Patient Engagement News and Articles

Online Reviews Show Patients Seek Strong Patient-Provider Communication

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A recent analysis of Yelp reviews shows that strong patient-provider communication is key to a good online provider review. The study, which looked at plastic surgeons in particular, also showed that...

Maternity Deserts, Low Access to Care Affect 5.6M Birthing People

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A whopping 5.6 million birthing people are finding themselves without access to maternity care as the prevalence of maternity deserts continues to grow, according to reports from March of Dimes. These...

National Academies Call for Federal Body on Health Equity

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The federal government needs a new body that can improve racial, ethnic, and tribal health equity, according to a new report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. The...

16% of Orgs Get Top-Marks in CMS Hospital Star Ratings for July 2023

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated the CMS Hospital Star Ratings, outlining which hospitals perform well in categories like patient safety, patient experience, and overall...

Postpartum Care Visits Underdeliver on Heart Health Counseling

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Many new mothers are being left vulnerable to poor heart health. A Northwestern Medicine study revealed that despite being at risk for heart disease, a mere 60 percent of new mothers are receiving...

Gender-Affirming Care Restrictions Create Travel, Care Access Barriers

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The travel distances that gender-affirming care restrictions, now codified in many state policies, have created are getting insurmountable, with a new analysis in JAMA showing some people must travel...

Parental Patient Portal Use Rate in Pediatrics Lower than 50%

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Only around 43 percent of parents or guardians use the patient portal to manage their child’s health, representing a pretty serious lapse in patient engagement, according to a new survey from the...

Patient Trust in Public Health Messaging Videos Depends on Diversity

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Informative videos have long been a key part of public health messaging, and new data from NYU Grossman School of Medicine is giving insights into how to increase patient trust in those videos,...

SNAP Benefits Miss Mark in 78% of US Counties, Fueling Food Insecurity

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Amid soaring food prices in 2022, SNAP benefits fall short of covering moderately priced meals in 78 percent of United States counties, a new Urban Institute survey revealed. SNAP, the US's...

54 Hospitals Get Top Marks for Social Responsibility and Care Quality

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The Lown Institute has released its rankings for hospital social responsibility, naming Duke Regional Hospital a top performer in health equity, value, and patient outcomes. The Massachusetts-based...

A Quarter of Patients Face Two-Month Appointment Wait Times

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Appointment wait times are reaching a boiling point, with new data from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) pitching nurse practitioners themselves to fill in patient care access...

Racial Discrimination Shows to Affect Childhood Obesity Rates

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Is racial discrimination contributing to the childhood obesity crisis? It could be, according to a group of researchers from the New York University School of Global Health. Kids who experienced more...

US Has Worst Geographic Health Disparities in Developed World

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The United States is home to the biggest geographic health disparities in the developed world, with researchers supported by the Commonwealth Fund finding significant outcomes differences falling along...

Why Patient Portal Proxy Accounts Are Key for Dementia Patients 

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It could be useful for providers treating patients with dementia to encourage their care partners to create their own patient portal proxy accounts, according to a JAMA Internal Medicine research note...

Produce Prescription Programs Could Cut $40B in Healthcare Spending 

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Produce prescription programs would be a best buy healthcare intervention, with a new study from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy showing such programs could cut...

Low Trust, Bias Taint Shared Decision-Making for Black Patients

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Implicit bias and racism in patient-provider communication are hampering shared decision-making, a new qualitative study in JAMA Network Open reported. The study, which detailed responses from...

Maternal Mortality Doubles in One Decade, Driven by Racial Disparities

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The maternal mortality rate in the US more than doubled between 1999 and 2019, from a total of 505 maternal deaths to 1,210, according to a new JAMA study. But unsurprisingly, that increase affected...

Penn Med Opts Out of US News Hospital Rankings Over Methodology

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University of Pennsylvania Health System, part of Penn Medicine, takes a step away from US News Hospital Rankings, arguing that these reports fail to use healthcare quality metrics that reflect the...

SNAP May Attenuate Racial Disparities in Food Insecurity, SDOH

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Getting eligible families enrolled in food assistance programs like SNAP could be key to closing the racial disparities in food insecurity, according to a new study out in JAMA Network Open. According...

Stanford Medicine Enhances LGBTQ+ Patient Care with Identity Training 

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A new initiative from Stanford Medicine aims to reduce health disparities among LGBTQ people by collecting more information about gender identity and sexual orientation during patient...