Best Western International is building a legacy of providing engaging employee wellness programs that create a long-lasting culture of wellness. Inspired and guided by the American Heart Association’s recommendation to take 10,000 steps a day to combat stress and prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes, Best Western ensures employees have the support and tools they need to be … [More]
Groundbreaking Coronary Angioplasty Procedure
St. Luke’s Medical Center, the first hospital in Arizona to offer a same-day coronary angioplasty through the radial artery in the wrist, is reporting significantly improved outcomes and cost savings for patients and the health system using the new artery access point. As a result, the less-invasive procedure is attracting national attention. According to a national study from … [More]
Holistic Model for Healthcare
Bayless Integrated Healthcare, which has served the Central Phoenix community for 35 years, recently opened 9,000-square-foot Bayless Integrated Health Center, a fully integrated health center. The new center offers a holistic approach to healthcare by combining family medicine for a patient’s physical healthcare needs with emotional and behavioral healthcare, plus social … [More]
One for All
Over his 13 years treating patients at his Lipogenex Anti-Aging Center, Emmanouil Karampahtsis, N.D., had found many people have a similar core problem that, in many cases, required the patient to remember and juggle dosage schedules for numerous products. “That inspired me to come up with a simple solution that will help most people and provide an easy solution to the many … [More]
Strengthening Telehealth
Healthcare IT company Topaz Information Solutions has partnered with Scottsdale-based iTel Companies Inc., a telehealth company, to offer a seamless integration of telehealth services to its clients. Phoenix-based Topaz is a national provider of healthcare technology solutions, including electronic health records, practice management tools, population health and data analytics, … [More]
Smile
While oral health is increasingly understood to impact overall health, evidence is mounting that smiling, alone, has health benefits. A Smile for Health Smiling may impact a person’s longevity. A 2010 study by Wayne State University measured the span of smiles on Major League Baseball players from their 1952 trading cards, and found those who didn’t smile in their pictures … [More]
The Evolution of Data in Healthcare
In recent years, we’ve seen a sizable shift toward a data-driven healthcare system, but we still have some distance to go before it becomes the norm. Providers are beginning to decipher how to efficiently leverage the right data sets — and technologists are still in the process of building systems capable of sharing that data across the entire healthcare network in a meaningful … [More]
Paid Sick Leave Impacts Preventive Care
More than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act and do not have to pay for 15 preventive screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Yet, despite this advantage, many are not utilizing these lifesaving screenings and are contributing to the nation’s soaring healthcare costs, which reached a whopping $3 … [More]
Avoid a Costly Flu Season
When it comes to flu season, both employees and employers are at risk. According to the National Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers with the flu each year. The loss of employee earnings is estimated at $16.3 billion annually and the overall economic burden is roughly $87 billion. Given that the flu can … [More]
Advanced Illness Management
Hospice of the West, a leading community-based hospice and palliative care organization in Maricopa County, points to the importance of Advanced Illness Management for health plan members with serious illnesses, effectively improving care quality, addressing financial consequences, and coordinating access to care. To further advance satisfaction with care and health plan … [More]
Stand Up for Work
Standing desks are gaining attention as a way to promote health and wellness in the workplace. The peer-reviewed British Journal of Sports Medicine recommends office employees work their way up to standing for four hours per day. One key reason, aside from workers being more alert and focused, is that standing burns more calories than sitting, according to the U.S. National … [More]
Specialized Response to PT Clinic Growth
Emma Kingston’s recent launch of PT Clinic Marketing after two year’s success with AZ Healthcare Marketing is a response to the growth of that specialized facet of the healthcare industry. “The more I was engaged in the medical community, the more I saw that [physical therapy] clinics are really taking off, and changing the way they practice,” she says. The growing #ChoosePT … [More]
Posture Impacts Productivity
A new product addresses a health and productivity issue that affects a large segment of the workforce — poor posture. The UpRight Trainer is a small wearable that attaches to the upper or lower back and employs advanced smart sensors to vibrate gently when the user slouches, reminding him to correct his posture and, ultimately, training him to improve his posture. UpRight … [More]
Wellness Benefits
MJ Insurance has added a new position of wellness coordinator to its Arizona benefits consulting team, charged with developing and employing wellness initiatives for its clientele. Bringing experience and education in wellness and exercise to this new position, Amanda Marenghi will use data-driven strategies to provide them with the necessary tools and understanding to deliver … [More]
Wearable Devices Integrate with Wellness Program
Last year, UnitedHealthcare and Qualcomm introduced UnitedHealthcare Motion as a pilot program that integrates new wearable devices with wellness programs and allows people to earn financial rewards for being active. The program was built around Qualcomm Life’s 2net™ Platform* for medical-grade connectivity that features multiple safeguards to help keep data … [More]
It’s All about Meditation
Current Meditation’s raison d’être is empowering people to tap into the benefits of meditation and use it every day to improve their quality of life. “Meditation is becoming mainstream,” says Ross Weisman, president and chief operating officer, who, with his co-founders, brings to the enterprise a combined 40-plus years of business experience. In vogue now as the science of … [More]
U.S. Health Advances — and Declines
With employee health continuing to be an important focus for employers, recognizing the direct correlation to productivity and healthcare premiums and thus profitability, the 27th America’s Health Rankings Annual Report® recently released by United Health Foundation has both good news and bad. The report — which is prepared through an analysis of 34 measures of behaviors, … [More]
Magellan Health Expands
Magellan Health, Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Veridicus Holdings, LLC, a privately held pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization with a unique set of clinical services and capabilities. Veridicus’ differentiated approach to pharmacy management leverages proprietary analytics and clinical software that integrates pharmacy, medical and lab data to drive … [More]
