Category Archives: Health

What is new in the field of Health. Trending topics, and cutting edge research in the are of Health. Press Releases that give us updates on Health.

American Family Care Celebrating Recognition on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500


American Family Care (AFC) is celebrating six years on Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500®, one of the world’s most admired business rankings. AFC experienced a steady climb from #405 in 2013 to #107 in 2019. The Franchise 500 ranking recognizes AFC for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate, and brand power.

“Our consecutive ranking on the Franchise 500 is an outstanding achievement,” said D. Bruce Irwin, M.D., Founder and CEO of AFC. “Our success is the result of the dedication our employees and franchisees have for delivering compassionate, convenient healthcare to our patients around the corner and around the nation.”

American Family Care currently has more than 200 locations across the country and is the largest provider of urgent care in the country. “Our rapid growth is fueled by the nation’s need for high-quality, accessible healthcare, as well as the company’s focus on patient satisfaction,” explains Sean Hart, CFE, AFC’s Vice President of Sales and Development. “We are on track to expand our footprint to 500 locations within the next five years. Our patient-centric model is at the core of that growth, we are making it easier for families to get checked out by a medical provider seven days a week, no appointment is ever needed at AFC.”

Over the last 38 years, AFC has pioneered the concept of non-emergency room urgent care and expanded the concept across 28 states. All AFC clinics are designed, equipped, and staffed to provide accessible primary care, urgent care, and minor emergency treatment. Each clinic features a high-tech approach, including digital x-rays, on-site lab testing, state-of-the-art diagnostics, and electronic medical records. The clinics are staffed by kind, caring, and compassionate health care professionals.

During its 41 years in existence, the Franchise 500 has become recognized as an important industry measurement tool for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. American Family Care’s sustained presence in the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity.

About American Family Care:

Founded by Dr. Bruce Irwin with a single location in 1982, American Family Care has pioneered the concept of convenient, patient-centric healthcare. Today, with more than 200 clinics and 600 in-network physicians caring for nearly 3 million patients a year, AFC is the nation’s leading provider of urgent care, accessible primary care, and occupational medicine. Ranked by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., AFC’s stated mission is to provide the best healthcare possible, in a kind and caring environment, while respecting the rights of all patients, in an economical manner, at times and locations convenient to the patient. For more information, visit http://www.AmericanFamilyCare.com.

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Think Globally, Act Locally, Upcoming Webinar Hosted by Xtalks


Xtalks Life Science Webinars

Despite ICH E2E efforts to harmonize risk management requirements globally, variations in regulations and approach exist depending on the country or region.

Flexible processes and systems are necessary to meet diverse regulatory requirements for risk management programs in various countries globally.

On Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 11am EST (4pm GMT/UK), join guest speakers Carla Perdun Barrett, PharmD, Senior Director of Patient Safety & Risk Management at PRA Health Sciences and Dan Feith, Executive Vice President at Feith Systems and Software for an informative live webinar.

Over the last decade, pharmacovigilance professionals have witnessed a significant shift in risk management activities with regard to updated guidelines and regulations beyond North America and Europe. Despite ICH E2E efforts to harmonize risk management requirements globally, variations in regulations and approach exist depending on the country or region.

To date, risk management regulations or guidelines are in place in over 70 countries around the globe. Additionally, health authorities without established risk management regulation or guidance may request risk management plans to review or require risk management activities to be implemented. As the legislative landscape continues to evolve, the pharmaceutical industry has responded by developing flexible processes to meet the various scenarios and regulatory compliance in different countries. Oftentimes, a core or global risk management strategy is developed centrally and then provided to colleagues regionally for customization to meet local requirements. Mechanisms may be established to centralize or decentralize oversight of the local development of risk management plans, as well as local implementation of additional risk minimization measures or additional pharmacovigilance activities.

Companies must be able to demonstrate compliance with risk management commitments at any point in time. Furthermore, safety leaders are accountable for the performance of their risk management system. They must be able to review performance status on a regular basis and expect proactive resolution of any potential compliance issue. Tracking and monitoring of risk management commitments pose unique challenges due to the complexity of the activities, differences in healthcare systems and use of suboptimal and disparate tracking systems.

This webinar will be suitable for senior-level professionals and safety physicians working within:

  • Pharmacovigilance and Patient Safety
  • Risk Management
  • QPPV Office
  • Regulatory Affairs
  • Medical Affairs
  • Quality Assurance


For more information or to register for this event, visit Globalization of Risk Management: Think Globally, Act Locally.

ABOUT PRA HEALTH SCIENCES

PRA Health Sciences delivers innovative solutions that improve patients’ lives. Our people are passionate about the entire product life cycle, working tirelessly to provide quality results for clients. We offer exceptional experience across all phases, therapeutic areas, and a broad spectrum of solutions, ranging from full-service clinical development to our pioneering embedded model.

With 16,000+ employees covering 90+ countries, we reinforce an impressive global presence with keen local insights. Our project teams apply their understanding of local regulations, standards of care, and cultural customs to effectively align our approaches with each project’s unique goals.

At PRA, we love what we do because we are making a difference in the lives of patients and their family members worldwide. Over the years, we have contributed to the development of 85 products now available to countless patients. From our scientific and medical experts to therapeutically aligned project managers and monitors, we provide the commitment and expertise needed for today’s complex studies.

To learn more about PRA, please visit http://www.prahs.com or email us at prahealthsciences@prahs.com.

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com

For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/

Contact:

Candice Tang

Tel: +1 (416) 977-6555 ext 400

Email: ctang@xtalks.com

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Mercy Health Services President & CEO Thomas R. Mullen Announces Pending Retirement


Thomas R. Mullen, Mercy Health Services

Thomas R. Mullen, Mercy Health Services

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we extend our deepest gratitude for Tom’s peerless leadership. His efforts during these past 28 years have made Mercy the thriving health care system it is today,” said Sister Helen Amos, RSM, Executive Chair, Board of Trustees.

After 28 years of successful service, Mercy Health Services President & CEO Thomas R. Mullen has announced his plans to retire as President & CEO effective July 2020. The Board of Trustees of Mercy Health Services announced the unanimous selection of Executive Vice President, David N. Maine, M.D. to succeed Mr. Mullen at that time. Mr. Mullen will then serve as Senior Advisor through December 2021.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we extend our deepest gratitude for Tom’s peerless leadership. His efforts during these past 28 years have made Mercy the thriving health care system it is today,” said Sister Helen Amos, RSM, Executive Chair, Board of Trustees. “Tom and our entire Board are confident in the appointment of Dr. David Maine to build upon Mercy’s success well into the future,” Sister Helen Amos continued. “As a longtime Mercy physician leader, Dr. Maine is uniquely qualified to bolster and further expand Mercy’s award-winning clinical programs, enhancing Mercy’s singular position as an independent, Catholic health system with statewide reach.”

“Serving as President & CEO of Mercy has been the experience of a lifetime. Since the hospital’s founding by the Sisters of Mercy in 1874, Mercy has been a very special place of hope and healing, committed to its mission of service to the Greater Baltimore community,” Mr. Mullen said. “For more than a decade at Mercy, Dr. Maine has consistently demonstrated clinical and business excellence, compassion for our patients, and a deep personal commitment to our mission and values. He’s exactly the right leader at the right time for Mercy.”

“I am honored and humbled to be selected by the Board of Trustees to follow in Tom’s footsteps as President & CEO of Mercy Health Services,” Dr. David Maine said. “As a result of Tom’s and Sister Helen’s leadership over the years, Mercy is blessed with outstanding physicians, providers, nurses, staff and a strong team of executive leaders all committed to moving Mercy forward for many years to come,” Dr. Maine continued. “As a mission-driven organization, we look forward to meeting the challenges of an evolving healthcare landscape by leading as the health system of choice with high-quality, high-value services provided in a community of compassionate care.”

Dr. David Maine has served as Executive Vice President for Mercy Health Services since October 2019, responsible for all MHS operations, overseeing the Medical Center, specialty and primary care physician networks, and Mercy affiliates. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Vice President of Mercy Health Services, Dr. Maine was Executive Vice President of Mercy’s Physician Enterprise, focusing on the growth of its physician network. Dr. Maine’s other roles at Mercy have included serving as President of Medical Staff; as Senior Vice President of Clinical Transformation, leading Mercy’s efforts to launch SurgCenter of Towson; and since 2007, as Medical Director of The Center for Interventional Pain Medicine at Mercy, earning distinction as a Baltimore magazine “Top Doctor” by providing leading-edge treatment options to patients throughout Maryland.

Dr. Maine is Board Certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester School Of Medicine. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology and his fellowship in Interventional Pain Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Maine, 43, lives in Pikesville, Maryland with his wife and two children.

“On behalf of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s half million Catholics, we celebrate and cherish Tom Mullen’s exceptional leadership as Mercy Health Services’ first lay President & CEO,” said Archbishop William Lori. “With Dr. David Maine taking the helm in July, I have no doubt Mercy will remain a shining beacon of light and hope for our City with a special commitment to the poor and underserved. We are grateful for Sister Helen Amos’ continuing service as Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees and Mercy’s ongoing promise to remain an independent, locally-governed health system, fully committed to its Catholic identity.”

“As Mercy Health Services’ Canonical Sponsor, the Sisters of Mercy are very proud to have worked with Tom Mullen for nearly three decades to further our health care ministry for the people of Baltimore,” said Sister Pat Coward, RSM, Health Ministry Liaison for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, South Central Community. “We believe Mercy is well-positioned under the leadership of Dr. David Maine as the future President and CEO to carry forward Mercy’s mission and values inspired by the life of our founder, Catherine McAuley,” Sister Coward continued.

When Mr. Mullen, 63, first arrived at Mercy Medical Center in 1991 as Chief Financial Officer to work alongside then newly-appointed President & CEO Sister Helen Amos, RSM, Mercy was seriously challenged to remain relevant as a small, urban hospital located in a struggling city with a declining population. In the decades that followed, Mercy was transformed into a strong and growing regional health system through the creation of new Centers of Excellence led by renowned physicians who developed focused, high-quality clinical programs in Women’s Health, Orthopedics, Cancer, Digestive Health, and more. With Mr. Mullen’s vision and ongoing support, the new physician-led programs began drawing ever-increasing numbers of new patients to Mercy from throughout Maryland and beyond.

Early on, Mr. Mullen also recognized the need to work with Mercy’s physician leaders to provide comprehensive services closer to the community by creating one-stop-shop medical hub sites that also offered ancillary diagnostic and imaging services and convenient access for patients across the region. As a result of his foresight to invest in building an ambulatory network of more than 220 employed primary and specialty care providers, Mercy’s physician enterprise now touches more than 10% of the adult population of the entire Baltimore Metropolitan region. Today, over 270,000 Marylanders utilize Mercy’s surgeons and medical specialists and rely on Mercy Personal Physicians for their primary care needs.

Under Mr. Mullen’s direction, Mercy’s investment in quality and its growing financial strength enabled the development of the award-winning Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center in September 2003 and the construction and opening of the $400+ million, 20-story replacement inpatient tower, The Mary Catherine Bunting Center in December 2010. During his tenure, Mercy acquired Stella Maris, central Maryland’s largest long-term care facility providing skilled nursing care, hospice, home health, and rehabilitation services, and developed Mercy Ridge, a 409-unit Continuing Care Retirement Center both located in Timonium, MD.

“Mercy’s success is attributed to our philosophy that physician leadership of our clinical programs leads to outstanding patient-centered care,” Mr. Mullen said. “Mercy’s culture of excellence and compassion is rooted in an environment where physicians feel the freedom to practice medicine in the way they know is best for their patients,” Mr. Mullen continued. “The selection of Dr. David Maine is a natural extension of our culture and philosophy. My focus over the next six months is to ensure a seamless transition as Mercy moves forward to succeed in an era of value-based care.”

“I am especially grateful for Tom’s ongoing mentorship and support during the transition and for his commitment to remain with Mercy as a Senior Advisor through December 2021,” Dr. Maine said. “Tom has left an indelible mark on the 145-year history of this great institution and his continued advice and counsel will be treasured by myself, Sister Helen, and our entire senior management team as we work together to build on Tom’s legacy for Mercy’s future.”

Sister Helen Amos, RSM, and Dr. David Maine released a video tribute of Mr. Mullen’s many contributions to Mercy in celebration of 20 years of dedicated service as President & CEO.

**About Mercy Health Services**

Mercy Health Services, Inc. (MHS) is a nonprofit, integrated health system, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, delivering health care and residential services in various locations throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area. MHS is the parent of Mercy Medical Center, a 183-licensed bed acute care teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Maryland School Of Medicine. Located in the heart of downtown Baltimore, Mercy Medical Center provides a broad range of primary and secondary acute care services, as well as a preferred tertiary referral center in certain select specialties. Mercy Medical Center has been recognized as a top Maryland hospital by U.S. News & World Report; a Top 100 hospital for Women’s Health & Orthopedics by Healthgrades; and is currently A-rated for Hospital Safety by the Leapfrog Group. In Fiscal 2018, Mercy provided more than $57 million in state-reported Community Benefits, including $14 million in Charity Care to Baltimore-area residents. MHS is the parent of Mercy’s primary care and specialty care physician enterprise, known as Mercy Personal Physicians, which employs more than 220 physicians and advanced practitioners with Baltimore-area locations in Downtown, Lutherville, Overlea, Glen Burnie, Columbia, Canton, and Hunt Valley. MHS is the parent of Stella Maris, a leading Maryland nursing home and skilled nursing facility offering comprehensive senior services located in Timonium.

Addiction Professionals Achieve Success in Private Practice with new Book from Michael O’Brien


“I wrote this guide to share my success with addiction professionals across the country. Addiction professionals can provide safe and effective help to those suffering from substance use disorders in private practice.” Michael O’Brien, CADC II, NCAC I, SAP

Michael O’Brien, CADC II, NCAC I, SAP, has released a new book that has just recently achieved the #1 New Release status in the Practice Management category on Amazon.

Addiction Private Practice: The Definitive Guide for Addiction Counselors and Therapists is a comprehensive business plan for addiction counselors and therapists who want to effectively and safely help clients with substance abuse problems in a private office setting.

As one of the most successful independent addiction counselors, O’Brien has shared his secrets to success in his new book with informed strategies, processes, and best practices that will help addiction counselors and therapists take their practice to the next level or refocus their current practice in serving those with substance abuse disorders.

“I wrote this guide to share my success with addiction professionals across the country. Addiction professionals can provide safe and effective help to those suffering from substance use disorders in private practice. Demand has never been higher for these services, and counselors can earn much more than they do in treatment programs,” said Michael O’Brien, CADC I, NCAC I, SAP.

The book offers readers the opportunity to learn about the important components of a successful, ethical, and safe addiction practice while providing crucial advice on how to get started with very minimal start-up capital. O’Brien’s book also provides vital information about how to effectively and ethically market your independent addiction practice.

“Michael O’Brien has not only literally written the book on achieving success in addiction private practice, but he is also living proof that it is possible. His bulletproof addiction practice model is easy to understand and execute, even for those who are not technologically savvy. Any competent counselor can use this book to achieve their desired success. He is selflessly handing his proven strategies to his future competition and propelling the profession forward! This is a huge leap forward for all addiction professionals,” said Sherrie Rager, Ph.D., CADC II, M-RAS, CCDS.

“Addiction Private Practice has been monumental in helping me start my practice. This book lays out step-by-step how to get started, maintain, and continue to thrive in private practice. By following Michael’s strategies, I was able to obtain eight clients in a matter of weeks! His knowledge and strategies work. As a substance abuse counselor, without this information and guidance, I may never have gone into private practice,” added Bryan Vasquez, CAT-C III.

The book is now available in paperback on Amazon. The Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play versions are in pre-order status at a special price of $9.99 at all major retailers for a limited time. The audiobook will be released within the next two weeks.

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ReST Smart Bed Becomes Smarter Through Partnership with BedJet, Temperature Regulation Innovator


ReST Smart Bed Becomes Smarter Through Partnership with BedJet, Climate Comfort Technology Innovators

By combining our market leading climate comfort bed technology technology with the ReST Bed’s™ sense-and-respond capabilities, we are one step closer to achieving our shared mission of a totally customized sleep environment

Sleep technology innovator ReST, has partnered with BedJet to offer customers the opportunity to add rapid heating, cooling, and climate control to the ReST Bed’s™ existing smart bed capabilities.

The ReST Bed™ senses a sleeper’s position and makes automatic real-time adjustments. This technology, combined with five customizable zones makes the ReST Bed™ the most customizable bed on the market.

“One of the most frequent questions potential customers ask us is if the ReST Bed™ has temperature regulation. Since ReST’s mission is to provide the ultimate sleeping experience, it was natural for us to partner with BedJet, the market leaders in intelligent powered sleep temperature regulation,” says Kyle Taylor, ReST’s Marketing Manager. “Together, we can achieve our goal of creating the ultimate smart sleep experience.”

Added Mark Aramli, BedJet’s CEO and Founder, “Our team is very impressed with the innovative technology developed at ReST. By combining our market leading climate comfort bed technology technology with the ReST Bed’s™ sense-and-respond capabilities, we are one step closer to achieving our shared mission of a totally customized sleep environment.”

About ReST

ReST’s mission is to provide the ultimate sleeping experience. ReST is the only company with an integrated technology solution that not only monitors movement in real-time but automatically responds to those unique and personal changes.

Our main product is the ReST Bed™: the only truly smart bed. The ReST Bed™ incorporates our patented smart fabric, which senses changes in pressure and interacts with the mattress in order to automatically respond to the sleeper’s comfort and support needs throughout the night. Above all, ReST Beds™ help sleep better so that they can live healthier and more productive lives.

About BedJet

BedJet is a sleep technology start-up that is re-inventing the sleep experience with advanced technology and proven medical sleep science. BedJet’s groundbreaking cooling, heating and climate comfort system for beds is currently the only product in the category that has been clinically proven to improve sleep and increase daytime energy. Based in Newport, R.I., the company was founded in 2013 by inventor and former NASA space suit engineer Mark Aramli. For more information, visit http://www.bedjet.com.

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Abide Meditation Calls for Racial Reconciliation in Commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day


Martin Luther King Abide Meditation

Commemorating the civil rights icon Evangelist Alveda King, the niece of Dr. King, is the featured guest narrator on Abide Meditation.

“While many people of different ethnicities and races live peacefully all across the world, there are times it’s forgotten that all people are made in the image of God and deserving of honor, respect, and protection.”

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday Abide Meditation is calling for a time of prayer of racial reconciliation. Abide is the #1 Christian meditation app.

Commemorating the civil rights icon Evangelist Alveda King, the niece of Dr. King, is the featured guest narrator on Abide Meditation.

Entitled “I Have a Dream” Evangelist King narrates, “While many people of different ethnicities and races live peacefully all across the world, there are times it’s forgotten that all people are made in the image of God and deserving of honor, respect, and protection.”

Dr. King was a man of God, a pastor, who endeavored to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. MLK saw humanity as God’s creation, and he hoped and dreamed that we would become brothers and sisters.

The meditation can be found on the Abide Meditation app, and the Abide Healing Prayer YouTube channel.

“While some want to make racism a political issue, at its root, its a spiritual matter of the human heart,” said Abide Executive Producer Russ Jones. “At its core is the assumption that one race is superior to another.”

Abide boasts users from over 200 countries and in 2019, averaged 1 billion minutes of meditation time. Abide blends professional excellence with great purpose, fellowship, and prayer.

The Abide app is free to download, but a paid subscription to Abide Premium gives access to over 1000 hours of premium content, including an ever-growing library of biblically-based Sleep Stories, daily meditations, children’s stories, calming background music, and a journaling tool.

Download the app for a 7-day free trial and join the thousands across the globe for daily Christian prayer and meditation. It has had over 2-million downloads to date and over 35,000 5-star user reviews.

Abide is available in both the App Store and Google Play store.

About Abide

Abide Meditation is a project of Carpenters Code, a small startup located in San Mateo, California. It was started by former Google employees seeking to use their gifts to help bring people closer to God. The Abide mobile app is the world’s most popular Christian meditation app, guiding hundreds of thousands of people around the world in biblical truth and personal reflection.

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Calibrater Health Celebrates 12 Million Patient Satisfaction Surveys Sent Via HIPAA-Compliant Text Message Platform


Calibrater Health, the leading feedback management platform for multi-unit healthcare businesses, announced today the milestone of 12 million patient satisfaction surveys. Calibrater’s tool provides immediate feedback to doctors and staff, empowering them to improve patient satisfaction and increase the number of visitors to their practice.

Over 1500 clinics in urgent care, eye care, dentistry, and behavioral health are currently using Calibrater’s easy-to-implement tool, which was designed for multi-unit businesses in a growth stage. Since Calibrater sent its first text message survey to a patient, the tool has generated roughly 1.7 million pieces of actionable, insightful feedback for healthcare providers, operations leaders, and marketers.

“Those numbers represent millions of interactions and snapshots that improve the lives of healthcare providers and patients,” said Tim Dybvig, CEO of Calibrater Health. “Providers hear they did a great job or that they need to call a patient back to resolve a complaint. That instant response can change the life of that patient, as well as provide a roadmap for improving the experience for all patients that follow.”

Providers who use the tool are reporting an increase in business and better cohesiveness among their teams. “As our company grew in size it became apparent that we needed a better way to help us track our patient experience and keep our team informed,” said Spencer Gambrell, Director of Centralized Operations at Fast Pace Urgent Care. “Calibrater has been that and much more. We now have an in-depth view of each clinic’s patient satisfaction, increased five star reviews on social media, and a provider feedback tool that is helping everyone keep the patient experience first. On top of everything, they are great partners in helping us reach our goals.”

About Calibrater Health

Calibrater Health’s AI-powered tools help distributed healthcare organizations improve customer service and team culture to accelerate business growth. We send short text-message surveys after every patient visit, and our purpose-built platform uses machine learning to mine that valuable feedback for actionable insights targeted to the specific needs of your business. Start using our platform today and never miss another chance to repair a patient relationship, improve your team, and grow your healthcare business. Learn more at http://www.calibrater.com.

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Fledgling Journal Documenting Unbiased Dietary Lifestyle Research Announces Publication Expansion of Scientific Editions in 2020


Logo for International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention

International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention

Nutrition related headlines are typically dominated by sensational and often false claims. It is critical that we elevate the quality of nutrition related discussions by disseminating research of only the highest integrity. Millions of lives depend upon it.”

The International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention, now in its second year of publication, has announced today that it will release three scientific editions in 2020; one in March, one in June and one in September. This expansion comes as a result of a steady flow of high-quality submissions to the fledgling journal that is dedicated to publishing peer-reviewed scientific research that documents the efficacy of a whole food, plant-based dietary lifestyle to prevent and reverse disease. The IJDRP also announced that it will begin the rolling publication of research and commentaries immediately upon their availability, thus maximizing its ability to inform new lifesaving therapies with timely publication of critical research.

According to the CDC, nearly 60% of the population suffers the potentially debilitating effects of at least one chronic illness. These illnesses are the leading factor in the nation’s crippling $3.3 trillion in healthcare costs. With global populations facing similar grim statistics, it is obvious that change is needed. While there is already a large body of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of a whole food plant-based dietary lifestyle to prevent or reverse nearly 80% of chronic lifestyle related illnesses, more innovative and quality research on the subject is needed to continue to inform and influence emerging medical therapies.    

“Nutrition related headlines are typically dominated by sensational, contradictory and often false claims.” says IJDRP editor-in-chief Kim A. Williams, Sr., MD, MACC, FAH, MASNC, FESC. “It is critical that we elevate the quality of nutrition related discussions by disseminating research of only the highest integrity. Millions of lives depend upon it.”

The International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention’s first scientific edition was published in the spring of 2019 and was followed by a second in the fall of 2019. The IJDRP is the world’s first and only completely free, open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to documenting the efficacy of whole food, plant-based diet and lifestyle interventions to prevent, suspend and reverse disease. It is published without any outside industry influence.

The IJDRP is a special project of the Plantrician Project, a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation dedicated to educating, equipping and empowering physicians, healthcare providers and other health influencers with knowledge about the indisputable benefits of whole food plant-based nutrition. For more information, visit http://www.plantricianproject.org

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Medpricer’s New mSource® Pipeline Performance Management Solution Accelerates Margin Improvement on Purchased Services


“We rolled out mSource® Pipeline Performance Management to save our customers time, while simplifying how they track and report complex sourcing data to best evaluate their purchased services contracts,” said Medpricer CEO Chris Gormley.

Medpricer, one of the nation’s leading technology-based solutions to optimize healthcare provider savings across purchased services contracts, today announced its latest module for healthcare supply chains, mSource® Pipeline Performance Management. The comprehensive analytics and sourcing platform now enables supply chains to monitor progress of sourcing projects, assess team performances, create efficiencies among stakeholders and track savings against goals to optimize productivity.

“Many supply chain teams that negotiate purchased services contracts in-house are understaffed or over-extended without the proper resources,” said Medpricer CEO Chris Gormley. “We rolled out mSource® Pipeline Performance Management to save our customers time, while simplifying how they track and report complex sourcing data to best evaluate their purchased services contracts.”

As healthcare operating expenses continue to rise, there is a growing need for improved management to keep costs low without jeopardizing productivity. This becomes more complex as organizations juggle endless stakeholder requests with long-term improvement strategies. Medpricer developed mSource® Pipeline Performance Management to help supply chains reach aggressive savings targets without over-tapping time and personnel resources.

As the only dedicated purchased services solution that encompasses project intake and performance analytics, mSource® Pipeline Performance Management features mechanisms to easily manage and evaluate sourcing projects all in one place. These features include:

Simplified and Improved Performance Management

The mSource® Pipeline Performance Management dashboard reports performance indicators, which give supply chains important insights into critical business metrics, such as progress towards savings goals, major contract milestones and status updates on open sourcing initiatives.

Centralized Project Intake

One platform to accept, track and prioritize stakeholder requests. This enables supply chains to optimize their team’s resources across short- and long-term projects with ease. By centralizing documents and project tracking, Medpricer reduces risk and sourcing timelines on key projects for its customers.

Competitive Ranking Overview

Medpricer’s marketplace intelligence determines how an organization’s sourcing methods measure up to their competition. Customers can compare how their sourcing duration and percentage of savings lines up against peer organizations.

Improved Stakeholder Engagement

The dashboard provides a space to maximize the supply chain team’s resources by hosting weekly stakeholder check-ins. This aids in measuring employee engagement and reporting department achievements. By streamlining communications on the platform, Medpricer simplifies cross-department communications and reporting.

“The release of mSource® Pipeline Performance Management solution is a significant milestone on our product roadmap. It’s a testament to how quickly our team creates solutions, centered around user experience, to the everyday challenges our customers face,” said Mickey Meehan, Medpricer’s Chief Customer Officer. “Our team traveled the country to interview healthcare providers to better understand the industry’s broader purchasing needs. Supply chains from integrated delivery networks, university health systems and regional hospitals alike expressed their need for project intake and prioritization tied to performance reporting. Today, Medpricer is the only purchased services spend management solution that fills that gap.”

Medpricer launched its mSource® purchased services spend management platform in 2017 to centralize analytics, benchmarks, and contract negotiations. Its modular product offering, powered by AI and machine learning, gives supply chains transparency into spend by category and generates ROI predictions for sourcing initiatives. With millions of bid and transaction datapoints, customers can gather contract benchmarks with pinpoint accuracy. To create a closed-loop sourcing lifecycle, their customers use sourcing automation to maximize department resources and reach savings targets.

For more information, please visit http://www.medpricer.com/solutions/msource/msource-pipeline-performance-management/.

About Medpricer, a Premier company

Medpricer is a Premier company that moves savings strategies forward with scalable purchased services solutions that improve sourcing efficiency and financial health. Its industry-leading software, mSource®, is the only all-in-one contract management, negotiation, and analytics platform that enables organizations to tailor contract terms to fit their unique needs – not those of a group. Medpricer enables organizations to engage with their purchasing data, learn from market intelligence, unite stakeholders, and move contracts through the pipeline – faster. No catches, no hidden admin fees. Discover substantial savings and deliver outcomes that continuously improve the quality of patient care. To learn how other leading healthcare providers are transforming their savings strategy, call (888) 453-4554 or visit http://www.Medpricer.com.

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Find Out More About End Of Life Care For Cancer By Staying Informed With Best Hospice Services


Best Hospice Services

Best Hospice Services

Best Hospice Services Informing And Connecting Patients to Quality Care

End of Life Care for Cancer

Cancer is one of the most serious modern-day diseases, and its prevalence has increased drastically over the past years. This increased prevalence can be owed to multiple lifestyle factors. Many new treatments have been developed and are being developed to treat this dangerous disease but the mortality rate is still on the higher side. A lot of people come to know about their condition on the later stages. Once cancer spreads to the other organs of the body, it becomes almost impossible to treat it completely. The only option left is supportive care. That is when the role of end of life care for cancer jumps in. Let’s go into more details to understand the end of life care or hospice care.

What is End Stage Cancer?

Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of cells. This can happen in any tissue ranging from your skin to your brain. Cancer can involve your internal and external organs. Even a simple mole can transform into cancer. These rapidly proliferating cancer cells do not function like normal cells, and they keep on dividing unchecked making a big mass. This rapidly dividing mass not only utilizes a big amount of body’s energy, but also affects surrounding structures. It presses on other organs and causes symptoms.

These cells can also break off and go to the other parts of the body. Once it happens, cancer starts growing on multiple locations. On this stage, patient starts having severe symptoms like drastic weight loss, loss of appetite, severe pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and so on. Due to extensive involvement, curing the cancer becomes impossible. This is called end stage cancer or terminal cancer as it leads to death. [1]

How is Cancer Treated?

The usual treatment of cancer involves three main modalities; surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Surgery is done to remove the cancerous mass or decrease its size.

Chemotherapy consists of oral or injectable strong medications that kill cancer cells.

Radiotherapy uses radiations to damage and kill cancer cells.

There are other treatment modalities, such as brachytherapy, hormonal therapy etc. that are specific to some kinds of cancers. All of these treatment options are quite painful and come with their own complications. [2]

Why Do Patients Prefer Hospice Care Over Traditional Care?

As described above, usual cancer treatment consists of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The treatment choice is made according to the type and extent of cancer. More than one modality is used to treat or cure cancer. However, when cancer has spread beyond its original location, these modalities can only help control symptoms to some extent and do not cure the disease. Surgeries are performed to decrease the size of mass, so that it does not press on surrounding structures and cause problems, such as swallowing difficulties, swelling and pain. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy also help reduce the size.

However, this treatment is painful and causes many side effects and complications. These include infections, bleeding, nausea, vomiting, low hemoglobin, damage to surrounding structures, severe pain, headaches and what not. This can be very bothersome for the patient provided that cure is not possible. The treatment becomes more painful than beneficial. [3]

This is why, patients decide to skip all this pain and adopt hospice care over traditional cancer treatment. Hospice care ensures a better quality of life and in some cases, it has also been reported to be associated with a prolonged life.

What is Best Hospice Services? 

Wake up and notice the other choices in receiving healthcare information and be connected to care. When people generally have serious life-threatening illnesses they are usually recommended to be in traditional treatments. Traditional treatments are associated with suffering and pain such as chemotherapy, surgery and many other pain-causing procedures. Driving back and forth to hospital visits and clinics can take a toll on the family and person. In some circumstances when the patient’s condition is not improving there is a choice called hospice care. Hospice care focuses on quality of life and comfort.

Best Hospice Services is a tool that connects patients to exceptional hospice services. Further, they have articles that answer common questions about hospice care. Best Hospice Services, in essence, is a resource to families and people. A resource where people can call asking questions about the service, and read more information on illnesses to become educated about hospice related issues. Our main goal is to educate families about the hospice process. 

Best Hospice Services sits with industry leaders such as physicians and nurses collecting vital information about hospice services, end of life care diseases and publishes on our site. By educating patients and families we establish a higher level l of care. Our service providers are all quality assured and are only the best in the industry. Implementing quality assurance only hiring highly reviewed and recommended staff. Best Hospice Service goes the extra mile by conducting a customer satisfaction survey to improve the service. 

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care is a type of care plan designed for terminally ill patients. It focuses on improving the quality of patient’s life by managing pain and other symptoms. It not only treats physical symptoms, but also takes care of patient’s emotional needs. In simple words, hospice care focuses on making patient’s life as comfortable as possible in every possible way. It uses a holistic approach to solve patient’s problems.

Hospice care, also known as end of life care, is started once patient and his or her loved ones decide that traditional treatment to cure or reduce the severity of disease is not working anymore and is only bringing more pain and suffering to the patient. Hospice care is provided by trained staff who cater to patient’s need. This is a teamwork and usually involves a doctor, nurse, counselor, social worker, home health helpers, and some volunteers. They work together to ensure that patient’s rest of life is as good as it can be. Hospice care also involves family members. The team ensure that they are providing support to your family as well. [4]

What does Hospice Care for Cancer Include?

Cancer is a painful disease. It not only causes physical pain, but also leads to emotional trauma. Hospice care or end of life care for cancer focuses on all aspects of the disease and aim to keep patient as comfortable and symptom free as possible. Following are different components of the end of life care for cancer. [5]

A doctor

Nursing care

Painkillers to ease pain

Other medications, such as anti-sickness drugs, medications for fever etc.

In case of shortness of breath an oxygen cylinder is attached

Bowel and bladder care

Other symptomatic care

Dietary care

Chaplains for spiritual support

Counselors for emotional support

Home health aides that help with routine care like bathing and teeth brushing

Physical therapists

Massages

Art therapy as required

Support for family members in caring for the patient and grieving after the patient dies

What should the End of Life Care for Cancer Start?

The patient is a good candidate for hospice care if:

The cancer is terminal and traditional treatment is no longer working.

You and your doctor have stopped trying to treat.

According to doctor, the patient’s life span is 6 months if cancer takes its natural course.

You are more interested in a good quality of life rather than a longer life span.

Treatment is bringing more pain than comfort.

Does Hospice Care Mean Early Death in Terminal Cancer?

There is this misconception that hospice care can cause early death. It is true that all efforts to cure the disease are stopped when the end of life care starts. However, this does not necessarily mean that life span will be shortened. In fact, cancer treatment itself can be very painful for terminally ill patients and sometimes the complications and distress caused by it can lead to death.

On the other hand, a longer than expected life span has been observed in some patients who were receiving hospice care. There can be multiple reasons for it. The end of life care improves patient’s comfort and also caters to his or her emotional and spiritual needs that can help. [6]

Looking for hospice care for you or your loved one? Get in touch with us and ensure the best possible terminal care!

http://www.besthospiceservices.com

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20362/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26811/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3773981/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537296/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4732180/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3183935/

“We started with a team of three in 2014 and have grown to more than 150 employees today through our network,” said Sannia Iqbal, who holds a degree in medicine and surgery. “Our team members are core to everything we do to help practices thrive. We’re honored to be named one of the Best Customer Care experience in LA — it reflects the care we take to support our team, knowing their happiness and well-being contribute to our success.”

Find Out More:

Link to Best Hospice Services

Hospice Care For The Dying?

Do you have to be on do not resuscitate?

Common Hospice Mistakes

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