment, predicts that telehealth will see a big surge in the market. Telehealth connects doctors and patients through use of technology. According to Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, by 2015 Americans over the age of 65 will outnumber children under five. The aging baby boomer population will increase the demand for home gadgets for elderly care. The health, safety and independence of this population will encourage innovations and developments towards smart homes. Read on...

Digital Trends: THE SMART HOME OF THE FUTURE WILL BE ALL ABOUT TELEHEALTH, SO WHAT IS THAT?
Author: Jenny McGrath

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 04 dec 2014

'Meaningful use' section of the American Investment & Recovery Act of 2009 and provisions in the Affordable Care Act of 2010, required health providers to invest in patients' electronic health records and allow for electronic data reporting to the government. This prompted healthcare organizations in US to invest heavily on IT and created large amount of data that can be used to improve the quality of care, increase patient satisfaction, and reduce costs. But only few are doing it efficiently and effectively with the help of clinical business intelligence (CBI). CBI is an IT system that collects and analyzes data and delivers the results to frontline clinicians in real time, helping them to make better decisions. It can be used to keep clinicians informed about everything from infections and iatrogenic injuries (those caused unintentionally by physicians) to whether units are over- or understaffed. ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value, an independent non-profit educational institute, has identified three key building blocks that are required to create and implement a CBI strategy - (1) Change leaders' mind-set: A sustainable, transparent, empowered, evidence-based culture supported by CBI is the end state. Getting there requires leaders to understand the need for information at the front line of care and to support efforts to provide it. (2) Standardize data: Organizations must create a centrally located area for storing data and develop standard definitions for variables and exclusions. (3) Build a culture of transparency: Create an environment where workers are empowered to identify and solve problems each day without manager intervention. Workers need leadership support, transparent work environments, and the essential data on defects, wait times, inventory etc. Read on...

Harvard Business Review: Hospitals Are Finally Starting to Put Real-Time Data to Use
Authors: Melissa Mannon, John S. Toussaint

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 21 oct 2014

Wikipedia recently launched a project 'Wiki Zero' that advocates for free access to health and education materials in developing countries through mobile networks. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, says that in developing economies lack of access to health and medical information results in large number of preventable deaths and cites the case of Ebola in Africa. He mentions that Wikipedia is currently the most viewed health resource online in the world. Wiki Zero has already been adopted by mobile service providers in China and India. Read on...

The Telegraph: Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales: 'Free Wiki could save thousands of lives'
Author: Oscar Williams-Grut

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 15 oct 2014

To fully and effectively adopt and integrate latest technologies in a healthcare system requires understanding and cooperation of all the stakeholders. Clinical staff is a critical component of the healthcare ecosystem. Hospitals must involve frontline staff and seek their suggestions and feedback while beginning to implement new IT system. Julia Ball, assistant director of Nursing at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), explains how their hospital pursued implementation of mobile technology successfully by listening and involving their frontline staff. According to her, their CEO, John Adler, in order to achieve their strategy of becoming 'paper light' obtained feedback from staff that voiced frustration regarding the amount of time spent on paper work and the resulting impact on patient care and suggested use of less paper and more technology support in their work. Nursing staff of selected wards was provided with iPads and iPhones to effectively and efficiently record observations and this data has been instantly shared with all staff responsible for the patient's care. This provides targeted flow of information to specific services and clinicians that can timely respond to a particular patient's needs and requirements. The new process provides more time for nurses to be with patients and provide better care. The staff of these selected pioneering wards thus became the champion for the new system and, advocated and supported the management's strategy for a paperless and technology-enabled environment. Read on...

the guardian: Involving hospital staff is key to implementing new technology
Author: Julia Ball

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 23 sep 2014

Professor Brian Wansink of Cornell University, has been conducting research on eating habits and behaviors of consumers through his Food and Brand Lab, which he founded in 1997 while being at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His new book 'Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life' is just published and focuses on understanding surrounding and environment at five places - home, favorite restaurants, favorite grocery store, work-place, children's school - that influences eating behaviors and find solutions by designing them in such a way that encourages healthier eating habits. According to him, 'It's easier to become slim by design than slim by willpower.' Here are nine recommendations from him while doing a kitchen makeover - (1) Move healthier foods to visible spots (2) Make tempting foods invisible and inconvenient (3) Declutter your kitchen (4) Make your kitchen less friendly for lounging (5) Think twice before buying big packages of food (6) Use smaller serving bowls and spoons (7) Use smaller, narrower drinking glasses (8) Serve food from the counter or the stove (9) Avoid doing other activities while eating. Read on...

USA TODAY: 9 ways to lose weight by rearranging your kitchen
Author: Nanci Hellmich

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