FACTS AND STATS

Virtual Care Platform Sees Exodus of Doctors as Result of Ontario Fee Changes

A virtual care platform connecting patients with doctors in Ontario has cut back on services and seen a mass exodus of physicians after changes to fees for virtual appointments kicked in this week. The province reached an agreement with the Ontario Medical Association earlier this year that, as of Thursday, reduced fees paid to doctors for many virtual visits.
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DIGITAL HEALTH

How Patient Care is Being Improved by Technology Everyday

With technology becoming more integral to patient care in recent years, innovation in the medtech space is progressing at an unprecedented level. From streamlining long-held manual processes to creating entirely new diagnostic devices, new tech is cropping up all over the industry—resulting in a real-world impact on patients’ quality of life.
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Post-Surgery Cloud-Based Monitoring Improves Experience for Cardiac Patients

Dawn Bardot, senior director global services for Abiomed, explains how clinical care teams – monitoring newly installed heart pumps from any of their devices, whether at the hospital or at home – can improve patient and family communications.
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Digital Health in Oncology – Emerging Opportunities Across the Cancer Patient Journey

Cancer is a serious public health issue, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths and over 19 million new cancer cases around the world in 2020. The WHO estimates that the number of new cancer cases will increase to nearly 29 million in 2040. This alarming statistic is indicative of the huge focus and investment that will flow into oncology worldwide.
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MEDICAL GADGETS

Electrospun Construct Mimics Elasticity of Blood Vessels

Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia have developed an electrospun blood vessel replacement. The material contains tropoelastin, a natural precursor for elastin, a key component of blood vessel walls. Elastin is present in concentric circles in natural blood vessels and provides the elastic properties which allow them to distend slightly and then reform their original shape in response to changes in blood flow and blood pressure.
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GLOBAL WATERCOOLER

CirrusMD Study Reveals 45% Average Reduction in Employee Turnover For National Retailer Whose Workers Used Its Virtual Care Solution

CirrusMD today announced the results of a 15-month study measuring the effect of virtual care on employee turnover. The research study found a statistically significant correlation between virtual care utilization and lower employee turnover rates across all cohorts, including a 45% overall reduction among those who used CirrusMD's virtual primary care at least once.
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Healthcare Organizations are Finding Novel Uses for Virtual Health Technology

The virtual health revolution has been prevalent over the last few years, especially fueled by generation-shifting events such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, more than ever before, healthcare leaders, organizations, and policy makers are seeing the value of virtual health, both with regards to patient convenience and experience, and the cost savings that virtual health can potentially provide on a systemic level.
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TRENDS

Innovations in Eye Care: How Technology is Transforming Ophthalmology

Innovations in eye care have the potential to improve patient outcomes and deliver new treatment options. Artificial intelligence applications in ophthalmology are gaining traction as AI algorithms help physicians predict risk for a wide range of ophthalmic conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
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The Future of Medical Technology: Key Trends in Virtual Care and Telemedicine

Telemedicine involves the use of electronic communication such as videoconferencing or phone calls for the delivery of remote clinical care. During the pandemic, many people become familiar with using live video conferencing platforms for real-time, two-way interactions between a patient and a healthcare provider in place of a clinical appointment.
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The Role of Data Driven Innovations in Shaping the Future of Healthcare

Data-driven innovation will help us further modernize, streamline, and simplify the health system. Stakeholders recognize the potential of machine learning, analytics, and other advanced digital tools in healthcare. Yet, to transform the quality and delivery of healthcare through AI-powered systems, the integration of data-based platforms is urgent and fundamental.
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Why Collecting and Analyzing SDOH Data Can Improve Maternal Health

When we talk about SDOH, we mean social factors such as housing, food and personal safety; whether or not people have access to or know where to seek healthcare; and if they have the transportation to get there. Without these things, patients can’t be proactive about their care, leaving serious health conditions and outcomes to worsen over time.
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News From Canada

AI Can Improve Ontario’s Healthcare System at Lower Costs

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) solutions into our health system is exactly what Canadians could get: better care at lower costs, freeing up resources to deliver faster and more integrated care. However, to fully realize health AI’s potential, researchers need better access to data collected by our publicly funded health system — something that current policies make challenging.
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Empowering Healthcare Providers in the Digital Era

The COVID–19 pandemic has shown that digital healthcare technologies can work to complement traditional, in-person care. Soon gone may be the hassles of taking time off work and commuting to your doctor’s office for every single healthcare interaction.
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Interior Health ‘Virtual Doctor’ Pilot Program May Spread to Other Communities

The Urgent and Primary Care Centre at the Ashcroft Hospital and Health Site is piloting a ‘Virtual Doctor’ program through May 2023 (Video).
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e-Prescribing Helps First Nations Toward Improved Healthcare

In the 2020 Public Health Agency of Canada report, From Risk to Resilience: An Equity Approach to COVID-19, Dr. Theresa Tam acknowledged the importance of Indigenous leadership, resilience and success during COVID-19. Successes exemplified by First Nations on reserve included lower COVID-19 hospitalizations (8.4 per cent compared to 13.4 per cent for general population), and lower death rates (1.4 per cent compared to 7.1 per cent) for reported cases.
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‘A Solution That’s Here to Stay’: How Virtual Care is Helping Ease the Strain on Healthcare in Newfoundland and Labrador

Virtual care knocks down barriers, particularly for the elderly and those with disabilities. The realities of today are that one in five don’t have a family doctor. A lot of patients are going through huge financial difficulties, so travel to access care is becoming more problematic added to the problem of staffing shortages causing rural health centres and emergency rooms to divert patients to other areas, forcing people to travel longer distances to access care.
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B.C. Government Working on Long-Term Plan for Virtual Healthcare

Recently, changes came into effect in Ontario, when an agreement between the Ontario government and Ontario Medical Association saw a drop in fees for virtual care visits allowing more patients to be seen in person rather than behind a screen
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Patients Being Refused Virtual Care Due to Daily Caps

A doctor who provides virtual care says hundreds of patients are being refused care due to the daily cap on the number of patients a physician is allowed to treat.
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