Vivacare Patient Education Service Highly Rated by Doctors

91.5% of physician users of Vivacare “like”, “really like”, or “love” the patient education service, according to a new physician survey results published today by the company.

Doctors appreciate Vivacare’s Patient Handouts for Their Practice Websites

Vivacare provides physicians with personalized patient handouts (“eHandouts”) that can be easily displayed on the doctors’ own websites for convenient access by patients. Following office appointments, doctors tell patients to …”Go to my Website to learn about your diagnosis and treatment options“. Pharmaceutical and medical device firms are provided the opportunity to distribute product information and medication rebate coupons through Vivacare’s patient education platform.

An online survey of 50 physician users of Vivacare was completed in September that showed that over 90% appreciate the patient education service. More than 95% of the doctors stated that the Vivacare service improves clinical care, patient satisfaction, and patient convenience. In addition, over 90% of respondents stated that the information they receive improves medication compliance.

When asked what medication information would be most helpful for their patients, physicians said they would like instructions on how to use the medication (93%) and how the medication works (95%). Importantly, 90% said that rebate coupons regarding the medications they prescribe would be a “helpful” or “very helpful” addition to their website.

“This is one of the best things we have done for our practice”, said Eliot Mostow, M.D. of Akron Dermatology who has made Vivacare patient handouts available on his dermatology practice Website.

“Physicians remain the most trusted source of health information, but often lack the time and resources to consistently educate their patients.” said Dr. Mark Becker, pediatrician and founder of Vivacare. “Vivacare makes it easy for physicians to offer their patients practical and relevant health information that improves clinical care, patient satisfaction and medication adherence.“

78% of Physicians Report Wanting to Deliver Patient Education Online

78% of physicians report being interested in being able to direct their patients to online educational resources, according to a new survey of 4,000+ physicians, “Doctors, Patients and Social Media”. The survey also revealed that 65% of physicians express interest in offering medication rebate coupons or other discounts for medical treatments.

60-80% of physicians reported seeing potential for a wide range of physician-patient online interactions with the strongest support for sharing patient handouts with their patients.  When asked about the benefits of online interactions with patients, clinicians most often cited improved access to care, supported by more – and more convenient – communication. One physician summed up his vision of online interactions with patients as the opportunity for “better education, increased compliance, and better outcomes.”

The study also examined physicians’ familiarity with online patient communities. Although many physicians in the study are not well acquainted with online patient communities, two-thirds of physicians who are familiar with these communities say they have positive impact on patients. Almost 40% of these physicians say they already recommend patient communities to their patients and another 40% would consider recommending them. These positive physician views suggest that online patient communities may grow in acceptance by the medical community as more physicians become acquainted with them.

“We suspected there would be low clinician awareness for patient communities, we didn’t realize just how low this awareness would be,” said Mary Modahl, Chief Communications Officer, QuantiaMD. “However, we were encouraged by the favorable views of those clinicians who knew about patient communities, as well as by their high rate of recommendation to patients. Our study suggests that patient communities that generate greater awareness among treating physicians could gain significantly from doctors recommending patients to their sites. This in turn would help patient communities fulfill their promise of improving healthcare.”

The study was authored and conducted by QuantiaMD and the Care Continuum Alliance, an international association for wellness, prevention and care management.

Psoriasis Care via Web May Provide Effective Alternative to Office Visits

The Internet may offer an effective way of managing follow-up appointments for psoriasis treatment, according to a study published in the Sept. 5 2011 online version of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD).

The medical care model continues to evolve with the adoption of EMR, advent of hospitalists, ePrescribing, and use of email with patients. Now the time has come to evaluate whether an in-person visit to the doctor’s office is required every time a clinical decision is made regarding a patient’s treatment plan. This study shows the quality of care is not compromised by managing SELECT patient cases online.

The study, “Patient-centered online management of psoriasis: A randomized controlled equivalency trial” reported that “an online follow-up system for individuals with psoriasis is just as effective as standard in-office follow-up.”

A total of 64 participants with psoriasis were randomized to receive follow-up care either in-office or online over a 24-week period. Patients participating online underwent training on capturing high-quality digital images of their psoriatic skin lesions and securely transmitting these images and history to their doctor. The doctor then performed an online evaluation when it best suited his/her schedule and provided recommendations directly to the patients. Both online and in-office groups showed improvement in psoriasis disease severity as measured by mean improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Life Quality Index scores. No significant differences existed between the two groups.

Certainly there remains outstanding questions regarding reimbursement, office workflow, and possible erosion of the physician-patient relationship, but there may be significant advantages to both physicians and patients to adopt effective ways of using the Internet. The patient benefits by avoiding drives across town, pulling kids from school, and office wait times. Doctors and practices may benefit by less juggling of appointment times and even more satisfied patients.