Premier Doctors
As healthcare evolves, is your doctor ready?
The COVID-19 pandemic
changed how people think
about healthcare. Interacting
with your doctor has never
been more critical, but now some
or all those interactions might occur
online.
The ability to make appointments
online and see your
physician without leaving home
has benefi ts. In fact, Chilmark Research
estimates that by 2025, 15
to 25 percent of all primary care
visits will be conducted virtually
in the United States. As telehealth
use grows and patients have come
to expect more online services
from their doctors, it’s important
to ask your doctor about available
tools to help you stay connected
and save time.
Explore the new age of
ambulatory care
One company leading the
evolution in patient engagement
technologies is NextGen Healthcare.
The NextGen® Patient
Experience Platform saves time
for healthcare teams and boosts
convenience for patients.
NextGen Healthcare experts
suggest you ask your doctor
about:
* Online patient access: How
does their patient portal work,
and what features does it offer?
Can you easily send a message to
your doctor, request a prescription
refi ll, access your personal
health records, and view lab results
online?
* Online appointments:
Can you schedule your own
appointments online? Can
you view your appointment
history and/or modify existing
appointments?
* Virtual visits: Do they offer
virtual video visits (aka telehealth)
for situations that don’t
require an in-person offi ce visit
(e.g., refi ll requests, lab results,
or follow-up appointments)? Are
they using a secure and HIPAAcompliant
telehealth system?
(HIPAA is a law that protects
the privacy and confidentiality
of patient health records and
information.)
* Online bill pay: Can you
see your balance and pay a bill
electronically without having to
call or send payment in the mail?
The future of the
doctor-patient
relationship
People are comfortable shopping
online from their smartphones,
tablets or computers. When the
COVID-19 pandemic started,
video chats with friends and family
skyrocketed in every age category.
Software platforms enable us to do
almost anything from the comfort
of home, and the same expectation
now applies to healthcare. There’s
no doubt that the patient experience
will continue to evolve beyond
the confi nes of a traditional offi ce
setting. This growth of consumerism
also means you have more
choices for where and how you
receive healthcare, and this will
likely impact how you choose a
doctor in the future.
Your health is your top possession.
Stay connected to your
doctor and take an active role in
your own health by ensuring your
doctor’s practice offers digital patient
engagement tools that make it
easy for you to stay on top of your
healthcare. Through technology,
doctors and patients can be more
aligned for even better overall
health outcomes. NextGen Healthcare’s
award-winning ambulatory
software platforms enables a more
seamless and effi cient experience
that helps improve the providerpatient
relationship. Learn more
at www.nextgen.com.
Courtesy BPT
More tests, less COVID-19 rates for Manhattan: DOH
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Manhattan continues to have
some of the lowest infection
rates in the city — and it’s no
coincidence that they also have some of
the highest testing rates per capita.
That’s according to fi gures from the
city Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene for the period between March
22-29.
Eight of the 10 communities in New
York City with the most people tested per
capita are in Manhattan. The best median
daily test rate was in East Village/Greenwich
Village/Gramercy (ZIP code 10003),
with 1,299 per 100,000 people — but just
a 2.64% 7-day positivity rate, the 14th
lowest rate in the fi ve boroughs.
Greenwich Village/SoHo (ZIP code
10012) has the second best median
daily test rate at 1,218 per 100,000, but
a 2.94% positivity rate, followed by Central
Harlem/Morningside Heights/West
Harlem (ZIP code 10027) with 1,114
per 100,000 tested and a 3.24% positivity
rate; Manhattan Valley/Morningside
Heights/Upper West Side (ZIP code
10025) with 1,146 per 100,000 tested
and a 1.99% positivity rate.
Long Island City, Queens (ZIP code
11109) was the only area outside Manhattan
to crack the top 5 in testing, with
1,093 per 100,000 tested and a 3.96%
positivity rate.
Conversely, the fi ve areas with the
lowest median daily test rates had 7-day
positivity rates exceeding 5% — though,
ironically, none of the communities exceeded
10% positivity.
The Borough Park neighborhood of
Brooklyn (ZIP code 11219) had just 289
per 100,000 people tested for COVID-19,
but its positivity rate is 8.61%. That’s
followed by Fresh Meadows/Hillcrest in
Queens (ZIP code 11366) with 366 tested
per 100,000 and a 8.08% positivity rate;
Bensonhurst/Mapleton, Brooklyn (ZIP
code 11204) with 383 tested per 100,000
and a 9.51% positivity rate; Flushing/
Murray Hill, Queens (ZIP code 11354)
with 393 tested per 100,000 and a 9.89%
positivity rate; and Bellerose/Douglaston/
Little Neck (ZIP codes 11004 and 11005)
with 417 per 100,000 tested and a 6.62%
positivity rate.
10 April 8, 2021 Schneps Media
/www.nextgen.com
