Data Visualization is the process of presenting data in front of others in a more beautiful, elegant and in a descriptive way. The world is changing at a rapid pace and the trend of presenting data is changing simultaneously. Earlier people of ancient age used to carve on stones and slowly came the age of typewriter. But now all these tools of presenting data are outdated and are now there are been isolated with the computer age. With the rapid growth in the Information technology presentation o… Continue

Today is a quiet day in the office, most of our staff is on vacation, so it seems like a good day to reflect. When I started the Healthcare Marketing Community on Ning a couple of years ago, I was just trying to figure out social media and create a space for healthcare marketers to share information and continue learning. Over that time the group has grown to more than 150 members and we've shared more than 200 posts. To me, that's what it is all about.

The new members keep coming. In the last… Continue

When I was on Twitter yesterday, I learned from Craig Gagnon, a fellow healthcare marketer and member of the Healthcare Marketing (#hcmktg) Twitter Group, about this great article by Pamela Lewis Dolan of American Medical News on the subject of Twitter in healthcare. Specifically, Pamela's article discusses early physician adopters and their use of Twitter. This topic has received a lot of attention of late, even in mainstream media, but Pa… Continue

in north carolina, some teens are having “the talk” with the birds & bees text line. the adolescent pregnancy prevention coalition of north carolina developed this mhealth program to combat their state’s ranking: ninth-highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. (revisiting their abstinence-only sex ed curriculum might be another idea.) the text line offers all north carolina-based teens an anonymous way to ask their very personal questions and receive honest, nonjudgmental advice.

since it… Continue

A couple of weeks ago (6-8-09) I wrote a post on the subject of LinkedIn Groups for heathcare marketers. I guess it is only fair that I now add a post about Twitter Groups for healthcare marketers. It's important that I admit upfront that what I know about social media changes and expands everyday. A friend of mine, Keith Fontaine, was doing a presentation on social media in healthcare and he described the process as trying to fly a plane while you build it. I agree! And I've found Twitter to be… Continue

As a marketing strategy, the idea of routinely committing random acts of generosity may not be something that has occurred to you. When I was in Starbucks this morning, my friends behind the counter told me that my lattes were on the house. There was no special reason or occasion to warrant this action. They just did it. And I appreciated it. Heck, I'm writing about it in my blog.

This reminded me of an article a colleague passed along to me from the New York Times Magazine on June 21, 2009. Th… Continue

There was recently a great article by Pauline W. Chen, M.D. in the New York Times. The article, titled "Medicine in the Age of Twitter," tells a remarkable story from a physician's point of view. According to Dr. Chen, "there continues to be anecdotal evidence regarding social media’s potential to strengthen the patient-doctor bond." Social media represents an opportunity for physicians to reach out to patients who may otherwise be i… Continue

Today is the last day to get your entries in for the W3 Awards. The W3 Awards recognize outstanding websites, web advertising, and online film and video.

You can enter today by going to www.w3award.com.

Post by Dan Dunlop, The Healthcare Marketing Community & Blog

Sometimes these social networking communities and blogs actually work the way they are supposed to! Yesterday I published a post titled "Facebook as a Marketing Tool" on this blog. Warren Allan Johnson commented on my post, and gave me a link to another great article from Wired Magazine. http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/17-07/ff_facebookwall

The article is titled "Great Wall of Facebook: The Social Network's Plan to Dominate the Internet —… Continue

Earlier today I came across a great article in The Jakarta Post titled "Why Facebook can be a marketer's best friend." The title alone got my attention. It turned out to be a terrific article, explaining the difference between Facebook and some less sticky alternatives. Stickiness is Facebook's claim to fame as a marketing tool. People tend to come back again and again. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"For stickiness, Facebook has managed to… Continue

This April I did a presentation for the Advertising Federation of Charleston on the topic of marketing during a recession. The title of the presentation was "Big ideas for your shrinking ad budget." The talk was part of the AdFedU series of marketing seminars for small business owners and managers. I focused on cost effective ways to get the most out of your marketing - with particular emphasis on social media. I've edited the presentation into a number of 10 minute segments that appear below. T… Continue

About a year ago I met Jane Sarasohn-Kahn online when I wrote a post about an article she had written. She commented on my post, and we eventually connected through LinkedIn. She is a well-known health economist, leads Think-Health, a health consultancy, and works with stakeholders throughout the health care industry. She is very much focused on the link between, or integration of, healthcare and technology.

Today I stumbled upon a new article of Jane's t… Continue

On Examiner.com there's an article by Patricia Grace titled "The new 'female problem': Caregiver stress." This is a succinct article about a growing problem for women: The role women typically play as the caregiver (for children, husband and parents) has a big impact on their mental health and well being.

"Businesses and the overall economy are negatively impacted by caregivers who are emotionally drained by the burden of their role. The financial comp… Continue

So, who are we, the 21st Century women? And how can you reach us most effectively, not only about your products, but our very real - but sometims hidden -- desire for wellness. We're your sister, daughter, mother, or grandmother and marketing health to us means more than bran… Continue

A friend of mine, Kevin Palmer, recently sent me a link to an excellent article in Radiology Today magazine titled "Healthcare Atwitter Over Social Networking." The piece is written by Elizabeth S. Roop and appears in Vol. 10 No. 10 on P. 12.

The article features some of the work being done by the folks at the University of Maryland Medical System. They interviewed Ed Bennett, the system's director of web str… Continue

One of my firm's clients, Lexington Medical Center, once again advanced the field of medicine in South Carolina by performing the state's first incisionless surgery earlier this week.

The South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center, a physician practice affiliated with Lexington Medical Center, performed its first ROSE procedure at Lexington Medical Center this week. ROSE stands for Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endoscopic. This procedure is for patients who have ga… Continue

I ran into an article on ScienceDaily.com about new "soap-sniffing technology" developed by the University of Florida. The new technology, which is designed to improve hand hygiene compliance within hospitals, is called HyGreen. It is being tested in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Shands at UF Medical Center. The group plans to present the technology at the annual meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology June 6 to June 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Here's… Continue

MEDICARE


When a person turns 65 they must apply for Medicare.

http://www.medicare.gov/basics/socialsecurity.asp

• Medicare is a federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.

• Medicare Part A covers hospital costs, and Part B covers doctor bills and other medical costs.

• There are deductibles, co-insurance payments, and limits to what Medicare will pay for.

• Most people also purchase a supplement medical insurance plan to pick up these Medicare deficiencies. These plans… Continue

HIRING CAREGIVERS


Arranging full time home healthcare can be a continuous nightmare. People come and go, don't show up for work, their kids get sick, and on and on and on. Let an agency supply your help in this situation. If an assigned caregiver cannot come to work for some reason, they can send someone else out immediately to cover the shift. To find one, look under Home Health Agencies in the phone book.

My recommendations for hiring caregivers: Be wary of hiring someone that has small chi… Continue

SUPPORTIVE CARE OPTIONS

or

“OTHER PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP OUT”


Supportive care options may include facilities and/or programs to which your senior can go to, such as a senior center or adult day care program. If your Mom/Dad mainly needs company and activity while you work during the day, a senior center may be the answer.

In a typical program, either you drop off your senior, or they will pick them up at about 9 a.m. They will be driven to a facility where they will socialize, have lunch, eng… Continue