Wellness

Useful App: Medfax (Listed as One of the Best New Apps)

Need an independent, unbiased source of medical information about doctors, drugs, medical devices and hospitals?

MedFax can be used to verify doctors, prescription drugs, medical devices and hospitals. It provides reports that allow consumers to make well-informed decisions regarding their healthcare. One of the largest information sources of its kind, MedFax has combined and cross-referenced information from hundreds of sources, including state and federal agencies, the FDA, state health departments, county and federal courts and more. The result is over 1.5 million reports that present vital information right at the consumer’s fingertips.

  • Doctor Search – How well do you know your doctor? Check licensing, disciplinary record, malpractice history, etc…
  • Drug Search – Get complete information about your medications and their side effects.
  • Device Search – Complete information about the use and safety of medical devices.
  • Hospital Search – Find out how your hospital rates for patient satisfaction and safety.

Medfax brings unbiased, independent data source, Current information, continuous updates, Millions of records at your fingertips.

AngioScreen – Know more than your cholesterol level!

Forty percent of all Americans having a stroke have normal cholesterol levels. Not what one would expect considering vascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of heart attack and stroke.

A six minute health screen will provide the information needed. AngioScreen is a simple, non-invasive vascular screening designed to provide information about your circulation and risk of heart disease or stroke. Testing includes blood pressure, pulse, heart rhythm, BMI, ABI (Ankle Brachial Index). Screening is looking for blockage or plaque. You receive a color printout of photos of your carotid arteries (located in the neck and carry blood to the brain) along with written results and abnormal values highlighted in red which have also been copied to a CD to share with your doctor.

Log on to www.AngioScreen.com to inquire about screenings. Be sure to tell them Mike Schunk of Employee Benefit Advisors recommended the test.

The best employee absences are the ones that never happen

A 2012 study showed half (48%) of a company’s employees experience business or personal legal-related issues each year, spending an average of 51 hours to resolve them.

Compared to the average, these employees:

  • Are absent five times more
  • Use medical benefits four times more
  • Use sick leave twice as often

A range of employee assistance services (EAP) to complement core benefits programs and meet any employer’s needs and budget is available, i.e. Long Term Disability contract also comes with optional ID Theft Recovery Services, for additional peace of mind.

Contact me to learn more.

The Eyes, a Window to Health – Part 2

Employers and employees aren’t seeing the health and productivity boosts that would be possible if more employees took advantage of their vision benefit, especially in an aging workforce. According to Transitions Optical, Inc., nearly half of employees aren’t taking advantage of their vision benefit, by either not enrolling (24%) or by not using their benefit to receive an eye exam (32%). Transitions Optical offers four reasons why employers should take eye education seriously.

1. If you can’t see well, you can’t work well. – 1 in 4 employees, age 45 or older, has to take breaks to rest their eyes at work, because they hurt or feel tired. Unfortunately, even slightly miscorrected vision — so slight an employee may not even notice — can reduce productivity by up to 20%.

2. Mental health and eye vision are connected – Vision problems can worsen mental decline and depression – issues that are already a heavy burden on today’s workforce. Older employees with poor vision are 5 times more likely to develop cognitive decline without dementia than their peers with very good or excellent vision. Untreated poor vision in the elderly is also linked to actual dementia. For instance, older adults with poor vision without intervention (such as eyecare visits and cataract surgery) are almost 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

3. Eighty percent are bothered by glare – Almost all Americans say glare affects their vision outdoors, and 7 out of 10 agree that their eyes are sensitive to light. The right eyewear can help employees counter their issues with light and glare sensitivity.

4. Employees think vision benefits are important – More than 90 percent of employees agree their vision benefit will be more important to them as they age. Nearly all employees say it’s very important to them that their vision benefit offers the latest lens technologies.

Employees have an overall low awareness of the eye/overall health connection. For instance, half don’t know that smoking can affect their eyes. Many diseases can be detected by an eye exam at an early stage, when preventive steps can still be taken to avoid the disease or minimize its impact.

www.EyeSiteOnWellness.com, sponsored by EyeMed, is a complimentary resource employees can access anytime, anywhere. Featuring useful tools, including customizable Wellness Calendar and Wellness Library, the site makes it easy to keep informed and aware of the importance of regular vision care.

The Eyes, a Window to Health – Part 1

The eyes are the only place in your whole body that offer a clear view of the blood vessels, without invasive techniques. That’s why with every exam, an eye doctor can gain deeper insight into a patient’s overall health and wellness.

Vision disorders account for more than $8 billion in lost productivity every year. However, regular eye exams can address and correct vision issues that may hamper performance. They can also help identify early signs of certain chronic health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, before they become costly long-term medical issues. 

www.EyeSiteOnWellness.com, sponsored by EyeMed, is a complimentary resource employees can access anytime, anywhere. Featuring useful tools, including customizable Wellness Calendar and Wellness Library, the site makes it easy to keep informed and aware of the importance of regular vision care.

Useful App – Healthspek (Personal & Family Health Record)

Healthspek is your own personal health record. And your family’s too as you can add each family member for a complete record. Healthspek allows users to see their own personal health care information.

The home screen is the customizable ‘myDashboard’. – Select any member to track their conditions, refill meds, track lab results, record immunizations, allergies, supplements, procedures, and family history. Records reside on your iPad and is stored securely on Healthspek’s cloud-based servers. Lose your iPad, you’ll never lose your chart.

  • myProfile – A section for reference information – personal profiles.  Add personal information, doctors, insurance and emergency contact.contact.
  • Medications – store entire medications list, current and past. Manage medications with med reminders and automated refill alerts.
  • ChartNow – Portability, readily accessible, displayable on any browser (real time access for you, your doctor), email records, etc…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzNTlShIc7Q

Recognized by Health Informatics Nurse Blog as a Top Pick and Tab Times as a 5 best iPad apps for medical and health care.

New features are being added regularly.

 

Useful App – 3in4 Need More

Odds are that more than a few of us have had to deal with a family member, immediate or extended, who has required assisted living needs. Maybe they had to research specialty doctors, care centers or care providers; possibly for a member living hundreds of miles away.

The 3in4 Need More is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of planning for ones long term care needs. It is exclusively dedicated to promoting the importance of planning for long term care needs. The website www.3in4needmore.com has an information center with informational websites, telephone hotlines, calculators, information about long-term care coverage, a planning guide and finding a senior living community.

Website
www.3in4needmore.com

3in4 iPhone demo

Telehealth /Telemedicine

The next time your employee thinks he needs to go to the doctor’s office, emergency room or urgent care center, wouldn’t it be more convenient and cost-effective to call the doctor first? Seventy percent of office visits aren’t necessary and eliminating unnecessary trips to the doctor’s office reduces total employee healthcare costs – studies show a range from 5 to 40%.

MedCallAssist  is a company created to helping people in remote areas who had little or no access to emergency care.  From there the concept was introduced to groups, companies, self-insured groups, families and individuals who lived in urban areas. MedCallAssist provides immediate around-the-clock access to physicians – Immediate Care for employees and your business. A Doctor is always On Call: No appointments, no waiting, no deductible, and the doctor can write a prescription.

The company can also provide a Prescription Medical Kit:  A doctor’s tool kit, in your hands, to help you navigate hundreds of common medical situations, like infections, cardiac arrest, pneumonia, and more. The Ultimate Prescription Medical Kit even provides prescription-grade medicine – it’s all in the bag!

Useful Apps – Drugs.com Medication Guide

Need help with medication management and adherence?  – Users can lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records.

Key Features

• My Drug List – Add your medications to assemble medical information in a simple, easy to read personalized format. Access consumer information, FDA alerts, drug interactions, plus food, allergy and medical condition interactions.

• Complete Drugs A to Z listings – Fast search, accurate suggestion engine and boasts the most comprehensive database of drug information available online.

• Interactions Checker – Provides a list of interactions that may occur when different drugs are taken at the same time. Also checks food interactions automatically!

• Additional Features: Symptom Checker looks up specialized databases for side effects and dosage information. Not quite sure how to spell a drug name? Use the phonetic search. Pill Identifier identifies meds simply by entering an imprint, shape or color.

Pill Identifier App

Know of a useful app in the health care, LTC, Rx or related industry? Send it to us, we may blog about it.

Useful Apps – HealthAdvocate

ad·vo·cate (verb – used with object)  to act in support or in behalf of another; intercessor
Synonyms – champion, proponent, backer

Do your employees need help navigating the healthcare system? Are they spending valuable time on hold trying to manage their health care needs? Family member needs? Losing productivity? This App is for you. Use the app to explore:

  • Finding the right doctors
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Help resolving insurance claims
  • Assistance with eldercare
  • Obtaining cost estimates
  • Working with insurance companies
  • Answering questions
  • Assistance in transferring medical records

No smartphone? No problem! Health Advocate members can access Health Cost Estimator and other features online through their member website, or by calling Health Advocate for personalized support.

Bonus – Services are extended to employee, spouse, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law.

healthadvocate-app-logo

Know of a useful app in the health care, LTC, Rx or related industry? Send it to us, we may blog about it.

(Excerpts taken from Health Advocate marketing material.)

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