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Showing posts with the label Aging

The Evolution of Healthcare: Integrating Lifestyle and Technology

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  The Reality of Aging and Chronic Conditions The Reality of Aging and Chronic Conditions Age does not come alone is a commonly held belief. By mid-sixties many people are already on up to four medications, usually four chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol. Treatments for these conditions are available and take up a significant portion of clinical time in terms of monitoring and adjustment of medicines. They are also conditions where medical compliance is variable, as they are pretty much symptomless until a significant event occurs eg heart attack or stroke. More bizarrely perhaps is that people attend different appointments for different follow ups, meaning any one individual may go to their GP four times a year, just to make sure everything is in order. In parts this is perpetuated by a system that measures the frequency of these check ups to remunerate the surgeries. While this is seen as a preventative measure, it is al...

CAN WE REWARD HEALTH RATHER THAN PAY FOR ILLNESS?

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  Bridging Tech and Wellness: A Revolutionary Approach to Health Insurance Two things many people have are phone banking and car insurance. Years ago, using your phone to handle your finances was fraught with worries about safety and confidentiality. But now it is the norm to use smartphone apps to do most financial transactions and most people have confidence in the systems that protect them. Car insurance is mandatory, but the costs are offset by no claims bonuses or being monitored when a new driver. Why can’t we combine these commonly accepted practices to bring about a revolution in health care? With secure technology, worries around confidentiality can be easily assuaged. So how about insurance companies modifying their health plans to allow reductions or benefits in response to maintaining and/or improving personal health? With todays technology, alongside nearable and wearable sensors, people can get real time information about many aspects of their health and act on it acc...

Hopefully, One Day the Customer will know Best!

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Healthcare Evolution: From Clinical Trust to Self-Driven Care in a Digital Age While having a trusting relationship with a clinical professional remains central to health care, since the pandemic there are clear signs that people are more interested in their health and looking at ways to confidently manage and support themselves, without always needing to seek advice. Many apps support this wish, so now for many, consumerism is coming to health care, in a parallel way to how banking apps have changed the way people handle their finances. When they arrived people feared the loss of privacy and security. Now they are normal practice and writing a cheque is almost obsolete. Will people feel the same managing there own health data? The signs are good. People question and challenge clinicians more, using curated clinical tools and there own self collected data. Post pandemic, virtual visits, especially for routine checks are far more common. But whole scale acceptance of a consumer driven ...

AGETECH: FROM "MAYBE" TO "MUST" FOR MANAGING CHRONIC CONDITIONS.

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The Economic Burden of Chronic Diseases in Aging Populations Chronic diseases are a significant and profound economic issue for individuals, the healthcare system, and society as a whole. With the aging of populations worldwide, the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing, accounting for  90% of all medical costs in the US  and even greater worldwide. It amounts to $4.1 trillion in annual health care expenditures The presence of multiple chronic conditions in the same individual has profound implications for healthcare costs and utilization. According to the CDC, six in ten adults have a chronic disease, and four in ten adults have two or more chronic diseases in the US.  A Swiss study  found that elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions had healthcare costs 5.5 times higher than those without multiple chronic conditions. Hence, even a small reduction in the prevalence of chronic diseases can result in significant cost savings and a genuine return on in...