SOCIAL MEDIA and it's impact on Healthcare today

by Chapalamed Wed Jan 02, 2013 11:11 pm

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SOCIAL MEDIA and it's impact on Healthcare today Social11

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Quick and interesting summary of the effects of Social Media on Healthcare today.

Who would have thought that the day would come that patients will now have access to their complete healthcare records anywhere in the world and anytime as long as they have internet access.

by Jim W Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:01 am

I' not sure this is a win win. If I can access them, so can the big insurance company machine, and good ole US
gov, not to mention potential employers. Evil or Very Mad

by ferret Thu Jan 03, 2013 6:58 am

Jim W wrote:I' not sure this is a win win. If I can access them, so can the big insurance company machine, and good ole US
gov, not to mention potential employers.

I'm sure that there would have to be some kind of personal password to access them...same as ATM's and online banking.
IMHO, you should be able to access your health records because you never know where you'll be when the need arises.
As for other pertinintent health info available on the net...it's important to have knowledge to take with you to the Doctor. At least take a LIST of what you're experiencing. We need to be proactive in our own healthcare.

by gringal Thu Jan 03, 2013 7:53 am

I'm trying to figure out the purpose of Chapalamed's posting. scratch

Is it to motivate those of us who have resisted "being assimilated" to hop on the bandwagon or suffer from BLO syndrome (being left out)?

Most people do access the web to learn about diseases and do a little self diagnosis on occasion, but I'm with Jim about having total immersion and all our medical records there.

by slainte39 Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:54 am

Medical records.....good, bad, or indifferent...............
Pretty boring s--t
Sex life....maybe.... Very Happy

by slainte39 Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:58 am

gringal wrote: but I'm with Jim about having total immersion and all our medical records there.

Me too.....because if it was there, I would probably read it.....and Sleep

.....

by Chapalamed Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:06 am

I do agree that there are many PROs & CONS to an EMR system. But as a healthcare provider there I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Obviously there are privacy issues and nobody(By U.S. LAW) should have access to a person's medical records other than the patient and the healthcare provider(s) without prior authorization from the patient. This includes insurance companies, Gov't and law enforcement agencies. Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule.

The Gov't stepped in to protect privacy when people were upset about potential employers having access to people's FACEBOOK accounts. I believe that this information is and should be kept at the highest levels of privacy.

Just some interesting facts and food for thought.

by E-raq Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:41 am

It is interesting, however there is no way that I would allow information that personal out on the web. Way too easy to hack. I don't know if you've read the articles about the young man who allegedly shot and killed all those people in Sandy Hook. Well apparently the courts have ordered a check on his DNA looking for what they rather sensationally call "the evil gene".

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253797/DNA-Sandy-Hook-killer-Adam-Lanza-examined-evil-gene-study-kind-conducted-mass-murderer.html

Now IMO it was in all likelihood caused by bad medication, however they appear to be downplaying that side of it. Yes, I could put dozens of links up to substantiate this hypothesis.

Let's look forward if possible to a future where imposed DNA checks for potential employees would be the norm. What a catastrophe that would be.

by Chapalamed Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:48 am

E-raq wrote:It is interesting, however there is no way that I would allow information that personal out on the web. Way too easy to hack. I don't know if you've read the articles about the young man who allegedly shot and killed all those people in Sandy Hook. Well apparently the courts have ordered a check on his DNA looking for what they rather sensationally call "the evil gene".

Let's look forward if possible to a future where imposed DNA checks for potential employees would be the norm. What a catastrophe that would be.

Since the days that the HUMAN GENOME PROJECT was completed and many companies tried to "PATENT" parts of the human genome, there were laws in the U.S. passed that prohibit
1. Anybody to PATENT HUMAN GENES
2. Use a person's GENETIC information for purposes of granting insurance policies or employment etc.

But I guess it's like with having a FACEBOOK account. If you are worried about personal information and privacy issues it would be best not to have a FACEBOOK account. Good points you've brought up.

by CanuckBob Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:57 am

At the end of the day a good hacker can find out information on anyone for almost anything if it is kept on any sort of computerized database. If they want it they will get it. If you have any medical records at all in the States or Canada they are already accessible by a hacker.

by E-raq Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:59 am

Thanks Chapalamed, regardless of laws protecting privacy, laws can be changed and will be if the public feel that they are at risk for attack by someone with an alleged "evil" gene.

The Human Genome Project has collected and stored genetic information since its inception. One can only guess to what use it will be put.

Let's say that a person is on his or her computer and asking a question on any of the social media sites regarding a medical issue. What's to prevent an insurance company or a potential employer from denying coverage or employment. They don't have to admit that it came from a social media site do they?

by Parker Thu Jan 03, 2013 12:53 pm

CanuckBob wrote:At the end of the day a good hacker can find out information on anyone for almost anything if it is kept on any sort of computerized database. If they want it they will get it. If you have any medical records at all in the States or Canada they are already accessible by a hacker.

I’m with you on this one. One day I was just messing around and just out of pure stupidity shut down a fairly sizeable web site. Spent months watching pre-recorded movies.

by ferret Thu Jan 03, 2013 1:04 pm

Forget about computer records for a minute. Has anyone ever asked to see their medical file from their personal Doctor? I don't know about here but I asked to take my file in Canada for a second opinion on something...the Doctor got all huffy and refused. I eventually got it...and returned it to him after getting my second opinion BUT the pedestal that I had put him on was dryrotted at the base. Some Doctors have HUGE egos and forget who the paying customer is. JMHO.

by E-raq Thu Jan 03, 2013 1:49 pm

ferret wrote:Forget about computer records for a minute. Has anyone ever asked to see their medical file from their personal Doctor? I don't know about here but I asked to take my file in Canada for a second opinion on something...the Doctor got all huffy and refused. I eventually got it...and returned it to him after getting my second opinion BUT the pedestal that I had put him on was dryrotted at the base. Some Doctors have HUGE egos and forget who the paying customer is. JMHO.

Just my humble opinion, but Doctors in Canada get paid by an intermediary, the govn´t. Therefore they really don't get the fact that the patient is the end consumer. Our former G.P. lost well over half his practice, from the looks of it and all of his partners. Wonder what unwritten rule he broke? Lotsa gossip in the building about that. We haven't been back after he charged me for a full exam just for writing a prescription. Cash payment, and I guess he wrongfully thought I wouldn't understand what he was up to. He checked nada, zilch didn't even do a B.P. test.

by Chapalamed Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:32 pm

E-raq wrote:
ferret wrote:Forget about computer records for a minute. Has anyone ever asked to see their medical file from their personal Doctor? I don't know about here but I asked to take my file in Canada for a second opinion on something...the Doctor got all huffy and refused. I eventually got it...and returned it to him after getting my second opinion BUT the pedestal that I had put him on was dryrotted at the base. Some Doctors have HUGE egos and forget who the paying customer is. JMHO.

Just my humble opinion, but Doctors in Canada get paid by an intermediary, the govn´t. Therefore they really don't get the fact that the patient is the end consumer. Our former G.P. lost well over half his practice, from the looks of it and all of his partners. Wonder what unwritten rule he broke? Lotsa gossip in the building about that. We haven't been back after he charged me for a full exam just for writing a prescription. Cash payment, and I guess he wrongfully thought I wouldn't understand what he was up to. He checked nada, zilch didn't even do a B.P. test.

From a healthcare provider's point of view, I think it is a great idea for a patient to go through your medical record regularly to make sure that it is accurate and there have been no major changes. Keeps everybody on their toes. Also, it can help prevent any mistakes that in the end could prove catastrophic. I not only like but encourage my patients to review their medical history and I review the medical history/record as part of the office visit, before I even examine a patient. Just the way I've been doing things and the way I was trained to do so. But I do acknowledge that not everybody works in the same way and that some patients prefer other ways that physicians practice medicine. In the end, it I think it is a good idea to have a access to your medical record/chart and get a PROFESSIONAL opinion every once in awhile on your diagnoses and treatments.

Thank you all for the input. It's very insightful.

by E-raq Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:06 pm

Chapalamed wrote:
E-raq wrote:
ferret wrote:Forget about computer records for a minute. Has anyone ever asked to see their medical file from their personal Doctor? I don't know about here but I asked to take my file in Canada for a second opinion on something...the Doctor got all huffy and refused. I eventually got it...and returned it to him after getting my second opinion BUT the pedestal that I had put him on was dryrotted at the base. Some Doctors have HUGE egos and forget who the paying customer is. JMHO.

Just my humble opinion, but Doctors in Canada get paid by an intermediary, the govn´t. Therefore they really don't get the fact that the patient is the end consumer. Our former G.P. lost well over half his practice, from the looks of it and all of his partners. Wonder what unwritten rule he broke? Lotsa gossip in the building about that. We haven't been back after he charged me for a full exam just for writing a prescription. Cash payment, and I guess he wrongfully thought I wouldn't understand what he was up to. He checked nada, zilch didn't even do a B.P. test.

From a healthcare provider's point of view, I think it is a great idea for a patient to go through your medical record regularly to make sure that it is accurate and there have been no major changes. Keeps everybody on their toes. Also, it can help prevent any mistakes that in the end could prove catastrophic. I not only like but encourage my patients to review their medical history and I review the medical history/record as part of the office visit, before I even examine a patient. Just the way I've been doing things and the way I was trained to do so. But I do acknowledge that not everybody works in the same way and that some patients prefer other ways that physicians practice medicine. In the end, it I think it is a good idea to have a access to your medical record/chart and get a PROFESSIONAL opinion every once in awhile on your diagnoses and treatments.

Thank you all for the input. It's very insightful.

I agree, and that's why we go to a doctor here who does all of those things. In fact my husband will be seeing him tomorrow. First visit.

In Canada however, the doctors really operate differently. They have a very paternalistic relationship with their patients generally speaking. As for accessing your medical records, I agree that it's a good idea, but how many patients would really understand medical or technical terminology? Could it not prove problematic? An x-ray is pretty straightforward IMO, but lab tests? A lot of people I know would have a field day on their computers, then likely misinterpret. That's where the doctor comes in, he or she must interpret for the patients. JMHO.

Generally though within certain parameters, I much prefer the system here. The doctor I was referring to who charged for a full exam was in Canada. I'm also very happy that antibiotics here are now prescription only. There can be way too many resistant strains these days. Plus lab tests and x-rays should be done if there is time and availability. A good M.D. is right up on which antibiotics are working for which infections. No way a lay person has access to that information.

Very rarely the labs are closed, and the patient is really ill, so whoever is responsible should definitely check with their doctor regarding any course of action. Christmas is a very bad time to get sick lakeside. To my knowledge the x-ray equipment here for the most part is dated, and some technicians are simply not competent. The labs generally send culture and sensitivity tests to Guadalajara. Chapalamed you will definitely have much better information than I do on this.

by ferret Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:19 pm

I agree that not all patients would understand (or even be able to read the writing of some Doctors :))...but I like Chapalamed's open discussion of the contents of a patient's file and wonder whether he/she would "loan" the file to the patient????
I like the system in Mexico where you are your own medical records storage facility. The X-rays, lab results including blood tests, cultures or histology reports, colonoscopy results, MRI results, CAT scan results...whatever...are YOURS.
You may not understand the results but you can ask ANY Doctor or specialist for an interpretation.
GEE, makes me feel like a real grown up person.

by Chapalamed Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:48 pm

ferret wrote:I agree that not all patients would understand (or even be able to read the writing of some Doctors :))...but I like Chapalamed's open discussion of the contents of a patient's file and wonder whether he/she would "loan" the file to the patient????
I like the system in Mexico where you are your own medical records storage facility. The X-rays, lab results including blood tests, cultures or histology reports, colonoscopy results, MRI results, CAT scan results...whatever...are YOURS.
You may not understand the results but you can ask ANY Doctor or specialist for an interpretation.
GEE, makes me feel like a real grown up person.

I work as I used to in the U.S.. At the end of every office visit, I give the patient the option to get a summary of my notes and indications. I believe that a well informed patient is usually more compliant. The number one cause of MALPRACTICE in the U.S. is failure of the patient to understand a healthcare provider's indications and recommendations in regards to treatment. I, like most of U.S. physicians, believe that at the end of the day, the patient OWNS his/her record. So, I wouldn't even consider it a LOAN per se'.

Great feedback. Thanks again.

by ferret Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:55 pm

I believe that the way you conduct your healthcare practise is exceptionally open. Unfortunately, I also believe that you are part of a small minority of Doctors.
Can you be cloned? Please send cloned Doctors to Canada A.S.A.P.

by Chapalamed Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:18 pm

ferret wrote:I believe that the way you conduct your healthcare practise is exceptionally open. Unfortunately, I also believe that you are part of a small minority of Doctors.
Can you be cloned? Please send cloned Doctors to Canada A.S.A.P.

Thanks for the compliments. But at the end of the day, I think that this system that is the STANDARD OF CARE/STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE, especially for Primary Care Physicians has helped many benefits on both sides of the fence; those receiving care and those giving care. But unfortunately this was only a consequence of the high rate and cost of malpractice cases in the U.S.
From what I have read and understood, physicians in Canada are pretty much protected from Malpractice.

But returning to the original topic, I believe that most tools that help bridge the communication gap between a healthcare provider and a patient should be used(with caution) and it helps keep everybody on their toes.

Thanks again for the input.

by Chapalamed Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:48 am

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