Adults with congenital heart disease have one thing in common: loss to follow up. Across the world, children born with congenital heart diagnoses often stop engaging with the medical system when they graduate from high school. A lack of understanding of the need for lifelong care, no longer having parents insist on appointments, a fear of learning that something new is wrong, and just the business of life: education, work, family are all touted as potential drivers of this precipitous drop-off in cardiac care (https://professional.heart.org/professional/ScienceNews/UCM_464716_Children-with-Congenital-Heart-Disease-Are-Not-Getting-the-Follow-Up-They-Need.jsp).
It is challenging to combat these factors successfully. However, like all consumers, there are mechanisms to re-engage adults with congenital heart disease in cardiac care: convenience and connection. Once I recognized that, the answer was right in front of me: Telemedicine is how I started to bring them back.
The Arizona Telemedicine Program Blog, Category: mHealth
Seniors are becoming more tech savvy and digitally connected than ever before. Smartphone use has doubled in just the last four years with four in 10 seniors using this type of device. Six out of 10 seniors report using the internet, and about half of all seniors – around 24 million -- have internet access in their homes.
Today's technology does more than just make home life more convenient for seniors. It can also prolong their independence. From mobility assistive devices to ridesharing services to online social groups, here are some ways tech can keep seniors engaged, mobile and confident:
The University of Arizona Center for Rural Health is partnering with the Arizona Department of Health Services and other state agencies to train first responders to recognize opioid overdoses and to administer the drug naloxone to prevent fatalities.
The effort is funded with a four-year, $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). Of the $3.1 million, $2.2 million has been awarded to the UA Center for Rural Health, at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
Recent technological advancements have changed the way we see the world, paving the way for the growth of concepts such as telemedicine in the field of medical technology. Telemedicine is a method of providing clinical healthcare to someone from a distance by the use of telecommunication and information technology.
Expanding consumer demand for telehealth services is driving telehealth reimbursement policy reform. For that reason, telehealth clinicians wanting to provide and bill for services delivered to Medicaid recipients should do their due diligence. That means being cautious not to use nationally published policy guides as the sole source of truth for determining what is covered. Providers billing for services without making sure they are using up-to-date guidelines run the risk of having their claims denied or recouped on retrospective review.