Leonard Otieno, RN 🇰🇪’s Post

Integrated Family Medical Center and Dr. Kalpana Desai, M.D. have been a great partner for HealthSnap over the last few years specific to our #remotepatientmonitoring and #chroniccaremanagement services - I'm excited to share their clinical outcomes data below: 1. The average for all hypertensive IFMC patients using RPM for blood pressure monitoring showed a 12-point decrease in Systolic (p < 0.0001) and a 7-point decrease in Diastolic (p < 0.0001), along with a 5-point decrease in pulse pressure (p < 0.001). 2. Among those with stage 2 hypertension, there was a decrease in Systolic pressure by 14 points (p < 0.0001), Diastolic pressure by 8 points (p < 0.0001), and a decrease in pulse pressure of 6 points (p < 0.01).

Visiting the same medical centre every time you’re sick is not the same as having a regular GP. We see this really frequently at Whitebridge Medical Centre. When we ask new patients “who was your last GP” they will answer “Charlestown Square Medical and Dental” (a ForHealth practice) or “Charlestown square medial centre” (an IPN practice). If you’re seeing 10 different GPs over 2 years all under the same roof then you’re not really getting continuity of care. I remain completely convinced that a sustained, longitudinal relationship with a GP means you know their name, not just the corporate banner they sit under. And that sustained relationship provides both direct health benefits to you but also efficiency and economic benefits to the system as a whole. More and more GPs are working less and less. So how do we keep people engaged with a single GP when they work less hours in clinic and move around more than ever? I don’t have all the answers but at least we are trying….,,,,, We use our tech stack to help our GPs and our patients find each other easily. We offer a proper cloud based software setup so GPs can do work from home and more frequent shorter sessions on their terms. We also offer asynchronous options for exisiting patients and follow up visits for flexiblity on both sides. But finally we as a clinic also try to keep people with their GP wherever we can. We were recently “shared hosting” a GP with another clinic down the road, with her consulting half the week from our rooms and half the week at another consulting group. The other consulting group was willing to offer a much lower service fee but would only do so if she stopped consulting with us. We elected to work hard to help her patients find her at the new clinic and to make the transfer of notes as seamless and patient centred as possible. We do this both because it is the right thing to do but also to help patients keep that continuity with the provider, not the clinic space. So let’s keep innovating and changing but let’s do it to keep people with their one regular GP. It’s just common sense. https://lnkd.in/gCBVbG4T

Plenty to unpack from this unambiguous perspective! Dr Iannuzzi is clearly a strong advocate for generalist doctors; outlining the positive impact on patient care and cost savings that arise from utilising GPs in Australian hospitals. As a rural GP with a broad skillset in outback NSW, he recognises the benefits of treating hospital patients holisitcally, and by discharging effectively he provides better longitudinal care. Importantly, he highlights the behaviours and policies that must be reevaluated in order for GPs to play an even more meaningful role in the system. This polarising article raises some interesting questions. ▫ Do non-GP Specialists have a PBS/Medicare knowledge gap? ▫ Is there a shortage of remote (inspirational) GPs in teaching institutions? ▫ What are the ways of effectively engaging GPs at Metropolitan hospitals? ▫ Can PHNs and Urgent Care Clinics still add value in the current health system? Answers on a postcard! #generalpractice #healthcare #ruralhealth #gptraining #healthpolicy #urgentcare #emergencymedicine #hospitalrecruitment

Interaction between specialists and primary care physicians is crucial for supporting patient care, and improving the physician experience. Peer-to-peer consultations are bolstering healthcare by solving the challenges of #access and delays in care resulting from ongoing doctor shortages and hospital closures. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gS53zWEf #econsult #virtualspecialtycare #virtualcare #betteraccess #peertopeer

🏥 Addressing Disparities in Healthcare Spending: The National Audit Office has uncovered substantial price variations among UK hospitals for identical medical equipment. Some hospitals are paying double the price for essential items, indicating a need for more efficient spending within the healthcare sector. This revelation prompts a crucial conversation about optimising the NHS's spending power and ensuring equitable access to medical resources. 💉 #HealthcareDisparities #NAO #NHS Read: https://lnkd.in/eW5up4Z2 

The proliferation of medical devices and technology in healthcare has brought with it an unintended consequence: alarm fatigue. Alarm fatigue occurs when healthcare professionals become desensitized to constant alarms, leading them to ignore critical notifications. This not only impacts their ability to focus on patient care, but also contributes to staff burnout and fatigue. ICUs, in particular, are notorious for over-alarming. The average ICU generates noise levels far above the recommended limit, largely due to frequent alarms. Shockingly, the ICU hears an average of more than 700 alarms per patient daily, with up to 35% of an ICU nurse's shift dedicated to addressing these often inactionable and unnecessary alerts. This excessive alarming has dire consequences, including two cited cases where alarm fatigue directly resulted in patient deaths. These tragic sentinel events underscore the urgent need to address this issue. Alarm fatigue isn't confined to healthcare providers; it also affects patients. Constant beeping and chimes from medical machines can exacerbate the stress patients already feel. They may become anxious when alarms go unaddressed, suffer from poor-quality sleep, and potentially develop ICU delirium. Efforts are being made to combat alarm fatigue. These include adjusting ward layouts for better visibility of alarm monitors, ensuring daily replacement of adhesive connections to alarms, and enhancing alert specificity. Sending alarms to personal devices, like cell phones or pagers, can also reduce the noise within healthcare settings. The Joint Commission and FDA have recognized the seriousness of this issue and have released guidelines to mitigate alarm-related adverse events. Recommendations include setting specific default alarm thresholds for different clinical conditions and continuously adjusting patient-specific thresholds. While alarms play a crucial role in healthcare, striking a balance between sensitive, specific alerts and reducing alarm fatigue is imperative. Hospitals must form interdisciplinary teams to address this issue, develop procedures for assessing equipment failures, educate staff, and establish policies to continuously refine alarm thresholds. In the quest for patient safety, it's clear that addressing alarm fatigue is a vital priority. Let's work together to create a healthcare environment where alarms are not just numerous but also high quality, helping us save lives without compromising the well-being of our healthcare professionals and patients. 🏥🚨 #Healthcare #AlarmFatigue #PatientSafety

🚀 Big news in New York healthcare! Governor Hochul's groundbreaking proposal seeks to overhaul supervision requirements, paving the way for a new era of autonomy and innovation for PAs statewide. This move isn't just about paperwork – it's about modernizing healthcare practices, ensuring greater flexibility for providers, and meeting the evolving needs of patients in our ever-changing landscape. Dive deeper into the details and discover how this shift could shape the future of healthcare in the Empire State. 🏥 #NewYork #Blog #PhysicianAssistant #Healthcare #Laws

Vida Medical Clinic Redefines Healthcare Experience With Comprehensive Services and Patient-Centric Approach

Eco·pí is designed with clinicians in mind, aiming to restore efficiency in both medical offices and hospitals. Currently, healthcare staff often spend a significant portion of their day addressing challenges arising from urine sample mishaps. These include cleaning up after accidents, instructing patients to drink water in an attempt to provide a successful sample, and managing disruptions to their schedules caused by these delays. By introducing eco·pí, these challenges are mitigated, offering a more streamlined and hygienic approach to urine sample collection. Healthcare professionals no longer have to contend with the inconvenience of cleaning up spills or repeatedly instructing patients to attempt sample collection. This not only frees up valuable time for clinicians but also eliminates the need for constant contact with urine, contributing to a more comfortable and sanitary work environment. Moreover, the efficiency of eco·pí ensures that patients are more likely to successfully provide a sample on their first attempt. This rapid and accurate sample collection translates to faster diagnosis and treatment, particularly beneficial in cases such as urinary tract infections or bladder infections in females. Eco·pí's clinician-minded design aims to enhance the overall workflow in healthcare settings, offering both time and hygiene advantages to medical staff.

See my article published today in the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine: Master the Distinction Between Level 3 and Level 4 Visits With These Best Practices. Most urgent care visits are either level 3 or level 4. Differentiating between the two will be my main focus moving into 2024 for my presentations! #urgentcare #medicalcoding #providers #codingexcellence