Here at the No Insurance Club, we try to keep up with the latest technology and trends. We keep you entertained with our sarcastic Health Care Crisis News with the former Ms. Arizona. We keep you informed here at the NIC Blog. We toss our message all over the internet via Twitter and Facebook. And, of course, we have some great paperless medical technology in the works for our doctors and offices. But, there’s always more to do.
There are literally hundreds of great resources out there to help patients find reliable doctors, medical advice, nutritional information to stay healthy, ways to keep medical records conveniently on hand, and even expert resources for the medical professionals. Mashable posted a great article over the weekend regarding the changing face of healthcare, and the amazing tools available online. Here’s a bit of what they had to say:
For patients who want to research their symptoms and possible diagnoses, there is WebMD, Revolution Health, Yahoo Health, rVita, and Organized Wisdom, to name just a few. No more jumping into that old encyclopedia like grandma used to do. Today, simply jump online, type in your symptoms, and know exactly what’s wrong with you.
Need to find a good doctor? Check out HealthGrades, FindaDoc, or Vitals, which ranks our own Dr. Sam Sannoufi with four stars. These are all great sites to find out how others rank and value their doctor.
Have a little something that you know needs some medical attention, but you don’t really want to head into the doctor’s office? Well, “there’s an app for that”…I mean, a website. Check out BreakThrough or American Well for some live webcam consultations. While it’s almost always better to actually make an appointment and see a doctor, sometimes, like in the cases of military families who use this web-based service for psychological evaluations, it can be useful.
While going entirely paperless is definitely in the future for every physician’s office, it’s still a very difficult thing for many to come to terms with. Going digital means long hours and many months to input each and every patient’s information into the programs. These hours and months don’t come free, and once you factor in the cost of purchasing some digital/paperless programs to convert your files along with the cost of paying someone extra time to input information, it can become extremely costly for small-town, family physicians.
While there are admittedly many, many privacy issues at hand here, there are some programs available online today that allow you to keep track of your medical records at anytime. Google Health, WebMD PHR, and Revolution Health PHR are a few of the top sites.
Social media is already the perfect platform to build a support group on, and there are many when it comes to medical issues. ParentsLikeMe and DailyStrength are two of the most popular, offering forums and community support.
And, of course, there is always us. With the No Insurance Club’s provocative discussions that occur here on the blog, and out Twitter engagement, as well as our online site and patient’s first business model, social media is our best resource.
If there are any sites that I missed above, or any resources that you use when looking for medical information, feel free to add to the list!
