Employee productivity can make or break a company. Outside distractions like social media and cell phone use instantly come to mind, but there’s an enormous threat inside the office that’s often misunderstood and overlooked: indoor air quality (IAQ). In fact, poor air quality is so detrimental to employee performance that a recent Harvard study found cognitive function greatly … [More]
Driving Supply Chain Excellence in the Health Sector
Supply chain excellence is a distinguishing characteristic of many U.S. and global businesses. Companies as diverse as Walmart, IBM, John Deere and Costco attribute much of their success to having an efficient and effective supply chain as a differentiator. The healthcare provider industry, while frequently depicted as having one of the most inefficient supply chains, has … [More]
UA Physician-Scientist Awarded Grant for Schizophrenia Diagnostic Test
Amelia Gallitano, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and a faculty member of its Department of Basic Medical Sciences, has received a grant to develop the first diagnostic test for schizophrenia. The $175,000 grant from the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation funds the development of a rapid and easily administered, … [More]
Sonora Quest Laboratories Launches Mobile-Friendly Website
Sonora Quest Laboratories’ newly redesigned website includes, among many new state-of-the-art capabilities, a simple online process that allows healthcare consumers to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order through My Lab ReQuest™. The easy-to-use, secure experience, which also enables consumers to prepay and schedule their appointment, allows consumers an increased … [More]
Transforming Healthcare through a Collaborative Value-Based Care Model
The U.S. healthcare system is immersed in the most significant payment reform changes in decades. This transition from rewarding the volume of care to the value of care – measured by patient outcomes – brings substantial challenges and opportunities to all stakeholders in the industry. And it holds even more importance for an emerging healthcare hub such as Arizona, a state … [More]
GlobalMed OK’d for DoD Networks
Scottsdale-based GlobalMed, an international provider of telehealth solutions, has earned the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Authority to Operate (ATO) on DoD networks for its industry leading virtual health platform. GlobalMed is the first provider of HIPAA-compliant clinical video collaboration to obtain an ATO. This much-coveted certification enables GlobalMed to put its … [More]
PCCN and UHC Launch Team Approach
Phoenix Children’s Care Network and UnitedHealthcare have launched an accountable care program that promotes a team approach to healthcare and improves quality, lowers costs and enhances the coordination of people’s care. This new accountable care relationship enables PCCN to treat patients using an innovative value-based model focused on keeping people healthy. … [More]
Mental Illness in the Workplace
Statistics show that one in four adults has a diagnosable mental illness. More than 50 percent of those with mental illness are not being treated. How does this impact their workplace? Stress and depression are two of the largest causes of absenteeism in our workplaces. It impacts our bottom line and causes difficulties for our employees. According to research by Harvard … [More]
Flu Season and the Bottom Line: A Direct Link
We all hate the feeling of coming down with a cold or flu while at work. But for businesses, office illness is, in fact, a financial concern. The flu results in 111 million sick days a year, which comes to $10.4 million in direct medical costs for American businesses. How can businesses improve their employees’ health and avoid unnecessary cost? Make an office plan. For … [More]
Employers Can Lower Diabetes Risk
According to the CDC, the average business owner spends roughly twice as much on employees with diabetes as on healthy employees. But those costs are shrinking thanks to a little-known and rarely used wellness program that was designed to help employees get healthier. The latest version of the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Program, Prevent T2, was launched last year by the CDC to … [More]
Bayless Implements Self-Serve Pharmacy Kiosk
The APM Pharmacy kiosk, powered by MedAvail Technologies, is an innovative self-serve pharmacy kiosk solution that supports the dispensing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications under the full control of a remote pharmacist in a fast, secure and convenient manner. Use of the kiosk has been adopted by Bayless Integrated Healthcare, a leader in combining … [More]
Smart Single-Use Biometric Patches
Qualcomm Life, Inc. has designed and developed breakthrough reference designs for cost-effective, connected and medical-grade biometric patches that will enable a multitude of intelligent care models, from perioperative care to assessing the impact of therapeutic interventions. Designed to allow healthcare professionals to monitor patients across the care continuum with access … [More]
The Pain Drain: The Fiscal and Societal Burden of Chronic Pain
We find ourselves in the midst of an epidemic of persistent pain, with 100 million Americans affected by regular headaches, back, neck, abdominal and joint pain. Chronic pain is now the most common form of enduring illness for those under the age of 60, and it is breaking the proverbial bank for individuals and employers. Pain has an enormous ripple effect on individuals, … [More]
Prepare for Open Enrollment
With Open Enrollment upon us, this is a good time for employers to help their employees understand the options they will be committed to for the next year. Here are five tips to help them. 1. Know one’s open enrollment dates. Open enrollment isn’t the same or at the same time for everyone. For the more than 177 million Americans with employer-provided coverage, many … [More]
Why you should care about your employees’ healthcare data
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkdVp7M6Qkk[/embedyt] In 2017, healthcare costs are expected to grow by more than 6 percent—far faster than overall inflation. Whether this increase is associated with the rising costs of prescription drugs or the growing number of individuals with chronic health conditions, getting smart about the source of healthcare … [More]
Treating Opioid Use Disorder: Medical Cannabis and Traditional Medicine
We’re in the midst of an opioid epidemic. Opioids include heroin as well as Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, morphine and fentanyl. The associated “epidemic” means that an abnormally high number of Americans meet criteria for opioid use disorder (OUD) and are dying from overdoses at record numbers. The criteria for OUD include taking opioids in larger amounts or over a longer … [More]
Opioid Abuse Costs Businesses Millions
A survey by the National Safety Council taken in March revealed that 70 percent of businesses say that narcotic painkillers have affected their business. The NSC recommends incorporating the following steps to monitor the use of opioids in the workplace: A clear, written policy: Together with a company’s legal department, a policy should be put in place — similar to a … [More]
Improving Construction Workplace Safety Boosts Business
The construction industry is the backbone of a city’s economic development. With Arizona’s construction slowdown during the economic downturn, many skilled workers left the state, making retaining a qualified, skilled workforce one of the biggest challenges contractors face today. As the industry struggles to recover and attract new workers, health and safety needs to be a … [More]
