Patients and healthcare providers across the globe have come to the realization that depending solely on hospital systems will no longer be a viable option. Industry experts are of the opinion that ongoing advances in home healthcare devices and services will help alleviate the current pressure on the global healthcare system.

Technology has proven to be extremely critical to home healthcare. Current and upcoming advances in home healthcare technologies are not only designed for effective disease control but also encourage and enable individuals to live independently.

Technological interventions were complex and expensive in the past. However, growing need and demand for convenient and effective remote patient monitoring, development of new and innovative technologies, and availability of sufficient funding have led to increased accessibility to low-cost technologies and devices.

The new and affordable in-home gadgets are not just popular among geriatrics looking to age at home. The customer base has rapidly expanded to include new patient groups, such as those suffering from chronic illnesses, children, and diabetics. This is sure to pave the way for a brighter future for both patients and healthcare providers.

Growing Use of Biosensors to Monitor Geriatric Health

When it comes to home healthcare for the geriatric, there are several innovative technologies and gadgets that have been seamlessly integrated into the assisted living or senior living industry, or in what is more broadly referred to as geriatric care services. Speaking from a strictly medical perspective, recent technologies for monitoring the health of senior citizens include blood pressure monitoring devices, oxygen therapy devices, patient temperature management devices, and cardiac monitoring and cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices.

An article by NBC News sheds light on the growing adoption of sensor technology in the U.S., especially for senior living. Allowing for improved estimation of a patient or individual’s metabolic state at a remote location, biosensors enable constant monitoring of those seniors who suffer from a number of different ailments but choose to live independently, out of hospitals and nursing homes. The NBC article discusses the use of such sophisticated sensors to track an elderly couple’s walking speed, heart rates, and even sleep patterns. This unobtrusive technology also sends alerts in case of emergencies, allowing timely intervention of family members or caregivers. Like several medical device companies, research organizations, and medical universities, ElderTech, Missouri, has been studying the significance of environmentally-embedded in-home sensor networks and their relevance in detecting health changes in older adults.

Development of Portable Digital Devices to Remotely Track Heart Conditions

As the medical devices industry undergoes a tectonic shift with the advent of telemedicine, the field of cardiology has also felt its ensuing benefits. Soaring incidence of cardiovascular disorders and the subsequent need for constant monitoring of outpatients have resulted in demand for cardiac monitoring and cardiac rhythm management (CRM). Home healthcare is a leading end user of these devices, with demand for ECG and cardiac monitors, Holter monitors, event monitors, and ILR (implantable loop recorder) continuously rising.

Interviewing the founders of Eko Devices, The New York Times talks about growing competition in the telemedicine business. Eko is one of the many cardiovascular care companies that has been capitalizing on the home healthcare industry.

In a recent development, the company developed a digital stethoscope specifically catering to cardiac patients at home. This innovative palm-sized device, called DUO, has the potential to alter the way heart patients are monitored. Combining electrocardiogram or EKG and electronic stethoscope in just one device, DUO provides unprecedented insight into cardiac functions. This includes tracking and quickly reviewing heart rhythms and sounds to enable advanced bedside analysis and, if required, remote care.

Need for Constant Glucose Monitoring Driving Demand for Diabetes Devices

With medical devices becoming increasingly interconnected thanks to rising penetration of the Internet, growing use of smartphones and a slew of other medical devices, and expanding hospital networks, detecting and managing diabetes at home has become not only convenient but rather effective. Today, there are a wide range of diabetes devices available, promising quick and accurate results. User-friendly designs of most devices and increasing awareness levels among the diabetic population across the globe has resulted in a rather massive market for self-monitoring devices to be used in home settings.

A recent research article sponsored and reviewed by Avantes BV – a prominent innovator in the development and application of miniature spectrometers, focuses on the need for non-invasive diabetes diagnosis and monitoring. In order to detect and treat diabetes before it gets out of hand, constant glucose monitoring and maintenance is crucial, and for the longest time, existing diagnostic standards and therapies were immensely invasive. Moreover, managing this disease out of hospital settings was extremely difficult. However, advanced medical sensing technologies have enabled easy and non-invasive blood glucose monitoring and diabetes testing. Latest innovations have also ensured convenient and user-friendly insulin self-administration devices.

Wearable technology has been one of the most prominent innovations to benefit and empower diabetics around the world. These devices have been allowing diabetics to take charge of their own health outside the doctor’s clinic and effectively manage the condition. Smartwatches, interestingly, have shown immense potential to enable needle-less glucose monitoring with time. Apple Inc. is reportedly working on developing sensors for monitoring of blood sugar levels, an advancement that could turn devices such as the Apple Watch into a means of monitoring important vitals. The aim is to develop sensors that can non-invasively and regularly monitor blood sugar levels to help diabetics treat the condition from the comfort of their homes.

Conclusion

An article in The New York Times recently shed light on the shrinking community of home health aides or personal care attendants in the U.S. According to Paul Osterman of the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, if the number of workers in this field of home healthcare continues to fall, the country will be faced with a shortage of around 350,000 paid care providers by 2040. This alarming fact makes the development of advanced remote patient monitoring devices even more crucial.

Keeping this need in mind, companies are looking to devise technologies that will, in a way, replace human service providers with digital home healthcare assistants. To put this into perspective, home health aides are now testing Amazon’s Echo platform as a home healthcare assistant. Researchers hope that the companion online app will be increasingly responsive to clients’ needs, keep family caregivers in the loop at all times, and effectively streamline alerts, reminders, and functions.

This opportunity is sure to capture the interest of tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Amazon, giving them an opportunity to emerge as trailblazers in home healthcare.

Before my career shift to online marketing, I was laid off from my job with an Internet start-up company and found myself with no health insurance and no dental coverage. The irony to this is I had neglected a tooth that had been bothering me for quite awhile when I actually did have dental coverage. So while I had insurance, I simply didn’t use it because… well, I absolutely hate going to the dentist! I also wasn’t going in for my regular cleanings and checkups.

As (un)luck may have it, once I was without dental insurance for the first time in years, the intensity and frequency of the toothaches picked up. I would often find myself awake at night sometimes to the point of tears. I was even fighting with my wife since planned date nights and socializing typically turned into me being agitated and crabby because of the pain. Not to mention the frustration that I felt over having no health care and no dental coverage to do anything to help my situation.

Unable to take it anymore, I made an appointment with my dentist and made arrangements to use a high interest credit card to pay for whatever necessary dental examination, treatment and care was needed to stop the pain. A routine examination confirmed that I needed about $3000 worth of dental work.

As I was walking out of the dentist office, I noticed a bundle of AmeriPlan pamphlets that were placed in the office’s magazine rack. The receptionist didn’t know very much about AmeriPlan when I inquired about the brochures. She knew that it was a healthcare, prescription, and dental discount plan that was accepted at the office. She advised me to research the web for program specifics since she wasn’t permitted to really advocate or promote the discount program.

Some Say AmeriPlan’s Dental Savings Are a Scam – Are They?

A Google search showed me various online forums where those posting made statements that AmeriPlan is a scam. This alarmed me initially but I had read the brochure thoroughly and understood that the company wasn’t promoting themselves as a healthcare provider or substitute to health insurance. I fully understood that I wasn’t just paying a small co-pay amount with each visit to the dentist, as I did with health coverage; however, I’d still benefit from savings at the dentist for each individual procedure and treatment.

It seemed as if those applying the scam tag to AmeriPlan failed to accept that the program is a supplement or alternative to dental and health care coverage in the form of a discount program. Others posting about the AmeriPlan scam seemed to take offense to the fact that there are brokers selling the program online and in their neighborhood. I on the other hand became intrigued by the business model and wondered if I should ask my broker about joining the business since I was out of work and we were struggling. Obviously that eventually happened as I am here today marketing AmeriPlan.

There were also some comments suggesting that the dentists accepting AmeriPlan were the bottom feeders in the dentistry world and weren’t very good. Pay no attention to this nonsense since my dentist accepts AmeriPlan’s dental savings card and he’s been voted Best Dentist in Pittsburgh, PA countless times in various polls by local newspapers and magazines. My advice is to just scan the list of dentists in your area who accept the program before signing in. That way you know for sure that there are participating providers within a reasonable distance to your home and you can research their reputations online before seeing someone you’re unfamiliar with.

AmeriPlan Dental Plus isn’t full health care coverage but it’s a beneficial alternative to dental and health care coverage that may be your best chance for savings at the dentist, eye doctor and chiropractor, in addition to the pharmacy savings. I ended up saving very close to $1000 from the original price quote for nothing more than a $20 a month AmeriPlan package covering not just me but my wife as well.

I was able to distribute that $1000 savings elsewhere on things undoubtedly better than a root canal and I didn’t have to acquire more debt and max out my credit card. I was comfortable signing up because there were no hidden fees and I could cancel at anytime. I wasn’t signing into any kind of contract term. The pharmacy savings I obtained with my AmeriPlan pharmacy discount card for my antibiotics and pain meds and my wife’s acid reflux medication further impressed me. We later expanded our plan to the AmeriPlan Healthcare package – offering medical discounts in addition to the savings at the dentist and pharmacy savings of Dental Plus.

Visit http://www.altcareonline.com and click LOCATE PROVIDERS in the left navigation bar under My Benefits Plus to locate doctors, dentists and pharmacies in your area currently accepting Ameriplan.

Medical billing has been a challenging task invariably. The billing and coding staffs are the invisible engines who work towards running the business smooth and ensuring proper reimbursement for the services rendered. Therefore it is essential to have a skilled manpower to handle medical coding process efficiently. As medical industry is currently going through constant changes and challenges due to this pandemic, to keep up with the pace, many billing companies have already outsourced their medical billing and Coding process to an offshore based healthcare billing company. The challenges involved and the lack of skilled manpower and most importantly cost effective services are some of the reasons why India has been all time favorite to Outsource Medical Billing. Let us look into few highlights on why outsourcing to India is an increasing trend during this pandemic!

Better Safety

While social distancing is the new norm and many people are working from home, having an onsite billing and coding team has become difficult for many billing companies. Most of the billing companies are concerned about their staff’s safety, however it is further more difficult to provide the work from home staff with all required necessities like, high speed network connection, access to billing or coding software, and have a team to monitor the work done. Outsourcing your medical billing to an offshore healthcare billing company is a comprehensive solution during this pandemic as they act just like an offshore location handling your day to day billing work effectively.

New medical codes introduced

With novel corona virus attack and telemedicine in effect, there has been many changes in the medical coding; new codes are being introduced regularly for the treatment of Covid 19 and tele – medical procedures. Even proficient coders are at bay with the dynamic challenges and are prone to cause coding errors. An offshore coding team are regularly trained and updated with recent changes and has the adequate skillsets to handle billing and coding process productively.

Changing Regulations

The rules and regulations of the healthcare industry have been ceaselessly revised. Frequent alteration to the medical billing rules and policies can cause even a dab hand susceptible to err. Failure to stay up to date with the billing rules and regulations can increase claims denials and decrease revenue flow. This current situation has increased the vulnerability through significant changes making it difficult for medical coding companies to cope up. Nevertheless, finding an offshore medical billing company to handle your billing process will help you stay atop and stress free.

Reduced labor cost and time saving

Low labor cost is one of the major cause for outsourcing your medical billing process to India. Outsourcing you medical coding to India will benefit you while quality work at a competitive cost. Research show that offshore outsourcing reduces majority of the operational costs like infrastructure, utilities, location rental, power, support, training, administrative cost etc. which translates as a major cost saving for your company. Offshore outsourcing has become a trend and one of the most efficient business models.

Offshore vendors are stepping up the ladder by introducing a range of additional services with greater skill sets and utmost efficiency. Human resources from India are known for their dedication, hard and smart work. As billing companies in India are offering a more streamlined and improvised services, many billing companies from US have started outsourcing their medical billing process to India to provide quality service to end clients at a competitive pricing in market!

About Ecare India:

E-care India is one of the pioneering offshore medical billing companies based in India that promises to avoid the risks involved with missed Charges. With 20 years of experience in the industry, e-care’s 3 delivery centers have been providing end-to-end medical claims processing services seamlessly to its clients. To know more about e-care and its services, log on to website https://www.ecareindia.com/why-outsource-medical-billing.html

Doctor practicing financing for medical practice loans is the goal of most new and established medical practices looking for working capital. There are many aspects to medical practice financing that you need to know before you can expect to get funding for your healthcare practice! You want to ensure that your healthcare medical practice gets all the funds it needs in a single practice financing loan to have a successful running practice!

Seeking medical practice financing for your healthcare practice needs is one of the most important steps in securing healthcare working capital funds to support your practice. Getting the right financing to help with buying expensive equipment or improving the setup of your office and / or improving your medical practice daily cash flow requirements.

Operating a healthcare practice is more difficult than you would have imaged! You need to have a good grasp of and control over the business end of the daily cash flow needs of your medical practice! Finding the right lender to get doctor financing approved for your practice is critical in getting the funds you need for your healthcare practice!

The good news is that healthcare lenders generally finds medical doctors as a good investment depending on personal credit scores! Even in our current strict lending business economic climate, banks are restricting credit and loans are being continually declined. Finding the right healthcare lender in the healthcare practice industry has been a challenge for the medical professional.

Healthcare specialty lenders are still in the business of making profitable loans for their portfolio so finding solid reliable medical practices to fund is doable with the right lender! As a rule, doctors are viewed favorable in the banking world for financing in their practices for medical working capital and medical term loans.

Medical doctors are considered good credit risks because on a percentage basis, healthcare practice professional’s account for very few defaults. In medical practice financing, dentists, medical doctors and all healthcare professionals usually have better personal credit scores, which makes them good candidates for medical practice term loans and financing.

However, instances where doctors have had poor personal credit history, it is recommended that the healthcare professional contact a credit repair company to improve their FICO personal credit score before trying to apply for doctor practice financing. Doctor financing loans can top out around the $5 million range, so you want to be in good financial condition with regards to your credit history so that you will be eligible for the most attractive loan rates and term.

Another exception to this rule is in the case of new medical practices start-ups. Like so many other things in our current difficult economy, lenders are cutting back on medical practice startup financing, making it extremely hard to get financing. Medical doctor practice financing is being viewed with less certainty by lenders today because these services are presently more risky in today’s lending world for start-ups! This doesn’t mean that you won’t get financing for your startup medical practice, you just might not be able find 100% of the capital you are seeking.

After you have been in the healthcare practice industry for a number of years, you might want to consider expanding into multiple offices for doctor practice growth. Using additional medical term loans practice financing can help you expand your medical practice to new heights and grow into a larger space, invest in new technologies and make your medical practice more efficient which allows you to offer additional services for your healthcare medical practice.

In order to grow a healthcare doctor practice the doctor needs to consider the time value of money. So if the doctor can receive funds they need to consider how much additional revenue those funds will bring in. If the practice revenue is less than the cost of the funds and they are positive than the doctor should proceed with the financing. The concept of time value of money comes into play that the doctor does not have to wait for the funds to be collected from insurance providers with their current sales but instead they come in by receiving funds sooner than they would have had the money to get the medical practice cash flowing.

So even though this may cost more in the long run the Doctor will get the benefit of creating revenue sooner and it will have a lasting effect on revenue and his daily cash flow. The cost of the funds will end and then the complete profit is the Doctors with cash flow funding.

Doctor Medical Practice Financing and Healthcare Practice Working Capital

Healthcare medical practice working capital financing is ideal for healthcare professionals who want to expand their practice, procure new equipment, or improve their practice. Healthcare practice working capital loans and financing from healthcare lenders come with fast working capital funding, quick and easy terms.

Healthcare practice working capital funding can be used to provide a healthcare physician existing practice the funds needed to purchase a medical building or they may use these working capital funds for the down payment of the building. Usually the monthly payment of a mortgage can be the same payment or in many cases less than what the doctor or physician healthcare practice is paying for the leased office space. So if the doctor and or physician healthcare practice does not have cash available to buy the medical building they can just get a practice working capital funding to get the funding required to acquire a building for their existing physician healthcare practice. Practice bank statements and a one page application is all that is usually needed to apply to see if the doctor physician healthcare practice qualifies for working capital funding. This can fulfill the dreams of the doctor to now have an investment property which the doctor now owns.

When a doctor or physician practice is looking to purchase equipment the doctor may not have the down payment needed to put down for the equipment lease purchase. Working capital financing is a good way to get the doctor the up-front medical working capital funds needed to lease the equipment. Usually having certain up to date equipment is a good way to attract patients away from competing doctors.

Say the doctor’s practice is looking to own an asset, like a piece of equipment quickly but does not have the working capital funds. Getting the doctor into a practice working capital financing will enable the doctor to buy the equipment and pay off the practice working capital financing in 6 months. At that time the equipment is owned free and clear and no loans or leases are on the books only the asset of the equipment. When you calculate the cost of financing the equipment this way it cost the same as getting a long term loan but this is paid off quickly and the Doctor now has an asset which the doctor can always sell for cash.

Whatever the physician’s practice may need to purchase, even if it is for personal items- like a home, a practice working capital financing based on the doctor’s existing practice is a good way to provide the funds needed to make that purchase. Purchasing a good software system will also save the doctor / physician money because it should free up time of an employee’s time. Working capital financing will pay for this asset which is another good way to improve the practice and how it runs.

Consolidating debt is another way to get all the doctor’s debt organized so the doctor spends less time fumbling with the various payments for all the different payments needed to be made. Hiring a marketing company to increase revenue is another good way to use a practice working capital advance. The down payment required for this marketing company is where the practice working capital advance can be used.

Also peace of mind to be able to pay bills timely is another reason to receive a working capital financing. If a doctor practice needs 100% doctor financing for their practice and has impaired personal credit score, than it is a good idea to work on trying to clean up the doctor’s FICO credit report. Any medical practice professional needs their personal credit score to be in good standing.

It is easier to receive practice working capital financing when a personal FICO score is above a 660. One way to increase a doctor’s personal score is to make sure any existing credit balance is not more than 50% of the available credit limit. If the debt is more than 50% of the card limit than it is a good idea to transfer the debt to another card.

This will spread the debt but keep the debt to income ratio lower. Another good thing to do is to open new cards up and not use the card. The more cards you have and have no balances than that will increase your personal credit limit. You do have to use the card at least once a year so the credit card company does not close, closing cards will lower your personal FICO score because it will lower your personal credit limit!