Role of the Internet in Medicine The internet has become an essential medium of communication and a popular disseminator of verifiable and non-verifiable information. In recent times, it has replaced many in-person contacts within the healthcare sector. With the volume…
Background History of Social Media Social media is defined as “forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.” Early social networking websites can be traced back to the end…
Introduction Technology has transformed the delivery of healthcare, both in-person and remotely, over the past 30 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines telemedicine (TM) or telehealth (TH) as “The delivery of health care services, where distance is a critical…
Introduction Telehealth technologies offer opportunities to improve the access to vascular care and enhance continuity of care. Many vascular surgeons are already using store-and-send options to review CT images generated at distant hospitals to triage symptomatic aortic pathology. This capability…
Introduction Marketing has shifted from being frowned upon and avoided, to being acceptable for building and maintaining a vascular surgery practice, to now becoming an essential. Increasing competition amongst vascular surgeons as well as physicians in other specialties, patient consumerism,…
Introduction The epidemic of physician burnout has been declared a public health crisis, and a growing focus for occupational intervention. Symptoms of burnout are particularly problematic among surgeons and surgical trainees in comparison to the general population (53% vs. 26%).…
Introduction Registries contain large bodies of information, generally collected in the course of routine clinical practice. The usefulness or value of that information depends on many issues but primarily whether it is used for a purpose consistent with the intent…
Introduction Alternative payment models were introduced with the Quality Payment Program, which was established with the Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Prior to MACRA, payments for Medicare services were set by the…
Introduction Hemodialysis is the perfect example of bioengineering being applied to medicine to preserve the life of the patient with an otherwise fatal disease. Unfortunately, the interface between the biomechanical mechanism in the patient, i.e., the vascular access, is defective.…
Introduction Endovascular procedures have traditionally been performed in the hospital where the patient was observed overnight following the procedure; this gradually transitioned to the patient being discharged on the same day. Once the safety and efficacy of these procedures was…