Today, communications in all industries rely heavily on mobile technology, which is why it’s almost hard to believe that it’s taken so long for hospitals to begin coordinating their healthcare communications via tech. However, a UK hospital is putting antiquated ways aside in favor for mobile, online communication of patients’ medicine needs, appointments, and other areas of treatment.
Between 2006 and 2016, the number of U.S. households with solar panels increased from just 30,000 to more than one million. It’s a huge milestone for renewable energy efforts in the U.S. and a household trend that is expected to increase to almost four million homes by 2020.
Managing blood pressure and similar chronic diseases with mobile technology was the premise of a recent study by researchers from Oxford University and the University of Cape Town.
No-shows. This consistent healthcare industry issue is increasingly alleviated through SMS. No-shows result in numerous problems for any healthcare provider, as they make scheduling a replacement within the necessary timeframe next to impossible. This ultimately results in lost revenue.
Mobile technology is eradicating this issue by sending appointment reminders via SMS. More and more healthcare providers are jumping on board the SMS train for this reason, with great results.
Southwestern Vermont Health Care is a health system providing services to residents of the Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts, and eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York. It’s also yet another example of a healthcare provider harnessing the power of SMS. The provider is encouraging the surrounding community to make healthy choices through a new service that sends inspiring text messages about well-being.
In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton. This legislation was designed to improve the continuity of information across the medical industry including insurance coverage for groups and individuals, as well as to fight against fraud and bureaucratic waste.
HIPAA, however, was written before the full breadth of the Internet had been realized and was well before the mass digitalization of personal records.