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With the increasing number of doctors, it's difficult to know which ones are good, and which ones are terribly unprofessional. New media has given patients the option to go to the best doctor possible. Checking on a doctor's review is one way people use nowadays to know whether or not a doctor is good. There are various websites that help people to better use health care these days.

Virtual Healthcare

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The world of health care is ever-changing. Health care providers are constantly providing more ways to stay on the cutting edge of practicing medicine as technology advances. The digital age is upon us. With it comes significant advancements and innovations in patient access, health care costs, and quality of care. All that makes it even more important to maintain excellent health care awareness to take advantage of these advancements.

One development poised to change the face of health care is "virtual health care," or "telehealth/telemedicine." It is a method, or methods, by which physicians and other health care providers, such as nurses or medical assistants, communicate with patients without physically seeing them in the office. This bit of health care awareness can be extremely beneficial to patients too busy for an office visit. It helps those who lack mobility, have limited access to transportation, or live in remote areas. It can be used for online second opinions, doctor-to-doctor consultations, and home monitoring of certain conditions.

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ZocDoc

ZocDoc is an online medical care booking service. It is free of charge booking service that matches patients' needs with geographical and medical special needs. ZocDoc provides information about medical specialties and services of doctors along with their availabilities. [1] Since it's easier to do everything online, each doctor has their locations and their available hours set. A patient just has to click on the available time slot that they prefer, enter their insurance information and they're good to go. There is also an app that makes booking appointments even easier. ZocDoc's database includes specialties, a range of services, office locations, photographs, personal educational background, and user-submitted reviews. [2]

ZocDoc is based in New York City but also has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Pune, India. The service is looking to expand to other major cities. ZocDoc was founded by Nick Ganju and Cyrus Massoumi. Given the recent changes to the Healthcare laws in the United States, ZocDoc has been seen gaining even more popularity. In recent decades a disconnect has developed between physicians and their patients. Due to increased workloads, physicians have generally been forced to spend less time with patients - this has contributed to the breakdown between the needs and obligations of either party. ZocDoc is hoping to bridge this gap as they are enabling people to more easily connect with a physician that best fits their needs. Making appointments for a plethora of medical needs has never been easier.

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Healthgrades

Healthgrades [3]is the second most popular website for finding a doctor. It is a little more difficult to navigate but produces many of the same results. Healthgrades is a great website to use for finding information about physicians and hospitals. It has over 250 million visitors annually.[4]People use the site to compare and connect with doctors, dentists, and hospitals. Users can find information about the doctor's experience, the conditions that the doctor treats, patients' satisfaction, and the quality of the hospital.

Oscar Health Insurance

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Oscar [5] is a health insurance company that aims to capitalize off the world's increasing use of the internet and social media. In fact, they are offering unheard of services in the healthcare industry as a way to differentiate themselves from other rivals. They have the option to search for providers, sort by price range, and offer access to their services with smart-technology. To cap that off, Oscar has created an online presence on the platforms of Facebook [6], Twitter [7], YouTube [8], and Tumblr [9].As Forbes reported last year, Oscar has “a unique partnership with the telemedicine company TeleDoc” which will allow its customers to speak to a doctor at any time of the day or night without incurring any out-of-pocket expense.


Vitals

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Vitals empowers people to shop for health care like an expert by providing online tools that help them weigh their options and make a decision with confidence. Vitals can help search for an experienced doctor who meets your needs, compare costs for procedures and appointments and read patient ratings and reviews and not only that customer/ patients can even earn cash incentives when you shop and save on their health care. [10]

Pager

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Pager is being called the "Uber for doctors". This is because for a flat rate of $200 they get you a doctor at your door within two hours. They are using modern technology to bring back house calls. [11] The way it works is you report your symptoms and location, then they get a doctor out to you. The pager also delivers prescriptions free of charge through their partnership with Zipdrug. Pager's mission is to transform healthcare, by offering patients better tools and more access to high-quality care. [12]

Maven

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Maven is a healthcare app that caters to women's health. Prescriptions or advice by video appointment or private message. Whenever, wherever. Women in America make 80% of all health decisions for themselves and their families. But the current healthcare system is not exactly female-friendly. Maven was started because they wanted to make it easier for women to get immediate, professional care, from someone they trust. Wherever they are, whenever they need it. They have a network of doctors, nurses, mental health providers, and specialists in all areas of women’s and children’s health, and make it easy for women to connect with them directly via video appointment or private message—whether it’s for a prescription or just for peace of mind. [13]

WebMD

WebMD is a platform that allows people experiencing symptoms of any kind to research them and come up with a self-diagnosis. The website also allows for forum discussions on health issues and allows doctors and other medical professionals to post publications on certain health topics that they are researching. It is often referred to as an online medical encyclopedia. [14] Many critics have thought of WebMD to be inefficient because it causes a sense of fear in patients by overestimating the symptoms they have been experiencing.

MDLIVE

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MDLive believes that Healthcare should be simple, fast, and uncomplicated. MDLIVE makes it easy to visit a doctor in minutes through our mobile app, online, and by phone. Get access to quality healthcare without ever leaving your home, your job, or wherever you are. Find out how easy it is to receive affordable, quality care without traveling to the doctor's office.MDLIVE friendly, board-certified doctors are revolutionizing remote access to quality healthcare. They are professionally trained to use virtual technology to treat many non-emergency conditions. Our doctors are board-certified and have an average of 15 years of experience.[15]

Lemonaid Health

Lemonaid Health launches first on-demand depression and anxiety online treatment service. the most convenient, most affordable, and on-demand platform for accessing healthcare online, today announced the launch of its latest service, the first national low cost, on-demand online service for depression and anxiety. Patients can access the service nationally via the Lemonaid Health website and mobile app. The service costs a flat all-in fee of $95 a month. The monthly fee includes unlimited video, message, or telephone interaction with a doctor, and includes any medicines prescribed and shipped from the Lemonaid pharmacy. Lemonaid Health also helps patients find access to online therapy and in-person care as needed.

Virtual Covid 19 Test

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Indiana University Health has stepped up and offered the public virtual Coronavirus screening. IU Health has launched a virtual clinic to offer individuals in Indiana regardless of age free coronavirus (COVID-19) screenings using the IU Health Virtual Visit app. [16]IU Health has launched a virtual clinic to offer individuals in Indiana regardless of age free coronavirus (COVID-19) screenings using the IU Health Virtual Visit app. How can you access the hub? Download the free IU Health Virtual Visits app (Google Play or iTunes) or enroll on your computer. Enroll by creating a free login and completing your personal profile. Connect with the virtual hub, select “Coronavirus Screen” and find the appropriate pathway for care.



GET STARTED

Mental Health

Talkspace

Talkspace is an app for mental health counseling. The field of online mental health counseling isn't new but Talkspace is revitalizing it. They bring a fresh sense of professionalism to the field, with a systematic approach customized to user needs and over 300 licensed therapists in its network. [17] New users can take a free assessment and work with Talkspace to get matched to the right provider, starting a long-term mental health journey on the right foot. It is impacting healthcare because the people who can most benefit from talk therapy have often found it hardest to come by due to financial difficulties, geographic isolation, and other factors. Talkspace has the potential to change all that but bringing these professionals directly to you.

With Talkspace, users can be able to converse with professionals who are matched to them through the system called IBM Watson. As users begin the process, they are asked a series of questions about themselves, what they are feeling, and so forth by a professional. After this step, the system supplied by IBM Watson pairs the users with therapists it best believes would be a good fit. This decreases the worry users might feel in this technological community. [18]

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BetterHelp

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BetterHelp is an online counseling and therapy service that offers web-based interaction between a patient and counselor/therapist. Communication between a therapist and patient can be done either over the phone, text, video chat, or online chat. BetterHelp's counselors and therapists can be contacted at any time although they may not be able to answer for hours at a time. BetterHelp differs from a traditional in-office therapy session as these online chat sessions are accessible 24/7. A counselor/therapist will be in contact with you throughout the week as opposed to just seeing or talking to an in-office therapist once or twice a week at a scheduled time.

All therapists are licensed. Each therapist has a provided bio and educational background available for you. Along with a bio, each therapist lists out their specialties in the mental health realm and also describes what type of therapeutic approaches they take. It is easy for a patient to narrow down sex and race along with therapeutic traits in order to find the best match for a patient to feel comfortable with. A patient also has the option to switch counselors and therapists if they do not find their needs are being met.

BetterHelp charges a monthly fee as opposed to a session hourly rate. The services are usually not covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. The monthly price though is generally much less than one would have to pay to see a therapist without health insurance. The monthly rate also reflects an amount that coincides with the extended availability of an online therapist who a patient can speak to throughout the week as opposed to a single session per week. BetterHelp does offer financial support and discounts on a need-based basis. [19]

Social Media in Healthcare

Introduction

Many hospitals are using social medial such as hospital blogs Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, Google Plus, and Pinterest to attract followers to promote their facility. They keep the public informed about the latest breakthroughs being made at these hospitals. MHAdegree.org listed the 50 most social media-friendly hospitals for 2013. Mayo Clinic-Rochester, MN was ranked as number one.[20]

The Impact of Social Media

The doctor-Patient relationship has totally changed since social media has appeared in our life in the past 10 years; Health care physicians have the obligation to create reliable blogs with accurate information where patients can trust and follow directions, Today we are in the United States we are lucky to have platforms like Patient Portal by The New York Presbyterian where patients can access their labs' results, appointments, health record 24/7, This it can be called Excellent customers service, they advertise this portal via Social Media. Millennials today use social media more than everything, this way they also learn to trust their health care professionals since they are using the same platforms as them this creates trust. [21]

Yelp

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Surprisingly, even Yelp [22] has become a tool for people to find physicians, dermatologists, and sorts as well. The Yelp platform was built on the ability of users to create and leave reviews on places that others have visited already and be able to rate their overall experience. This is primarily associated with various restaurants today, but it is not only limited to that. Some users have begun to use Yelp to rate clinics on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, as well as leaving text reviews of what was liked, disliked, and overall impression. This helps future users make a more informed, and easy way to relate when it comes to the decision of looking up where to go on their next necessary appointment.

It also has a big impact on health because people share and make comments about the restaurant they went to. Therefore their opinion is valuable because they commented on their first experience. Moreover, one of the drawbacks people find in yelp regarding reviewing healthcare services is that most people who are dissatisfied share their opinion. One reason is that there is no incentive. For example, for restaurants yelp, cost-effectiveness they give coupons or freebies if their page is liked on Yelp but this is not the case in healthcare.


Twitter

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More people now get their news from social media than from newspapers. That makes social a key place to share breaking information. It’s a perfect platform for critical instructions during a health crisis.

Typhoon Mangkhut hit the Philippines in September 2018.[23] As it approached, the World Health Organization turned to its social channels. The organization posted info-graphics about staying safe during and after the typhoon.

Listening is one of the most important things a doctor can do. It’s no different for healthcare brands. People are having conversations on Twitter about both their health and your business. Twitter provides healthcare brands the opportunity to listen and respond to patients as they share their health struggles, steering patients to the resources they need to improve their health.


Hello Health

In today’s world, new media plays a large role in terms of changing and shaping our lives. It has definitely shaped the social world, but it is also shaping the medical world. It is the fastest-growing technology that will become a symbol of an innovative healthcare system. People are embracing web-based health care because of its cost-effectiveness and because it provides sufficient access to the health care world. Through new media, the medical industry is being shaped by weblogs, instant messaging, video messaging, and so on. New media is a game-changing tool that has and will reshape the way doctors and patients interrelate. For many, “Hello Health” [24] is one of the newly built systems that will replace the old ones in the U.S. There is no doubt that new media will change the health care system and will begin a new era for health care.

Glimpse of “Hello Health” Can you imagine a life where doctors and nurses are taking care of you at all times? Hello Health is one of the applications that will allow them to do so. To get a glimpse of Hello Health, first, we have to get a close-up look at the product and understand the system. Hello Health is a privately owned health information technology (HIT) company, which was founded in 2008. Hello Health is a private-owned health information technology (HIT) company, which was founded in 2008 by con-founders Dr. Jay Parkinson and other co-founders. This is the company will take the healthcare system to the next level. They have 24 hours of service for the patient through new media. Even better, now patients can skip going to the emergency and wait for hours for chronic fever or stomach pain. When it comes to services, Patients can instant message or organize a video call through Hello Health’s web site, to talk to Dr. Parkinson or any other available doctor or nurse. They also make use of Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Google Hangout, and so on, to practice medical care and communicate with patients. It is also very simple to manage and secure social web sites to practice health care. To use Hello Health’s services, the patient has to first open a basic account that requires a $35 dollar monthly free. In addition, charges vary for services. For example, if a patient wants to get basic health information or to get advice from a doctor through instant messaging, these services are free. On the other hand, if they want to get more extensive services through a cyber-visit, then the patient will be charged from $50 to $100. Apart from services offered via new media, doctors using Hello Health also consent to patients coming into the office for discussion and assure 24-hour service to patients. When necessary, a physician goes to a patient’s house for a checkup for as little as $150. When it comes to health insurance, typically insurers do not cover internet visits and will not accept internet visit bills from the healthcare provider; however, patients are allowed to submit bills on their own to the insurance company (Cohen, 2009) [25]. Even though the insurance company may or may not accept internet visits, still this is less expensive than regular physicians or other health organizations. This shows how health care can be affordable and time-consuming through new media. A decade ago, this would have been impossible; but now, with the click of a button, we can communicate with a doctor through new media.

Adopting "Hello Health" Adopting new media in health care will give us broader opportunities to connect with our physicians and health care organizations. It will increase our use of new media for health care. I am glad that I researched and wrote this term paper on new media in health care because now I have discovered new information and have more options for choosing the right health care system. From my personal experience, I pay $460 per month, plus a $40 up-front payment for every doctor’s visit. That’s why I have no reason not to choose Hello Health. My annual expenses for health care insurance are $5,520, and from my past experience, I know I probably get sick with seasonal allergies and the flu about 5 to 6 times a year. That adds an additional $200 to $240 for the up-front annual payment deductible. If I enrolled myself in Hello Health, I would be paying $420 annually without doctor’s visits. For sure it would work out to less than I am paying right now. I would have to pay an extra $750 to $900 annually for a doctor’s examination. Without question, I would be saving lots of money. Not to mention, it would also save me the time necessary for finding parking near my doctor’s office, something which usually takes me 20 to 30 minutes. After analyzing all of these factors, it would be foolish for me not to choose this amazing advance in technology. Yes, there are always going to be some risks, but that’s life.

The approach of combining new media with health care is and will be the best innovation for the health care system. Many people will benefit from this use of technology. Already, Internet communication has affected almost everything. Why should health care be left behind? It will lead to a new way to share and exploit technological advances in the health care system. Cost-effectiveness can’t be emphasized enough. In the meantime, taking advantage of the Internet for health care will help online access to become more effective and safe for the public to use, decreasing the risk of privacy breaches.



Healow

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Healow is the medical app for online appointment booking, apps, and health trackers which patients, doctors, and lab used to communicate with each other without meeting in person [26]With healow, patients enjoy unparalleled online access to their personal health information. Patient Portal provides secure communications between providers and patients, who can view their records, see lab results, exchange messages, request or book appointments, and view health education materials. Providers can use Messenger for dozens of health campaigns and reminders, while Kiosk speeds office check-in, insurance, and demographic updates, and keeps staff focuses on direct patient care. By using the new media app patients can able to make their appointment, can able to get their medical history. And also, they can live chat with doctors (if they wish to)ask questions and discuss the lab report. The app contains many features such as online appointment booking, apps for lifestyle and healthcare management (take charge of your family health) and track your activity and gather data. Healow can be download from Google Play [27] or App store [28].

Cloud Space in Healthcare

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Healthcare organizations are structuring their IT infrastructures to be more scalable to meet growing data demand. Organizations are challenged with storing clinical data in a way that is both HIPAA-compliant and easy for users to access. Cloud Space allows for medical information to be accessible with the touch of a button and allows for information to be stored at a lower cost than traditional filing systems. Cloud Space saves organizations money by allowing them to buy more storage as needed as opposed to investing in additional on-premise access. With many organizations adopting mobile applications, the data stored in the cloud gives users more access. This allows patients to access lab results and medical records in real-time. A patient's network of various doctors is also connected, allowing each doctor to access a patient's records from other medical personnel they have seen.

Cloud Space fosters medical innovation as medical professionals now have more shared medical records and procedures. Having access to different innovative procedures allows more and more doctors to adopt these measures to save more lives. Medical professionals are more connected than ever storing medical expertise in the cloud for other authorized users to access. [29]



Traditional Healthcare using New Media

Patient Online Portals

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A patient portal is a secure online website that gives patients convenient, 24-hour access to their personal health information from any device with an Internet connection. Patient uses a secure username and password to view lab results, immunization records, prescriptions, recent doctor visits with summaries, and some patient portals allow them to book appointments, message their doctor, request prescription refills, make payments, and update contact information. The creation of these portals allow patients to be more in control of their healthcare. Previously, to get this information patients had to go visit the doctor's office but now that it is online, they save time and effort.

Insurance companies are also creating member portals where patients can go in and view their coverage information. The portal gives the patient the ability to pay their bill, renew their insurance, speak to representatives via chat, and even request prior authorizations for more expensive medications that may not be covered. The portals also give the patients the ability to search nearby hospitals, doctors, or pharmacies that accept their insurance which is very convenient.


Doctor Online Portals

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Many hospitals and clinics are using doctors, or providers, portals. These portals allow doctors to submit authorizations, referrals and claims to insurance companies and other hospitals quickly and easily. Doctors have many patients and the use of such portals saves them a lot of time. Doctors also have portals that allow them to message patients and share lab results with patients in a more efficient way than sending mail or phone calls. Doctor portals allow them to be more organized in storing patient information in secure online charts that can be accessed from anywhere in case of an office location move or emergency. Having access to these chart notes via online portals also allows them to be able to share the patient information with pharmacies and insurance companies easier because these portals can omit information that cannot be shared and fax/e-mail the chart notes instantly.

Pharmacy Online Portals

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Pharmacies are significant in the healthcare industry and need portals and servers to store the information of hundreds of clients and accept new information daily. Pharmacy portals especially allow pharmacies to communicate with clinics and hospitals more efficiently if there is a problem with a prescription, like a serious drug-to-drug interaction with another prescription or the need for prior authorization for a medication. Pharmacies need to establish communication with these doctors to provide the best healthcare to their patients. Many pharmacy portals cannot communicate with patients yet. But, they do have the ability to send automatic texts or phone calls to patients to let them know if a medication is ready for pickup or being sent on delivery.





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