Montefiore Medical Center: Integrated Care Delivery for Vulnerable Populations

Describes a system of hospitals and community- and school-based clinics tailored to low-income patients through systemwide strategies, high-quality specialty and hospital care, and integrated care delivery via care management and information technology

Hybrid statistical and mechanistic mathematical model guides mobile health intervention for chronic pain

Nearly a quarter of visits to the Emergency Department are for conditions that could have been managed via outpatient treatment; improvements that allow patients to quickly recognize and receive appropriate treatment are crucial. The growing popularity of mobile technology creates new opportunities for real-time adaptive medical intervention, and the simultaneous growth of big data sources allows for preparation of personalized recommendations. Here we focus on the reduction of chronic suffering in the sickle cell disease community. Sickle cell disease is a chronic blood disorder in which pain is the most frequent complication. There currently is no standard algorithm or analytical method for real-time adaptive treatment recommendations for pain. Furthermore, current state-of-the-art methods have difficulty in handling continuous-time decision optimization using big data. Facing these challenges, in this study we aim to develop new mathematical tools for incorporating mobile technology into personalized treatment plans for pain. We present a new hybrid model for the dynamics of subjective pain that consists of a dynamical systems approach using differential equations to predict future pain levels, as well as a statistical approach tying system parameters to patient data (both personal characteristics and medication response history). Pilot testing of our approach suggests that it has significant potential to predict pain dynamics given patients' reported pain levels and medication usages. With more abundant data, our hybrid approach should allow physicians to make personalized, data driven recommendations for treating chronic pain.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, 5 table

Digital technologies and chronic disease management

Raises awareness of the potential benefits of using digital technologies for improving practice efficiencies and patient health outcomes. Background Digital technologies will become a major part of our healthcare system, with particular impact in primary care. However, many healthcare professionals are not sufficiently informed of the digital technologies available today and how they and their patients can gain substantial benefit from adoption of these technologies. Objective To raise awareness of the potential benefits of using digital technologies for improving practice efficiencies and patient health outcomes. Discussion Implementing best practice care for patients with chronic and complex conditions is one of the greatest challenges facing gen-eral practice and other primary care providers. It has been suggested that digital technologies could assist by decreasing the administrative burden of care delivery, improving quality of care, increasing practice efficiencies and better supporting patient self-management. In this paper, we consider some areas in the management of chronic and long-term conditions where digital and mobile health solutions can make a difference today

Providing Language Services in Small Health Care Provider Settings: Examples From the Field

Assesses recent innovations in language service programs and activities at healthcare provider settings with ten or fewer clinicians. Includes an eight-step plan to help providers develop a strategy to meet the needs of their patients