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Patients Want Fast, Online Access to Lab Results

A survey by the Mayo Clinic found that one in three patients (or 38%) expect their lab results to be available online as soon as the results are known, and another 29% of patients wanted online access to the results within a few hours after they are known.

The Mayo survey results, announced at the HIMSS12 annual conference, were reported by Family Practice News Digital Network earlier this month (click here to read the FPN report).

In addition, the survey of 1,972 patients found that 61% were “very likely” and 30% “somewhat likely” to view their test results, when given the opportunity, prior to having a discussion about the result with their doctor. “These findings should be taken into consideration during website/portal development, as online access to personal medical information expands,” Dr. Mark Parkulo, an internist and chair of Mayo’s e-health policy work group, told Family Practice.

At Medivo, we are excited to be introducing the Medivo Monitor program that addresses this type of patient need, including providing a means to conveniently schedule lab appointments using Medivo’s online scheduling system and to review test results online just a few days after the lab visit. Medivo Monitor also enables patients to receive supplemental educational materials that help them with managing their health effectively.  Physicians can contact Medivo to learn how they can enroll their patients into the program.

Medivo Co-Founder Sundeep Bhan Selected As a ‘Healthcare Transformer’ by StartUp Health

The Medivo business program got a big vote of confidence from StartUp Health this week when the entrepreneurship-focused group named Sundeep Bhan as one of its 10 inaugural “Healthcare Transformers.” Bhan, a co-founder of Medivo, will participate in the first StartUp Health Academy for Health and Wellness Entrepreneurship, a three-year program that is designed to support innovators transforming the current healthcare model.

“The best way to transform healthcare is to support and promote entrepreneurs with ongoing inspiration, education, and access to customers, capital and other critical resources so that innovation and growth can occur more quickly,” said Jerry Levin, the chairman of StartUp Health and former chief executive officer of media giant TimeWarner.

This is certainly an area of familiarity for Bhan and Medivo, the business he co-founded to help change the current model for reporting of lab test results and to transform the way physicians and patients leverage technology on their way to improved health outcomes.

In selecting the first class of entrepreneurs, StartUp Health said it focused on “finding extraordinary and passionate entrepreneurs and innovators [who] are on a mission to solve one of the great challenges of our time: fixing a broken healthcare system in ways that significantly reduce costs and dramatically improve care.”

To read the complete press release, click here.

Personalized Medicine: A Look Under the Microscope

In a recent CNBC CEO blog, Medco Health Solution’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Epstein, declared that “Personalized medicine has finally arrived and is poised to deliver significant health improvement and healthcare cost savings.” Of course, that is the premise and platform that Medivo was built upon.

We are all familiar with the success that oncology has attained utilizing a personalized medicine approach, but according to Epstein, many more diseases are well suited including cardiovascular (warfarin dose, antiplatelet therapy, hypercholesterolemia) HIV and Hepatitis C. Medivo is working actively in all of those areas as well as diabetes, atrial fibrillation, Hepatitis B, testosterone and many others.

Reaffirming Medivo’s business plan, Epstein concluded that “There is research or personalized medicine approaches for virtually every area of chronic disease today.”

Advances in Personalized Medicine May Help Smokers

Interesting post on the PhRMA blog on a new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences talks about the discovery of a genetic variant that may help with smoking cessation.

Click here to read the full post.

Data Analytics to Play Vital Role in the Growth of Healthcare

According to a recent New York Times article, healthcare businesses, in particular, will need to make big investments in data mining and analytics in order to get a piece of the projected $300 billion boost as a result of recent data innovations.

“In health care, the biggest slice of the $300 billion gain is expected to come from more effectively using data to inform treatment decisions. The tools include clinical decision support to assist doctors, and comparative effectiveness research to make more informed decisions on drug therapy.

For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente save millions of dollars a year in treating many patients with high cholesterol with generic statins instead of branded statins, like Lipitor. But such tailored treatments require electronic health records for tracking results, and most of the nation’s hospitals and physicians still use paper records.”

Click here to read the full article.

Kids Curious About DNA and Genetics Celebrate National DNA Day

April 15 was designated National DNA Day by The National Human Genome Research Institute and the American Society of Human Genetics. Kids from all around the country participated during their school day in an online question and answer session challenging scientists, genetics counselors, and others with some really tough questions.

The American Society of Human Genetics asked high school students to weigh in on the topic of DTC Genetic Testing, covered at recent FDA meetings. Students were asked to write an essay addressing the ‘medical, ethical, legal, or social dimensions of the issue of companies offering genetic testing directly to consumers, bypassing the involvement of physicians and genetic counselors. Discuss whether you think this is a good idea or not.’

The essays are onIine to read, but what’s important here is the effort to engage and educate kids about DNA and genetics. The comments and essays show a curious group who we know are the future of personalized healthcare, genomic medicine and health IT. While we focus on educating physicians to adopt the genetic tests, biomarker panels, and gene expression analyses of today, it’s great to see the healthcare professionals of tomorrow taking an active role in their education.

CMS Announces Special Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Programs

As part of its continued efforts to incentivize Medicare Advantage (MA) Organizations to achieve a 5-star quality rating, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the creation of a special enrollment period (SEP) to permit enrollment into 5-star rated MA Plans at any time during the benefit year starting 2012. This creates a strong additional driver for top performing MA plans to achieve 5-star quality ratings beyond significant benefits of higher Quality Bonus Payments and higher Benchmark Rebates. Click here to learn more.

Rising Healthcare Costs Highlights Need for Better Alternatives

We need more cost efficient and convenient alternatives to accessing care. Some of the components need to be taken out of the traditional setting and provided virtually. One major opportunity is to improve compliance and screening for diseases earlier by managing diagnostic lab testing virtually.

From The New York Times:

As Health Costs Soar, G.O.P. and Insurers Differ on Cause

Republicans are seizing on rising costs as evidence that the new health care law includes expensive features, but insurers say premiums are rising because of demand and cost of care.

http://nyti.ms/exJJbt

Cystic Fibrosis Clears Drug Hurdle

Vertex says that the drug, VX-770, which is designed to counter one specific genetic mutation, improved lung function in people with cystic fibrosis in a late-stage clinical trial.

Click here to read more.

Consumers Demanding Online Access to Healthcare Services

Consumers are increasingly demanding online access to physicians and other healthcare services.

CARY, N.C. – Mar. 02, 2011 – Every day, Americans use online tools to gather information, pay bills, communicate with friends, and conduct business. Intuit Health’s second annual Health Care Check-Up Survey, shows that they want and expect that same connectivity and convenience from their doctor’s office. Seventy-three percent of Americans surveyed would use a secure online communication solution to make it easier to get lab results, request appointments, pay medical bills, and communicate with their doctor’s office. The convenience of anytime, anywhere access is so important that almost half would consider switching doctors for a practice that offered the ability to communicate and complete important health care tasks online.

Click here to read more.

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