This open access book introduces the National Health Insurance (NHI) system of Taiwan with a particular emphasis on its application of digital technology to improve healthcare access and quality. The authors explicate how Taiwan integrates its strong Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry with 5G to construct an information system that facilitates medical information exchange, collects data for planning and research, refines medical claims review procedures and even assists in fighting COVID-19. Taiwan's NHI, launched in 1995, is a single-payer system funded primarily through payroll-based premiums. It covers all citizens and foreign residents with the same comprehensive benefits without the long waiting times seen in other single-payer systems. Though premium rate adjustment and various reforms were carried out in 2010, the NHI finds itself at a crossroads over its financial stability. With the advancement of technologies and an aging population, it faces challenges of expanding coverage to newly developed treatments and diagnosis methods and applying the latest innovations to deliver telemedicine and more patient-centered services. The NHI, like the national health systems of other countries, also needs to address the privacy concerns of the personal health data it collects and the issues regarding opening this data for research or commercial use. In this book, the 12 chapters cover the history, characteristics, current status, innovations and future reform plans of the NHI in the digital era. Topics explored include: Income Strategy Payment Structure Pursuing Health Equity Infrastructure of the Medical Information System Innovative Applications of the Medical Information Applications of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Digital Health Care in Taiwan is essential reading for academic researchers and students in healthcare administration, health policy, health systems research, and health services delivery, as well as policymakers and public officials in relevant government departments. It also would appeal to academics, practitioners, and other professionals in public health, health sciences, social welfare, and health and biotechnology law.

Sponsored by the Picker/Commonwealth Program for Patient-Centered Care In this comprehensive, research-based look at the experiences and needs of patients, the authors explore models of care that can make hospitalization more humane. Through the Patient's Eyes provides insights into why some hospitals are more patient-centered than others; how physicians can become more involved in patient-centered quality efforts; and how patient-centered quality can be integrated into health care policy, standards, and regulations. The authors show how, by bringing the patient's perspective to the design and delivery of health services, providers can improve their ability to meet patient's needs and enhance the quality of care.

Telemedicineâ€"the use of information and telecommunications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participantsâ€"is receiving increasing attention not only in remote areas where health care access is troublesome but also in urban and suburban locations. Yet the benefits and costs of this blend of medicine and digital technologies must be better demonstrated before today's cautious decision-makers invest significant funds in its development. Telemedicine presents a framework for evaluating patient care applications of telemedicine. The book identifies managerial, technical, policy, legal, and human factors that must be taken into account in evaluating a telemedicine program. The committee reviews previous efforts to establish evaluation frameworks and reports on results from several completed studies of image transmission, consulting from remote locations, and other telemedicine programs. The committee also examines basic elements of an evaluation and considers relevant issues of quality, accessibility, and cost of health care. Telemedicine will be of immediate interest to anyone with interest in the clinical application of telemedicine.

Digital Health: Mobile and Wearable Devices for Participatory Health Applications is a key reference for engineering and clinical professionals considering the development or implementation of mobile and wearable solutions in the healthcare domain. The book presents a comprehensive overview of devices and appropriateness for the respective applications. It also explores the ethical, privacy, and cybersecurity aspects inherent in networked and mobile technologies. It offers expert perspectives on various approaches to the implementation and integration of these devices and applications across all areas of healthcare. The book is designed with a multidisciplinary audience in mind; from software developers and biomedical engineers who are designing these devices to clinical professionals working with patients and engineers on device testing, human factors design, and user engagement/compliance. - Presents an overview of important aspects of digital health, from patient privacy and data security to the development and implementation of networks, systems, and devices - Provides a toolbox for stakeholders involved in the decision-making regarding the design, development, and implementation of mHealth solutions - Offers case studies, key references, and insights from a wide range of global experts

Uwe Reinhardt was a towering figure and moral conscience of health care policy in the United States and beyond. Famously bipartisan, he advised presidents and Congress on health reform and originated central features of the Affordable Care Act. In Priced Out, Reinhardt offers an engaging and enlightening account of today's U.S. health care system, explaining why it costs so much more and delivers so much less than the systems of every other advanced country, why this situation is morally indefensible, and how we might improve it.

This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

The term Telehealth covers a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the enabling of direct clinical interventions to patient-centered care needs such as personal monitoring and care team support, as well as education, policy and professional aspects. Contributing to the solving of healthcare sustainability challenges and supporting the development and delivery of a wide range of innovative care and treatment models, Telehealth also acts as a major driver for change in global health issues. This book, Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation in Digital Health, presents the accepted full-paper, double-blinded, peer-reviewed contributions, as well as the editor-reviewed invited keynote papers, delivered at the 7th International Conference on Global Telehealth (GT2018), held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 10 and 11 October 2018. Approximately 50% of the total initial submissions were accepted. The conference provided a platform for the sharing of best practice and research directions across the international Telehealth community, and the 14 papers presented here deal with a variety of themes ranging from data collection and analysis to the design of interventions and delivery mechanisms, in situations from public health and primary care through to consumer health informatics, and from implementation and algorithm design to privacy and ethical considerations. Offering an overview of the innovation and diversity of today’s Telehealth domain, this book will be of interest to all those involved in the design and implementation of healthcare solutions.