SPECIAL SECTION: HEALTHY LIVING
can cause persistent bad breath, tooth
erosion, nausea, pain in chest or upper
abdomen, or it can make swallowing and
breathing hard to do.
u Hemorrhoids – Hemorrhoids are
inflamed blood vessels found at the end
of your digestive tract. Often painful and
itchy, they are caused by chronic
constipation, diarrhea, or a lack of fiber in
your diet. Seventy-five percent of
Americans over the age of 45 suffer from
hemorrhoids. Staying hydrated, eating
more fiber, or over-the-counter creams
may provide relief from hemorrhoids.
u Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) –
Affecting 15 percent of Americans, IBS is
characterized by stomach pain or
discomfort at least three times a month
for several months. Symptoms vary
widely with IBS, making it hard to
determine the exact cause. Treatment
focuses mostly on diet, eliminating
common trigger foods such as dairy,
alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners and
beans. Doctors also recommend a diet
high in fiber and consumption of
probiotics found in yogurt.
Skin
Most likely, if you are unhealthy on the
inside, it will show on the outside. Your skin
often mirrors your body’s true overall health,
so a healthy diet, exercise, and drinking lots of
water will do wonders. But keep in mind: there
are other ways to make your skin shine bright!
Wear sunscreen.
Get a full night’s sleep.
u Exfoliate to shrink pores.
u Hydrate your face, neck, and chest.
u Always wash off dirt and makeup before
bed.
u Keep shower water warm, not hot.
u Apply moisturizer while your skin is still
damp.
u Keep your hands off of your face.
u Sanitize your cell phone.
u
u
Bones
Bones are an important part of your body
that is often forgotten. They protect vital organs
and provide structure to your body. Building
and maintaining strong bones is important
from childhood to adulthood. There are many
factors that determine bone health, the most
common being age. Bones become thinner as
we age, with women being at greater risk of
Continued on page 23 ➢
Will YOU Benefit from Population Health Management?
How can you, as a patient, feel like a priority when hearing
a term like population health management (PHM)?
Start with the simple fact that with any minor illness or chronic
condition, other people share the same problem as you.
Historically, care or treatment came at the discretion of the
individual physician evaluating unique conditions. Today, the
best choice may include a quality-driven, standardized model
of care based on data-rich results.
In the age of the electronic health record, health data for almost
anything can now be aggregated for large groups of patients
(hence population) to find trends that signal treatment success,
failure or room for improvement.
Where challenges exist are having comprehensive electronic
health records for all patients and having well-trained care
teams to better manage numerous types of patient groups and
conditions. Building and maintaining complete health records
across entire patient populations is a big lift but an invaluable
resource necessary to improving patient outcomes. This makes
an important case for keeping your care within a one heath network of both primary and specialty care. You will always benefit
from a complete health record.
With a population mindset to care, providers can achieve
life-saving results very quickly. Because PHM is not singularly
focused on managing chronic conditions, it can also be a powerful methodology for managing good health and prevention.
According to Mark DeRubeis, CEO, “Premier is leading the
Pittsburgh region for improving patient health across multiple
conditions and illnesses due to aggressive population health
management. With today’s technology, it is unacceptable for
random patients to slip through the cracks. Whether it’s preventative cancer screening, diabetic health or blood pressure
control, we’re able to focus on “the many” to ensure “the few”
get better. Our results are both life-saving and cost-saving to
our patients, communities and to our insurers.”
Individuals, families and employers should seek out valuedriven care organizations, like Premier, that are on-pace to tackle
the transformation coming in healthcare. Only these progressive
organizations will best impact their patients’ health for the long
run and improve out-of-pocket costs for the better.
PremierMedicalAssociates.com
Member of the
Allegheny
Health Network
PremierMedicalAssociates.com
Woodland Hills | Winter 2016 | icmags.com 21