Psoriasis Basics: Psoriasis Severity, Psoriasis Skin Care
Psoriasis Types: Plaque, Erythrodermic, Guttate, Inverse, Pustular and Scalp
Psoriasis Medications: Anthralin, Coal Tar, Calcipotriene, Clobex®, Corticosteroids, Cyclosporine, Methotrexate, Soriatane®, Talconex®, Tazorac®, and Vectical®
Phototherapy: PUVA, UVB, and Lasers for Psoraisis
Biologics: Enbrel®, Humira®, Remicade®, and Stelara®

Physicians enrolled for Vivacare can also use their Vivacare account to publish their own patient handouts online and share their own clinical perspective in their own words.

For instance, Dr. Todd Minars, dermatologist of Hollywood, Florida uses Vivacare to educate his patients and has published his own customized handouts, including a review of “Biologics for Psoriasis”.

Biologics for Psoriasis by Todd Minars, M.D.

About Psoriasis

• Psoriasis affects as many as 7.5 million people in the U.S.
• Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that results in skin inflammation that appears as painful red, scaly patches.
• There are 5 types of psoriasis that vary in their clinical presentation.
• Up to 30% of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis
• Psoriasis is associated with other medical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and depression.
• Nearly 70% of people with psoriasis say their disease makes them feel self-conscious, embarrassed and helpless.
• There are a variety of medications that control psoriasis flares, but there is presently no cure.

Vivacare updates Influenza Handouts for 2011-2012 Flu Season

With the 2011-2012 influenza season about to begin, medical practices are busy vaccinating patients and preparing for the onslaught of patients suffering from flu symptoms.

In addition to stocking up on the flu vaccine, doctors are updating their practice Websites with practical information regarding influenza, including reminders about the importance of getting vaccinated.

Physicians enrolled for Vivacare‘s “From Your Doctor” patient education service can create personalized and customizable patient handouts that they publish to their own practice Website to help patients and others in the community better understand and manage their health. The selection of flu-related titles has been updated to meet current guidelines and expanded to help practices efficiently manage inquires about the flu.

Multiple patient handout titles have been updated including “Influenza (flu)”, “Flu Shot”, “Intranasal Flu Vaccine”, “FluMist“, “Antiviral Medications”, and “Tamiflu“.

Vivacare also enhances the doctors’ websites with up-to-date links to trusted health resources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of the Health (NIH), and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Resources include links to flu.gov and a new Flu Surveillance Map showing the outbreak of the influenza virus by region.

The educational content distributed by Vivacare provides patients with health information from the source they trust most…their own doctor. A 2011 survey by Vivacare showed that health consumers were most likely to refer to their own doctor’s Website for health information (65.2%), compared to WebMD (48.7%), insurance companies (18.2%) or pharmaceutical firms (5.4%). This survey complements previous studies that show physicians as the preferred source of health information.

“Flu season returns each year, burdening patients and physicians alike”, said Mark Becker, M.D. pediatrician and President of Vivacare. “Vivacare is pleased to provide its physicians with tools to educate their patients about the importance of getting vaccinated and help reduce the impact of this disease.”

Medical practices that enroll for Vivacare can now take advantage of additional benefits to support their patients.

Practices that use Vivacare patient handouts on their own Websites are eligible to receive a Health Promotion Kit. The Kit includes a variety of in-office tools that help direct patients to relevant patient handouts and other educational resources.

Practices first add Vivacare patient handouts to their customized practice Websites.

The practices then inform Vivacare that their website that displays the patient handouts

Vivacare will then send them the Health Promotion Kit in the mail.

The Kit includes waiting room posters and Information Prescription tear-off
sheets with patient handout titles relevant to their medical specialty, such as allergy, dermatology, pediatrics, neurology, or primary care.

The Health Promotion Kit helps practices to tell their patients…. “Go to our website to learn about your health.”

Physicians report wanting to provide patients with prescription medication information

A September survey of physician users of Vivacare showed that over 90% appreciate the patient education service. More than 95% of respondents stated that the Vivacare service improves clinical care, patient satisfaction, and patient convenience. In addition, over 90% of respondents stated that the information they receive improves medication compliance.

When asked what medication information would be most helpful for their patients, physicians said they would like instructions on how to use the medication (93%) and how the medication works (95%). Importantly, 90% said that rebate coupons regarding the medications they prescribe would be a “helpful” or “very helpful” addition to their website. Simply put, doctors find that having medication information available online for their patients to be of significant value.

When asked how patients benefit from Vivacare’s patient education service, doctors mentioned several critical factors. Top among these was increasing their patients’ understanding of treatment options (87%) and helping their patients to manage their condition (76%).

Physicians enroll for Vivacare’s free online patient handouts to enhance their own websites with in-depth and up-to-date health information regarding the conditions they treat and medications they prescribe. Upon enrollment, physicians gain access to hundreds of personalized patient handouts relevant to multiple medical specialties, including allergy, cardiology, dermatology, neurology, ob-gyn, pediatrics and primary care.

Health organizations that value the physician-patient relationship, such as pharmaceutical firms, health agencies and patient advocacy groups, are invited to make information regarding their products or services available through Vivacare, accessing patients at the point of care. For instance, the National Rosacea Society (NRS) has partnered with Vivacare to make information about rosacea from the NRS available to dermatologists that use Vivacare.

Vivacare is a physician-founded patient education company based in Berkeley, CA. For more information about Vivacare, visit http://www.informationrx.com, call (510) 848-8192, or send email to partnership@vivacare.com

The study, “Doctors, Patients and Social Media” was authored and conducted by QuantiaMD and the Care Continuum Alliance, an international association for wellness, prevention and care management.

60-80% of physicians reported seeing potential for a wide range of physician-patient online interactions with the strongest support for sharing patient educational materials with their patients. There is also solid interest in finding ways to monitor patients’ health and behavior online. When asked about the benefits of online interactions with patients, clinicians most often cited improved access to care, supported by more – and more convenient – communication. One physician summed up his vision of online interactions with patients as the opportunity for “better education, increased compliance, and better outcomes.”

Yet, the desire to interact online with patients is limited. Physicians are very wary of diagnosing or treating patients online, with over 40% saying they are not interested in doing this. As one physician said, “There is no substitute, clinically, for actually seeing and examining the patient.”

The study also examined physicians’ familiarity with online patient communities. Although many physicians in the study are not well acquainted with online patient communities, two-thirds of physicians who are familiar with these communities say they have positive impact on patients. Almost 40% of these physicians say they already recommend patient communities to their patients and another 40% would consider recommending them. These positive physician views suggest that online patient communities may grow in acceptance by the medical community as more physicians become acquainted with them.

“We were pleased to see such a high rate of physicians’ professional use of social media, and, though we suspected there would be low clinician awareness for patient communities, we didn’t realize just how low this awareness would be,” said Mary Modahl, Chief Communications Officer, QuantiaMD. “However, we were encouraged by the favorable views of those clinicians who knew about patient communities, as well as by their high rate of recommendation to patients. Our study suggests that patient communities that generate greater awareness among treating physicians could gain significantly from doctors recommending patients to their sites. This in turn would help patient communities fulfill their promise of improving healthcare.”

The study also provided details regarding physicians’ use of social media. Nearly 90% of physicians use at least one social media site for personal use, while over 65% have used at least one to support their professional practice. A burgeoning group of “Connected Clinicians” are using multiple sites for both personal and professional purposes. Physicians see promise in online physician and patient communities for improving patient care, but are struggling with the associated challenges.

For instance, the physicians of Allergy & ENT Associates of Middle Tennesse, P.C. in Hermitage, Tennessee provide a link to their medication rebates and savings offering from their practice Website home page.

Doctors appreciate being able to offer their patients savings on their prescription medications, but often run out of printed cards or find it difficult to keep them accessible when needed.

In an online survey of physicians performed by Vivacare in June of 2011 (n=40), 79.5% stated that the presence of medication rebates on their practice Websites was “very helpful”.

Vivacare provides its enrolled physicians with a variety of online rebate coupons that are relevant to their medical specialty, including allergy, cardiology, dermatology, ob-gyn, rheumatology and primary care. Over 3,500 dermatologists are enrolled for Vivacare’s Web-based patient education service. They use Vivacare to enhance their existing practice Website with patient handouts regarding acne, psoriasis, rosacea, skin cancer and dermatological treatments. Now, they have easy access to coupons for skin care medications, such as Differin®, Epiduo®, Oracea®, Solodyn®, and Zyclara®.

Online access to medication savings is a benefit for the patients and the practice and fulfills Vivacare’s goal of improving clinical care and patient satisfaction.

The content helps patients and their family members understand the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and their treatment options.

Over 1,500 neurologists use Vivacare to enhance their practice Websites with educational content to help patients manage their medical conditions and improve medication adherence. The content includes patient handouts, recommended books, videos and links to trusted resources, such as the National Psoriasis Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

There is presently no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, there are a variety of Parkinson’s medications that can help to alleviate symptoms and other treatments available, such as deep brain stimulation, for advanced cases.

In support of National Rosacea Month, Vivacare provides its physician users with in-depth rosacea content to help them educate their patients and increase awareneess in their communities regarding this chronic skin condition.

Rosacea afflicts 16 million Americans, and most of them don’t know it. Now the public can now learn more about this chronic skin disorder from their own dermatologist.

The National Rosacea Society has designated April as National Rosacea Awareness Month to alert the public of the signs and symptoms of rosacea and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

As part of Rosacea Awareness Month, dermatologists have enhanced their practice Websites with patient education content regarding rosacea. Rosacea handouts cover a wide range of issues, including the four different subtypes of rosacea and rosacea treatment options, including topical medications (Finacea®, MetroGel®), oral medications (Oracea®), surgical procedures, and IPL for rosacea.

The rosacea content includes information about rosacea triggers and a rosacea diary to help those afflicted with rosacea to track their symptoms. Most rosacea handouts include links to the National Rosacea Society so that patients can learn more about this education and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with rosacea.

Rosacea, also called “acne rosacea,” is a non-contagious, chronic skin condition found most commonly in people 30 to 60 years of age.

“It has been called ‘The Great Impostor’ because people often confuse rosacea with other conditions, such as a sunburn or acne, or even eye irritation, and fail to seek medical help,” said Dr. Jonathan Wilkin, chairman of the NRS medical advisory board. “People need to be more aware of this highly prevalent disorder, and the need for treatment and lifestyle changes before it becomes progressively severe.”

The incidence of rosacea is now rapidly growing as the populous baby boom generation passes through the most frequent ages of onset. Yet surveys have found that the public has little knowledge of this chronic but treatable disorder, including how to recognize it and what to do about it.

Dermatologists have published patient handouts online that cover a wide range of acne topics, including:

• adult acne, teenage acne, truncal acne
• mild acne, moderate acne, and severe acne
• acne medications, such as topical retinoids (Differin, Epiduo, Retin A Micro), isotretinoin and oral antibiotics (minocycline, Solodyn).

“Acne is a common skin disorder and over reliance on over-the-counter medications may be ineffective and lead to the development of acne scars”, said Mark Becker, M.D.”. We are pleased to expand our acne education content in support of Acne Awareness Month because even mild acne can benefit from professional treatment.”

Nearly 80% of people will experience some form of acne during their lifetimes. Acne is the most common skin disorder in the United States, affecting 60 million Americans at any one time, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). The American Acne and Rosacea Society (AARS) has established June as National Acne Awareness Month to increase awareness of the impact of acne on people’s lives and the various acne treatment options that are available.

Skin cancer resources now include patient handouts about pre-cancerous skin lesions called actinic keratoses, different types of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma and others), skin cancer medications (5-FU, imiquimod) and skin cancer treatments, such as Mohs surgery.

There are also patient-oriented references about skin cancer prevention and early detection when treatment is most likely to be successful. These include patient handouts on sunscreens, sun protection, the dangers of indoor tanning, and steps on how to perform a skin self-exam, including access to a body mole map.

The skin cancer content directs patients to esteemed organizations dedicated to skin cancer prevention, including the Skin Cancer Foundation and American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

In honor of the public effort to raise skin cancer awareness, Vivacare has expanded the skin cancer information made available to the 3,000 dermatologists using Vivacare’s “From Your Doctor” patient education service. Dermatologists use Vivacare to enhance their own practice Websites with customizable patient handouts, patient eNewsletters, and other resources to help patients better understand and manage their skin conditions.

“We are pleased to provide dermatologists with the tools to inform their patients about skin cancer”, said Dr. Mark Becker, pediatrician and President of Vivacare. “Vivacare’s goal is to help physicians educate their patients and it is particularly important to help doctors communicate the importance of skin cancer prevention, such as the regular use of sunscreens, and to promote measures that lead to early skin cancer detection.”

More 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, and more than 90% of them are related to excessive exposure to UV radiation, usually from the sun. If a skin biopsy reveals cancer, the dermatologist may recommend one of several medical and surgical treatment options depending upon the type of cancer, its size, location, and the needs of the individual.