Why Medical Care and Dental Care are Separate

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If you’re fortunate, you have health insurance and dental insurance provided either through your employer or through your parents or guardians. If you’re an adult on Medicaid, you may not have any dental coverage at all.

But why are dental insurance and health insurance—and the professions of doctors and dentists—separate, when our teeth are so important to our general health?

The separation between dentistry and the rest of medicine starts from the fact that dental procedures were often performed by barbers. They would pull painful teeth and lance abscesses once they were done giving their clients a haircut or beard trim.

The dental profession didn’t really become a profession until 1840, when the first dental college in the world opened at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Prior to that, Chapin Harris and Horace Hayden tried to get dental courses to be taught in medical schools, but the doctors believed that dentistry was more of a “mechanical challenge” than a medical issue and rejected their proposal.

Because of the “historic rebuff,” as it is known, medicine and dentistry became separate professions, and remain that way to this day, despite many efforts to make dentistry an essential part of the healthcare system and provide insurance for dental and medical procedures under public insurance programs.

Oddly enough, these days it’s dentists who want to stay separate from doctors. Part of it is about the marketplace, and part of it is about the fact that medical records and dental records have separate diagnostic codes and it would be difficult to get dental records integrated into medical ones. It’s also the reason why health insurance and dental insurance are separate entities.

It’s this divide that brings more than a million people each year to emergency rooms with dental pain. The doctors there can’t do anything but provide antibiotics and pain relief and encourage people to see their dentist to have the problem treated—and for that, it costs the system more than $1 billion a year.

This separation between dentistry and medicine is especially frustrating because dental problems can affect everything about us: our ability to meet our basic nutritional needs, our ability to maintain our overall health, and even our ability to get a job (missing teeth can be a real handicap when searching for employment).

The state of our teeth is also an easily visible status symbol. Wealthy people tend to have nice, straight, white “Hollywood smiles,” while the poorer among us may have crooked teeth, extensive tooth decay, or other dental problems. “Perfect teeth are a very clear way of signaling your wealth,” wrote Julie Beck in The Atlantic, “More clear than if everyone had access to good care and had decent teeth.”

What do you think? Should dental care and medical care be separate? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The Man Who Had No Heart

Stan Larkin lived for 555 without a heart.
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It’s a story that sounds like science fiction, but it’s true: a Michigan man lived for 555 days without a heart. Stan Larkin, a 25-year-old from Ypsilanti, had his real heart removed in November of 2014, but there wasn’t a heart to replace it. Instead, Larkin received an artificial heart, called a “Freedom Driver,” whose power source he carried with him in a backpack. The artificial heart allowed him to live a mostly normal life at home so he didn’t have to wait in the hospital for a transplant.

Larkin didn’t know anything was wrong with his heart until nine years ago. He suddenly collapsed while playing basketball, and doctors discovered he had a genetic heart condition called arrhythmogenic dysplasia, which causes arrhythmias and failure on both sides of the heart. This condition occurs when heart muscles stretch and enlarge at least one heart chamber, so blood can’t pump the way it’s supposed to.

Larkin’s brother, Dominque, also has the condition. But while Dominique only had to use his artificial heart for six weeks before he received a transplant, Larkin had to wait much longer. Doctors decided that because Larkin was doing so well with the machine he could leave the hospital with it to see if he could live an ordinary life.

“I was shocked when the doctors started telling me that I could live without a heart in my body and that a machine was going to be my heart. Just think about it—a machine,” Larkin said. The machine Larkin took home with him included chambers and four valves, like an organic heart. Two tubes that exited Larkin’s body under his ribcage connected the device to a 13-pound power source called the Freedom Driver, which was carried in the backpack.

The machine both powered the artificial heart and delivered compressed air into its ventricles so that blood could be pumped through the rest of Larkin’s body. Larkin says that the device felt just like a real heart. “It’s just in a bag with tubes coming out of you, but other than that, it feels real,” he said. The device had to be replaced about ten times because Larkin was living such an active life.

Larkin was able to have a successful heart transplant 555 days since the Freedom Driver was implanted. He is doing well and recovering quickly, and he’s glad to be healthy again. Larkin’s situation is very promising for other people waiting for transplants.

“I think there’s good science here, and there have been really great advancements in this area,” said Dr. Laman Gray, chair of cardiovascular surgery at Jewish Hospital at the University of Louisville. “We’re making great progress, and people are living normal lives. There’s definitely a place for total artificial hearts and a need for them.”

Duracell Launches “Stay Connected” Campaign to Help the Hearing Impaired

Duracell's "Stay Connected" Campaign will help the hearing
impaired and their families.
Image: Shutterstock

I have always loved language and communication; it's the reason I majored in English and minored in Spanish. It's the reason I have dabbled in other languages over the years, and the reason I have always wished I had been brought up in a bilingual home or a country where learning a second language at a young age was required.

Our brains are amazing things; as we grow older, we absorb the languages we are surrounded with, somehow making the connection between the words spoken or signed and what they represent in our world. Simply amazing.

But what would you do if you suddenly found yourself losing your hearing, your ability to understand what others were saying? Or worse, what if your hearing was completely lost? My dad, who struggles with Minnear's disease, is almost completely deaf in one ear, with additional hearing loss in the other. He's had years to adjust, but I can still clearly see how much it impacts him every day.

Recently, he was finally able to get a hearing aid, which has improved his quality of life vastly. He likes to joke that now he can turn the sound on or off, depending on whether he wants to hear what's going on. The smile on his face tells me that he is so relieved to finally be able to hear clearly again, to participate in all the little conversations going on at a noisy restaurant, to hear his granddaughter when she calls his name softly.

Unfortunately, not all people have access to the kind of care my dad has been able to get. Fortunately, Duracell has a new program that aims to help people struggling with hearing impairment and their families. “Stay Connected” wants to make sure that hearing-impaired people don’t miss out on anything in life. The campaign will offer 10,000 free hearing screenings until June 26^th, helping people determine if they have hearing loss and what they can do to work with it so they aren’t kept from special moments in their lives.

Hearing loss is associated with other health problems, like depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. I know all too well the feeling that my hearing-impaired loved ones are drifting away from everyone because they can’t participate in events the same way. Duracell, whose board of directors once included KKR co-founder Henry Kravis, published a very touching video ad for the program that features a father drifting away from his family. The video definitely gets the importance of Duracell’s mission across clearly: if you live with hearing impairment, there’s help for you and your loved ones.

“We didn’t want the hearing test itself to be the obstacle for anyone currently suffering and not being treated,” said Peter Gorzkowski, Director of Marketing and Commercial Operations at Duracell. “So we made it as simple as possible and are proud to be providing over 10,000 free tests.”

About 48 million Americans and 3 million Canadians have hearing loss, and only 20% of those over 65 seek help for it. Millions of people are left untreated—too many! According to Dr. Marshall Chasin, AuD, hearing loss is the “second most prevalent health issue globally. The number of people with hearing loss is more than those living with Parkinson’s, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes combined.”

Duracell, which already manufactures batteries for hearing aids, helps people find licensed audiologists and other resources through its website. The website connects users with doctors and hearing professionals in their area, as well as other people and families also struggling with hearing loss.

This powerful program has the potential to change and improve the lives of millions of people around the United States and Canada. If you or someone you love needs help with their hearing, check out the “Stay Connected” campaign to see if it can help!

Tips for Eating Healthy on the Plane

It can be really tricky to eat mindfully when you’re tens of thousands of feet in the air, but it is possible! Depending on which airline you take and where you’re going, you may actually have some healthy options! A recent survey compiled a list of which airlines have the healthiest food, and some of them seem pretty tasty. So if you’re considering taking a flight somewhere, see if you can get on board with these airlines and their scrumptious menus. And if you can’t, never fear--you can always pack your own!

The survey was conducted by Charles Platkin, a nutrition professor at Hunter College and City University of New York. Platkin investigated 12 of the major airlines in the U.S. with 10 criteria in mind, like whether the airline offers low-calorie meals or items that are actually nutritionally redemptive. He looked primarily at meals available for domestic economy-class passengers.

So which airlines came out on top with the healthiest in-flight options? Virgin America claims the top spot on the list, as they were the first airline to offer nutritional information about the food they serve. Virgin America’s meals are also all low-calorie: the average calorie count for a meal is a happy 408, and many options are also high in protein.

Just behind Virgin America is Delta Airlines, which has really turned its food game around recently. Delta also provides nutritional information for some of its choices (though not all), with plans to expand the release of that information next year. Some of its food options are made by Luvo, a company that makes healthy frozen meals.

The following three places are assumed by Jet Blue, Air Canada, and United Airlines. However, the two losers in the health category don’t offer anything Platkin would even recommend eating: neither Hawaiian Airlines or Frontier Airlines offer nutritional info or anything good to eat at all. "The worst offender [on Hawaiian] is the Island Princess Mele Macs, which are candied macadamia nuts that contain a staggering 1,120 calories," says CNN.

Happily, you’re not out of luck if you’re flying on one of the airlines whose food isn’t as good. Platkin expects that airline food will continue to change and improve as companies seek to respond to consumer interest--and demand--for healthier food choices. Until then, you can always pack plenty of healthy snacks for the flight, like fruit and nuts, sandwiches, or crispy veggies with a nice dressing!

Do you have a favorite in-flight snack? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!

Memorial Sloan Kettering Masterminds the Future of Patient-Focused Care

NYC's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center will open its outpatient surgery center in January.
Image: Unsplash.com

Nobody likes going to the hospital—especially when it’s for something big and scary, like cancer. Sanitary white walls, humming machinery, woozy patients and worried family members—no thanks! But one hospital is aiming to make your visit quicker, friendlier, and more comfortable even if you’re suffering from a serious illness.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan’s Upper East Side will open its $200 million new outpatient surgery center this January. With the latest technology, room for future innovations, and a gorgeous design by Perkins Eastman and ICRAVE, the Josie Robertson Surgery Center will completely redefine what it means to go to the hospital.

Thanks to an active board including Bill E Ford (General Atlantic), James Robinson (RRE Ventures LLC), and Charles Sawyers (The Column Group LLC), the new Surgery Center will not only look great; it will comfort both patients and their families, as well as making use of the cutting edge of healthcare technology (think robots in surgery and iPads available for patient use!).

One big technological win is that patients will receive plastic tracking badges as soon as they arrive. These badges will collect data about how much the patients can move around after surgery and how well they’re recovering. That’s good not just for the patient and their doctor, but also for useful insight into future patient needs.

As for patients’ families, they’ll have plenty of support as well, including mobile device charging stations and an Xbox nook for fitness activities in the waiting room. The building design, inspired by hotel lobbies and co-working spaces, will put them at ease during a stressful time.

And we’re talking serious surgery here—say, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction—performed with state-of-the-art equipment and in a healthy, soothing environment that gets patients in and out within a day.

JRSC exists partly because Memorial Sloan Kettering’s main campus is running out of room. But it’s also meant to be a place where medical staff can innovate and really serve their patients face-to-face and in a personal way.

“There’s nothing else like this that I’ve ever heard of,” said Brett Simon, and anesthesiologist and the JRSC’s director. He also pointed out his team’s dedication to meaningful patient interaction and support: “While it might not be that hard, medically, to get someone out the door, having them emotionally and spiritually happy and feeling supported is really a big deal.”

Want To Live a Little Longer? Eating Spicy Food Could Be the Answer!

If you like spicy foods and you know it, clap your hands!

If you like spicy foods and you know it, clap your hands!

If you like spicy foods and you know it then you might just want to know that

Eating spicy foods can help you stay alive! 

OK, so maybe the song was a bad choice... but it was worth a shot, right? 

Over the years, spicy foods are one of the things I've come to love more and more. I find myself sprinkling on a little cayenne here and there, just to give my meals a little extra kick.

If you also love spicy food, then here's a(nother) reason to keep on loving them, other than the flavor, of course: spicy foods might help keep you alive longer--or at least it seems that way, according to a study published by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. 

The study looked at 487, 375 participants, whose medical data was on file in the China Kadoorie Biobank. The participants were between 30 and 79 years old between 2004 and 2008, when the data was collected. By the time of a median check up of those people 7.2 years later, there had been 20,224 deaths.

The researchers found that the people whose diets contained more spicy foods had a lower chance of death. Specifically, people who ate spicy food 1 or 2 days a week had a 10% lower chance, while people who consumed spicy food 6 or 7 days a week had a 14% lower chance of death. 

The consumption of chilies was especially helpful, as they are not only rich in capsaicin, which makes them spicy, as well as vitamin C and other valuable nutrients. The effect was similar in both men and women, although the chance of death was lower in those that did not consume alcohol.

The study also found that regular consumption of spicy foods was linked to a reduced rick of cancer as well as heart and respiratory diseases, and diabetes. This association was greater in women than in men.

The authors are urging more research in this area. So far, they only have a link between spicy foods and reduced risk of death, but do not understand any cause or effect. It could be that chilies and other spicy foods have a direct impact on human health, or they could simply be indicative of other, generally healthier dietary or lifestyle habits. It doesn’t seem like spicy foods are making people live shorter lives though, which is good news for people who prefer their meals with a little extra kick.

So, if you needed an excuse to add a little extra sriracha to your ramen or chili pepper sauce to your eggs, this could be good news for you :) But we'll all have to stay tuned for the finer details once additional research is conducted.

Picky Eating Can Lead to Problems for Children

Having trouble getting kids to eat their greens? You're not alone!
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Conventional wisdom tells us that children are picky eaters. They don’t like vegetables, or they hate specific green foods or things that look or sound "gross." This conventional wisdom also states that this is a phase, and that it will end. It’s just how kids are. 

I know this to be largely true; I was one of those picky eaters as a child, as was my brother (to a much larger degree than me). I mostly liked fruit, so much so that I told my mom I wanted to become a "fruititarian." She said no. My brother liked only plain things, like hamburgers with only meat and bun or "spaghetti" with no sauce--just noodles.

Here's a sample list of what I didn't like as a child:

• Tomatoes
• Carrots (these were on-again off-again)
• Mushrooms
• Pork
• Apple juice
• Grape juice
• Milk
• Fish (of any kind)
• Corn off the cob (but on the cob was fine, apparently)
• Onions
• Chunky bits of salsa or spaghetti sauce (but the juice part was fine)

Today, the only item solidly on that list still is mushrooms. I'm still not a huge fan of apple juice, pork, or fish, but I'll eat them in moderation.

Picky eating is hardly a rare problem, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. It's actually quite common among kids aged 2 to 6, but it can have some severe consequences. Twenty percent of children in this range qualified as selective eaters, while 18% were moderately picky, and 3% were severely selective. The differences between these categories can be hard to explain, but at the most severe end, children were such selective eaters that they couldn’t eat with others. 

Everyone knows somebody who would only eat hot dogs or something as a child; those kids were like severely selective. I'd say at least for a few years, my brother fit into this category (and maybe still does - today he is a vegan, but at least he's now selecting foods that give him nutritional value!).

Moderate or severely picky eaters showed symptoms of anxiety and other mental conditions, including a stronger predisposition towards depression and social anxiety. This is not to mention the obvious physical health problems that can be caused by too selective of a diet. On top of all of this, selective eating can strain the parent-child relationship, which can potentially damage the relationship later in life as well.

The problem is figuring out how to intervene and get kids to eat a wider variety of foods. Kids can have a number of reasons for being picky eaters, such as being hypersensitive to taste, or having had a negative experience with a specific type of food that makes them afraid to try new things. In any case, expressing this can be difficult or even impossible for children, so many are treated as if they’re just misbehaving, and begin to associate certain foods with punishment,.

On the plus side, being a picky eater can be a sign that something is wrong, which allows parents to seek help from their doctors before things get out of hand.

What She Learned from Being Sober for 2 Months

How would your life change if you stopped drinking?
Image: Shutterstock 

Today’s blog post is a guest entry from a friend. Earlier this year, this friend of mine did something a bit unusual for someone in their early- to mid-twenties: she intentionally gave up alcohol. This friend is someone who lives in a city with a vibrant nightlife, where going out and socializing with friends without involving alcohol seemed impossible.

Here’s what she had to say about her experience:

The older I get the more I realize there is more to life than just binge-drinking with random people and Sunday hangovers. So, I decided to give my body a break for two months and here is what I learned from my temporary sobriety.

1.     I learned how to go out and not always have a drink in hand. It’s okay to be “that girl” who sips on water with lemon, and I promise it’s not as difficult as it seems. Plus, you get to see how alcohol slowly begins to affect others. Words start slurring, people became more outgoing. You don’t notice these things when you are going through the same transition as everyone else.

2.     You learn how to socialize away from the bar. While being at a bar isn’t terrible, it shouldn’t have to be your first place for socializing. Yoga and coffee with friends became my favorite new socializing activities, and neither of them were a great leap from activities I already enjoy. You begin to remember what life is like without late nights and drunken conversations that don’t really mean much.

3.     No more drunk texting! You never will wake up and look at your phone only to discover how many apologies you’d have to make to all the exes and friends you called before bed.

4.     I realized that alcohol has the power to make me a negative, angry person. When I would drink, I relied on things like superficial gossip as my way of socializing. But when I didn’t have booze on the table, I wanted to discuss my goals, dreams and my friends’ futures.

5.     You learn how to have just a few drinks and then stop. You suddenly appreciate alcohol again and realize it no longer needs to be a lifestyle. I enjoy now having a drink or two with a friend, being in bed before midnight and enjoying all the time I now have in the next day – and I get to leave the hangover out of it.

Have you ever cut alcohol out of your social life? What did you take away from your own experience?

Why I’m Still Struggling To Love My Body

Self-love is hard when self-hate is the norm.

I’ve been trying harder than ever these past few years to really love my body. And though I think I’m in a pretty good place right now, I still catch myself internally criticizing because I still don’t have a flat belly, nonexistent “muffin tops,” or a smaller chest.

I found myself puzzled time and again at how I could still be having toxic thoughts like that after all this time of positive thinking and research into nutrition and holistic health.

I thought back to try and pinpoint where these negative patterns of behavior might have started – and that’s when I realized that I’ve always had them. They were engendered in me from the moment I started comprehending language. These patterns of thought and behavior have been exemplified in nearly every aspect of my life—by my mother, sister, friends, exes, coworkers, celebrities, and people I have never even met.

If you asked me to, I probably couldn’t point to an example of a time when my mother didn’t think she was fat. I remember her gazing dreamily up at a photo taken when she was about 25 years old and in prime shape. Tall, thin, long-legged, and after her first child but before the next two. It was her “goal” picture. And though she has never met that goal, I have a feeling that even if she did, she’d still find something about herself to dislike.

I don’t really blame her; it’s hard not to pick apart your body when the beauty standards society throws in front of us have been made impossible by the magic of programs like Photoshop and the fact that most of our job descriptions don’t include hours a day at the gym or a personal nutritionist. We expect perfection of ourselves and others, but that’s an impossible goal.

Now more than ever, I notice my mother doing the same thing she’s always done every time I go home to visit. We’ll be chatting about something, and she’ll casually bring up how fat she feels, and how she needs to lose weight. It’s the same conversation we’ve had for years, no matter what type of shape my mother was in.

But now, my 6-year-old niece is there, listening quietly to the adults talk. Learning that tearing yourself down for being even a little bit imperfect is something that you’re supposed to do. It tears my heart in two

It’s not just at home, though. I experience this everywhere I go. Visiting friends, at work, and even while commuting, I hear women and men talk about how they need to lose weight, how they are on a new diet or cleanse, how they had a “bad” food day, or how if they just had so-and-so’s hair or waistline or eyes, they’d be so much happier with themselves. And if it’s not people talking about themselves, it’s people talking about others.

It’s insidious. It’s toxic. And it needs to stop.

How are we supposed to learn to love ourselves if everywhere we turn, the example is self-hate?

Myths We Have Been Told About Fertility

Birth control pills don't affect your ability to get pregnant once you stop taking them.
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There are so many forms of birth control that are accessible to both men and women these days, making it easier than ever to take control of your body and family planning. Whether you plan not to have children or can someday envision picking out baby names and nursery decorations, you should have the power and knowledge to make informed decisions about reproduction.   

The problem is… there are a lot of rumors and flat-out wrong information all over the Internet that it can be difficult to know where to find reliable information about fertility and family planning. Here are some common myths we have all been told about fertility:

One myth is that the longer you are on birth control pills, the longer it will take you to get pregnant when you stop. The fact of the matter is that it does not take time for your fertility to kick in—you can get pregnant within days of when you stop using birth control. One exception to this rule is the Depo birth control shot, which can take up to 10 months to work its way out of your system.

Another myth is that skipping safe sex a few times will not influence your future fertility. However, having unprotected sex when you are young can be a threat to your future ability to have a baby. One of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S., chlamydia can be asymptomatic (meaning you don’t know you are infected), and can cause pelvic inflammatory disease if you don’t get treatment. Pelvic inflammatory disease can scar the fallopian tubes, potentially creating a problem if you want to get pregnant later in life. To protect against chlamydia and other STIs, it's a good idea to always use protection such as condoms—even if you are on the pill.

You may have heard this phrase a few times by now: “You can always freeze your eggs.” It’s been in the news a lot lately, and the technology is, in fact, evolving—but it’s far from perfect. Success rates tend to be lower than 50% and most studies agree that success highly correlates with the age of the woman when she froze her eggs (the younger the better).

In addition, freezing your eggs is expensive—on average costing $10,000 for the initial freezing and treatment, with a yearly fee to store the eggs and a thawing fee of about $5,000 should you decide to use the eggs.  That’s a lot of money for a small chance of success. Essentially, freezing your eggs is an option, but it’s an involved and expensive process that should not be treated like a fix-all.

Be sure to visit Resolve, the National Infertility Association, for even more myths about fertility debunked.

Should You Shampoo More or Less?

You may WANT to wash your hair every day, after all.
Image: Shutterstock

Chances are, you’ve heard from your hairdresser that you should not be washing your hair every day. 

However, this version of shampooing best practices was originally developed when all shampoos were heavily detergent-based and wreaked havoc on people’s hair and scalp. Nowadays, shampoo formulas have changed, and there are many sulfate-free shampoos and cleansing conditioners on the market. 

So does the old "don't shampoo every day" rule still apply? Well, it depends.

There is a new market trend of paying a lot more attention to the scalp instead of just the hair. In general, a clean scalp is a healthy scalp because it’s the starting point by which you support optimal follicular function. Our scalps are the bedrock of the follicle, which means that you can’t grow your best head of hair if the scalp is covered in oil, sweat and debris all the time. 

There has been a longstanding notion that the natural oils your scalp produces leads to more beautiful, healthier hair. This can still be true, especially for those with curly hair that needs a little more oil to not frizz out. However, much of the dirt and other things that you see come off your face when you wash it at night are also on your hair and scalp.  The scalp has a whole set of needs that are separate from your hair's needs. For optimum hair growth, it is vital to balance the stressors on your skin.

This doesn’t mean it’s necessary to shampoo every day--but washing more often can absolutely contribute to a healthier scalp, especially with the right product. Avoid harsh ingredients and detergents which can be found in many shampoo products. Even if shampooing everyday isn’t for you, adding an extra wash in here and there might actually do you more good than harm. Hey, all the better excuse to allow yourself that splurge on pricy shower products, right? :)

Do you shampoo your hair often, or prefer the less-is-best method? What are your best tips or products for a healthy scalp and hair?

Innovations in Healthcare Technology

Companies like CitiusTech are revolutionizing the healthcare industry.
Image: Shutterstock

Technology is becoming a fact of life, especially in healthcare.  You may have been to a doctor’s office where your intake information is put directly into a database shared with all the medical staff.  Maybe you’ve even sat and watched your doctor email the pharmacy so that your prescription is ready within minutes of leaving the office. 

The whole process of going to the doctor looks completely different than it did even five or ten years ago. I love how simple and efficient so many things are becoming, especially as my life has become more hectic.

There’s a whole business brewing around providing the best, most efficient healthcare technology.  Whether it’s streamlining the data filing process or helping doctors evaluate treatment plans, technology is changing how medicine is practiced.

One key technological element is the idea of computers that “evolve,” or learn.  Scientists use the term “machine learning” to describe a computer that can collect data, determine trends and ideal outcomes, and rework its programming to optimize for the best results. 

Think about how amazing it would be if a doctor could use this sort of technology to make sure the right patient is getting the right treatment every time!  It would also help pharmaceutical companies do their testing  much more efficiently and with fewer errors.

One company that’s leading the way with technological advances like this is CitiusTech.  CitiusTech builds new applications, software, and methods for keeping healthcare analytics tidy.  Its board of directors includes Gary Reiner and Cory Eaves of General Atlantic, which recently began investing in the company. Together with its investors, CitiusTech is focused on bringing the best new technology to the market. 

Like many industries, healthcare isn’t always well organized, so companies like CitiusTech have been working to not only bring out new technology, but also to help organize the massive amounts of information already there.  The company is currently partnered with 50 healthcare organizations, including hospitals and life science companies.

With computers that can learn and companies stepping up to improve healthcare organization and technology, who knows what the future of healthcare will look like?

Have you had an interesting experience with technology at the doctor’s office?  Share your story in the comments below!