Be more than well. Be well prepared.
Be more than well. Be well prepared.
Posted on 27 March 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness, Corporate Benefits
Activ Doctors Online (ADO) continuously challenges the status quo of traditional healthcare by creating simple-to-use, intelligently designed solutions. “We empower over 130,000 members worldwide to lead healthier lives by taking control of their medical records and providing access to the world's top specialists for second medical opinions in as fast in 48 hours,” says Founder & CEO, Florent Monssoh, who also answers some frequently asked questions…
What is a Personal Health Record (PHR)?
Everyone has some level of a PHR, you just may not realize it. Your important health information such as blood type, immunizations, prescriptions, allergies, conditions and emergency contacts are in various locations—at home, doctor’s office or pharmacy to name a few. But this information, when consolidated into one secure and encrypted platform becomes something much more valuable and powerful – a PHR. As we know it today, a PHR is a web-based set of tools enabling access and coordination of lifetime health information.
What should people look for in a PHR?
The ideal traits to look for are: individual control, portability, privacy, security, 24/7 access, interoperability, and transparency as to who entered data, where transferred from and who has viewed it. A true PHR is owned and controlled by the individual – not your doctors, insurance company or hospital – with your entire health history. Our PHR includes Medical Records Assistance with membership, in which our team collects and uploads records on your behalf (release form required).
Why do I need a PHR? Do I need one if I’m healthy?
Information is power. PHRs are valuable for anyone because they help lower medical costs, reduce risk of errors, prevent unnecessary tests or procedures, create more informed healthcare consumers and assist with caring for loved ones. A PHR also prepares you for travel and emergencies. Bottom line, PHRs save time, money and even lives.
How does the online Second Medical Opinion work?
Here’s where the information in your PHR gets even more powerful. Through our U.S. Medical Director, we assemble a team of specialists from our global network of over 1,400 physicians. An unbiased online medical opinion is returned within 48 hours, in an easy-to-understand report and via phone. This saves travel, waiting and worry – and is more affordable than a traditional second opinion.
What about the technology used for Activ Doctors Online PHR?
Our member’s information is private, secure and encrypted, following military level security protocols (AES). More importantly, we harness that technology to empower you to easily manage your personal healthcare, with HIPAA-compliant solutions.
Posted on 23 March 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families, Corporate Benefits
Two years later, there is still much debate and challenge over health care reform. An article in the Business Journals on the topic highlights perspective from the president of the U.S. COC:
“The law was supposed to bring down costs, and instead it’s driving premiums higher and increasing costs for job creators,” said Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “It was supposed to preserve health care coverage for patients, and instead it limits options and will result in many patients losing their employer-based plans. It imposes mandates and penalties on businesses that will slow economic growth and job creation at a time we can ill afford it. And the price tag for the health care law continues to climb with some estimating it will be double the initially advertised cost — a whopping $2 trillion — when all is said and done."
How has the law impacted you as an employer?
As a consumer, have you noticed any changes, good or bad?
Post comments on our Facebook page.
Posted on 10 February 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness, Corporate Benefits
You asked, and we got answers. Why would a person want to have a Personal Health Record? Here’s what one doctor of internal medicine had to say.
Posted on 6 February 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness, Corporate Benefits
Enterprise Florida features Activ Doctors Online as telemedicine leader in Trend Watch.
Posted on 26 January 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness
A Personal 
Health Record (PHR) is different because it is controlled by the individual and not limited to information from a particular provider or facility. Some health providers and offices use Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to keep records in digital form rather than traditional paper charts. EMR, also referred to as Electronic Health Records (EHR), is the future of recordkeeping in medical practices and facilities. As part of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, hospitals and physicians are required to adopt EMR by 2014 to bring down the cost of care and be eligible for incentives totaling $19 billion. In addition, “interoperable” EMR will improve the efficiency of the healthcare system and patient care.
PHRs take EMR to another level, enabling consolidation of medical records from different specialists or hospitals, stored in one place, accessible anytime from any location. A true PHR is owned and controlled by the individual, making it portable regardless of healthcare providers, insurance carriers or employers. PHR aptly puts the “personal” in health records, providing an overall, comprehensive picture of health history and information.
Posted on 25 January 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families
A PHR enables control of your health information and gives you the power to make informed decisions. Americans who have access to their health information through personal health records (PHRs):
Source: California HealthCare Foundation Study (CHCF) April 13, 2010.
Posted on 24 January 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families
Thyroid disease is more common than diabetes or heart disease – as many as 27 million Americans have it, and more than half of them remain undiagnosed.
The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of the neck just below the Adam's apple. Although relatively small, the thyroid gland influences the function of many of the body’s most important organs, including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and skin. Ensuring that the thyroid gland is healthy and functioning properly is important to the body's overall well- being.
According to the American College of Endocrinology (ACE):
Concerned about your thyroid or want to learn more? Visit the ACE-AACE website here.
Posted on 17 January 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness
Posted on 10 January 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families
Make 2012 the year you will keep your New Year’s resolution to keep your weight in check by making better food choices.
In a perfect world, it would be easy to make the best choices for your diet and nutrition, but we don’t live a perfect world and we are not perfect people. However, you can set yourself up for success by selecting foods that satisfy your hunger, supply your body with energy and provide important nutrients. Making good snack choices can also help you make better mealtime choices and prevent overindulging at mealtime.
Here is the skinny on healthy snack options. Choose snacks that are:
Krista, a registered nutritionist at Canyon Ranch Living on Miami Beach suggests the following snack ideas:
Yes – chocolate is a good-for-you food and snack. Dark chocolate has been found to improve cardiovascular health and boost mood. There are many single-serving dark chocolate treats for you to healthfully indulge without the guilt. Don’t deny yourself of chocolate, but remember to keep your serving size around one ounce.
Success happens by planning and preparing your snacks in advance to be sure your snacks are nutrient dense and low in fat and calories. Planning and preparation also reduces the risk of temptation.
Cheers to you for a healthy 2012!
Posted on 4 January 2012 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness
The PricewaterhouseCooper's Health Research Institute has released its annual forecast of top health care trends in 2012, along with consumer data from online surveys of 1,000 U.S. adults. Among the top findings and trends we’re watching in the next year are:
The full report is available at PwC’s website.
Posted on 27 December 2011 Posted in Individuals & Families
Today, 22.4 million households provide care to a family member over fifty, according to the American Association for Retired People (AARP). What does this all mean for you? Well, you may be called upon to be a caregiver for your elder mother, father or both. On average, according to AARP, caregivers spend eighteen hours a week or more taking their parent or parents to their doctor appointments, grocery shopping, helping with financial issues, and being the single source of support.
Even if your parents remain at home, move in with you or relocate to one of the many senior housing options, children of aging parents are often responsible for tracking down and distributing a complete medical history and health records from multiple doctors. Often vital health records are not transitioning from one doctor to another and this can easily result in medication errors, life-threatening drug interactions, unnecessarily repeated tests and sometime misdiagnosis. A patient's Personal Health Records (PHR) must be as complete as possible and available when and where it is needed.
Activ Doctors Online Personal Health Record has the ability to help improve your health literacy by having access to your parent’s PHR anywhere- at anytime. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "When people receive accurate, easy-to-use information about a health issue, they are better able to take action to protect and promote their health and wellness. And, are better able to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions".
Activ Online Doctors gives you complete access to your parents’ past and present medical history, prescriptions, vaccinations, allergies, surgery reports, tests and screenings, exams and more. Need a second opinion? As a member you also have access to a network of doctors worldwide to consult with without ever leaving your home.
You'll provide better care for your parents by not trying to do everything yourself. If you are an adult child managing your parent’s healthcare, you are not alone. There are many resources available to help you to determine what housing option is best, what care giving tasks you may be uncomfortable performing, and most importantly, where to look for help. For support and more information, visit AARP's resources on elder care.
With Activ Online Doctors you will be better equipped to navigate the healthcare needs of your parent- giving adult children peace of mind.
Posted on 23 December 2011 Posted in Individuals & Families
Scores, Scores, Scores
These days it seems that scores are everywhere. For example, much ado is made about knowing your credit score and how a low score is dangerous to your financial health. Also much is written on how you can improve your credit score. But did you know that knowing the score is important to your health as well?
In this series, “What’s My Score,” I will present and discuss how various “Health Scores” can be used to determine your state of health and more importantly, how you can improve your score and doing so improve your health.
The Framingham Heart Study
This month we will look at how data from the famous “Framingham Heart Study” can predict your risk of heart disease. A brief explanation is in order. For over 40 years, medical researchers have been tracking and monitoring the population of Framingham, Massachusetts. In conjunction with The National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), these scientists have developed an interactive calculator that can predict your risk of having a Myocardial Infarction (MI) commonly known as a heart attack.
Risky Business
To use this calculator, you will need to know several pieces of information that can easily be obtained from your files in your Activ Doctors Online Personal Health Record (PHR).
1) Your Age
2) Your Gender
3) Your Total Cholesterol Value
4) Your HDL Cholesterol Value
5) Smoking Status
6) Systolic Blood Pressure
Once you enter your values, the calculator will determine your risk of having an MI over the next 10 years. This risk is categorized as follows:
Low Risk: 10% or less chance of MI
Moderate Risk: 11% to 19% chance of MI
High Risk: 20% or higher chance of MI
How Low Can You Go?
Now when you take a look at the “Risk Factors” that are used in this calculator, you can see that some are impossible to change (age and gender) but the majority of them are amenable to either drug therapy (cholesterol and blood pressure) or modification of life style (smoking status and weight).
In my practice, I often calculate a patient’s score and then show them exactly what their risk of heart disease is. Next, I will demonstrate how steps like lowering cholesterol or blood pressure will lower their score and doing so their risk of MI.
See For Yourself
The NHLBI has kindly made this calculator widely available to the general public. You can access the calculator by following the link below.
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calculator.asp
In months to come, I will present similar calculators and other health tools that will help you “Know the Score” and improve your health.
Author: Borys Loza, M.D.
Posted on 6 December 2011 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness
Along with all the excitement of the holiday season often comes, you guessed it – stress. But with some awareness and a bit of thoughtful planning, you can keep your immune system strong in the face of stress. This is the topic of a recent report published by our friends at Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), and we wanted to share the tips from Dr. Brian Luke Seaward, a national stress management expert.
To learn the why behind each of these tips, The Low Stress Diet. Although it’s offered for organizations to share with employees, the insight applies to anyone who wants to be proactive in managing stress through dietary choices. Bon appétit!
Posted on 9 November 2011 by Dr. Howard Zahalsky, Medical Director Posted in Individuals & Families
The National Osteoperosis Foundation estimates that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and 34 million more have low bone mass. Osteoporosis is the thinning of your bones that can lead to fractures. It is most common in post-menopausal women, but men are not immune. Men get osteoporosis at one-fifth the rate of women. Since the vast majority of women are at risk of osteoporosis, that means there are a lot of men out there with it as well.
You can minimize your chance of osteoporosis by making sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D. After menopause, every woman should be getting at least 1000 mg a day of calcium and 400 iu of vitamin D. It would take five glasses of milk a day to get that much calcium, so I generally recommend one calcium pill (they usually have 500 mg of calcium and 200 iu of vitamin D) twice a day with food. Regular exercise has also shown to help prevent osteoporosis.
Doctors generally screen for osteoporosis with bone-density or “DEXA” scans. These scans check the bone density at your hip and spine. Some doctors have scanners in their office that only check the heel. These are considered much less reliable. Your doctor will get a report that gives your standard deviation score or “T” score. The T score tells how you compare to the average 35-year-old of your sex. Mild bone thinning, called osteopenia, is a score of -1.0 to -2.4. Osteoporosis is a score of -2.5 or worse.
There are good treatments for osteoporosis. There are several pills that can be taken once a week or once a month (Fosamax, Actonel, and Boniva). There is also a once yearly intravenous infusion available for patients who have trouble with the pills. Recently, studies have shown some risks of being on these medicines for more than five years. Talk with your doctor if you have used these medicines for a long time.
Your Activ Doctors Online Personal Health Record has the ability to store your DEXA reports and even the images from the scan. By following your own scans, you can see just how your bones have responded to vitamin, exercise and medication changes you make. Being in control of your own medical information is the first step to becoming an Activ patient.
Posted on 12 September 2011 Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness, Corporate Benefits
Activ Doctors Online's own Bernard Lee talks with NBC-6 anchor Trina Robinson about Personal Health Records. Watch this video clip on our YouTube channel or below.
Posted on 29 July 2011 by Dr. Howard Zahalsky, Medical Director Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness
More than 8 percent of the U.S. population – 25.8 million children and adults – have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. The numbers are staggering, and so is the price tag: an estimated $218 billion was spent in healthcare costs in 2007, factoring in undiagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes and gestational diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, however, can be prevented.
There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is childhood diabetes, and is generally unavoidable if you are genetically predisposed. On the other hand, type 2, also known as adult-onset diabetes, is often preventable. While it is true that around 50 percent of people with a type 2 diabetic parent will develop type 2 diabetes, there are several steps one can take to be in the “good” 50 percent.
Maintaining a healthy body weight is far and away the most important factor in avoiding type 2 diabetes. This means avoiding high-fat foods, practicing portion control, and especially getting plenty of exercise. If you are an adult with diabetes, these are important habits to instill in your children, since you know they will be at increased risk. Ninety percent of adult-onset diabetics are overweight at the time of diagnosis.
A common mistake is to think that avoiding sugar or carbohydrates is the best way to prevent diabetes. Not true. Certainly, a diet full of candy, soda, and other high-sugar “junk foods” will put on weight and increase the risk of diabetes. However, a diet which includes balanced amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and even some healthy fats is really the best way to go. In fact, even once you are diagnosed with diabetes, losing weight can make it disappear for years or longer.
If you have been told you have diabetes, or are at risk, an online Personal Health Record (PHR) can help individuals be proactive in tracking related information.
Activ Doctors Online’s Health Tracker, which is included free with the online Personal Health Record (PHR), allows users to keep track of blood sugar, and chart how it changes with diet and weight changes in an easy-to-view format. The chart can be printed out or called up on the physician’s computer at appointments. This can be very helpful in positively reinforcing healthy life choices.
For more information about the importance of Personal Health Records (PHR), visit http://www.activdoctorsonline.com/.
Posted on 1 July 2011 by Dr. Howard Zahalsky, Medical Director Posted in Individuals & Families, Workplace Wellness
Hyperlipidemia, also known as high cholesterol, is a significant cause of heart disease, which is still the leading cause of death in the United States. Like most medical problems, it can be treated successfully, but only if you know you have it. So, getting regular screening for high cholesterol is very important. It is wise to begin yearly testing starting at age 40.
Many people are familiar with the number 200 as a “normal” cholesterol level. There is so much more to cholesterol these days. Doctors care more about the subsets of cholesterol than the total number now. There is the LDL (bad cholesterol), the HDL (good cholesterol) and the triglycerides (fats – pretty bad cholesterol). The American College of Cardiology recommendations for controlling cholesterol are mostly based on keeping the LDL levels low.
When should you worry? If you have no family history of heart disease at a young age, good blood pressure, no diabetes, and are less than 50 years old, an LDL of up to 160 is considered acceptable. If you have any of those risks, physicians like to see the LDL less than 130. If you’ve actually had a heart attack, we try to keep your LDL less than 70-100. Triglyceride levels should generally be kept under 300 in most cases as well. A Personal Health Record (PHR) can help individuals be proactive in tracking related information.
So what can you do to lower your cholesterol if it is too high? Diet is very important. Animal products have cholesterol, plants don’t. A diet full of healthy fruits and vegetables can really bring down those numbers. Exercise not only lowers the LDL, but raises your good HDL. Try using an online health tracker to watch your cholesterol numbers as you improve your diet and exercise more. Chances are, you will be pleasantly surprised. Sometimes, especially if you have a family history of high cholesterol, you may need medication. The most popular cholesterol medications are called Statins, and have names such as Simvastatin, Lipitor and Crestor. But, since all medications have side effects, diet and exercise should always be a first step.
Activ Doctors Online’s Health Tracker, which is included free with the online Personal Health Record (PHR), allows users to enter cholesterol and other readings into an easy-to-view format. At the next doctor’s visit, those results can easily be brought up on the physician’s computer.
For more information about the importance of Personal Health Records (PHR), visit www.activdoctorsonline.com.
Posted on 16 May 2011 by Dr. Howard Zahalsky, Medical Director Posted in Individuals & Families
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is one of the most common conditions treated by primary care doctors. It is also one of the most ignored, as it often has few symptoms until it is too late. However, one can take several steps to avoid the crippling effects of heart failure or a stroke, which can result from overlooked hypertension. A Personal Health Record (PHR) can help individuals be proactive in tracking related information.
First, know your numbers. The classic normal blood pressure is 120/80. Medications are usually started when the numbers rise above 140 for the top number (systolic) or 90 for the bottom number (diastolic). But individuals can be proactive by making some simple lifestyle adjustments to prevent ever reaching those levels. Exercising, reducing salt intake, and maintaining a healthy body weight can all keep blood pressure lower – often much lower. Individuals should talk to their doctor about healthy lifestyle habits.
A second valuable point is to know what your blood pressure “really is.” Many people suffer from White Coat Hypertension, or blood pressure that goes up when they are nervous in a doctor’s office. It is important for people who measure high in their physician’s office to check their blood pressure elsewhere. If you can’t afford a home blood-pressure cuff, check your local drugstore or supermarket. Most of these stores now have a machine near the pharmacy counter where you can get a reading.
Bringing those lower, “real-life” numbers to your doctor might allow you to avoid expensive medications, and the side effects that often come with them. Activ Doctors Online’s Health Tracker, which is included free with the online Personal Health Record (PHR), allows users to enter these pressure readings into an easy-to-view format. At the next doctor’s visit, those results can easily be brought up on the physician’s computer.
For more information about the importance of Personal Health Records (PHR), visit www.activdoctorsonline.com.
