The internet is changing everything that we have got used to in life. On your next visit to the doctor, do not be surprised if the internet helps you get personalized information about your particular healthcare. This is called healthcare management systems.

There are companies out there trying to cater to the needs of patients. Patient Education is their priority. Because an informed patient is an asset to the hospital, the doctor and the insurance company, this idea is quickly catching on. So be prepared if on your next visit to the doctor, if the receptionist asks you to sit on a computer and educate yourself about your problem before your visit to the doctor. And just as important provide you information about your medicine and your diagnosis after your visit with the doctor. And one of my favorite is to be able to do this over your smart phones.

Fenil Shah, the CEO of eMedSim, the company offering interactive Hyperbaric patient education online says ‘ First we blended IT and healthcare and created the simulations. Now we are trying to get that new technology in the doctor’s office.” Hyperbaric medicine, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure which is used in the treatment of decompression sickness, gas gangrene, wound treatment and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Hyperbaric medicine, is a relatively new field of medicine because of which the patients are a little scared and full of questions about the treatment. eMedSim which has a suite of products for training hyperbaric technicians soon figured out that the market first needed Patient Education products to soothe the doubts of the patients. The patients who have been exposed to the Hyperbaric patient education has found the program very helpful.

“Imagine a patient entering proposed changes to their list of health problems, surgeries performed, medications and doses being taken and allergies before they are seen on their cell phone or local waiting-room computer terminal or iPad.” says Wes Fisher, MD, a cardiologist who wants informed patients in his clinic, in his blogspot drwes.blogspot.com “These proposed changes could then be reviewed, validated, a approved (or not) by their doctor leaving the majority of the patient visit for what matters: actual patient care.” We have been hearing more and more voices like this from all aspects of healthcare world. And it is about time that it is addressed.

eMedsim does not plan to stop here. It would like to go and delve further into educating patients. “The field is wide open” says Shah “We are working with doctors to find solutions for their practice. We would like to help the doctors educate the patients. One of our active projects is to educate patients about the right way to take Asthma medicines.”  According  to www.Asthmafoundation.org.au ‘Up to 90% of people who have asthma inhalers do not use them correctly” That is a staggering number.

“Accountable care is not a new concept to ­physicians, but the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) is creating new pressure to get ­patients more ­actively involved in their care,” says Erica ­Drazen, managing partner for emerging practices with the healthcare consulting firm CSC in Waltham, MA. “Not only will patients’ health improve, but the practice’s ­revenue also can benefit.”

So on your next visit to  the doctor, ask the doctor about your healthcare management software and do go prepared with your research on your condition and your doctor will thank you for it. And so will your body.