Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/736629
76 Malls May be the Newest Healthcare Destination: 5 Things to Know By Anuja Vaidya I ncreasingly, retail spaces are adding offices offering medical services, according to a Bloomberg report. Here are five things to know: 1. Recently, a number of healthcare organiza- tions have begun opening medical offices in malls. For example, Prime Healthcare manages a 23,500-square-foot ambulatory care facility at the Plymouth Meeting Mall near Philadelphia. A second example is Los Angeles-based Ce- dars-Sinai Health System is planning to open a 32,000-square-foot outpatient medical office at e Runway at Playa Vista. 2. ere are a number of reasons for this trend, including the fact that mall operators are look- ing to supplement the disappearance of tradi- tional retailers who face intense competition from online retailers. 3. e healthcare industry is looking to bring services closer to their patients, which further drives this trend. 4. Strip malls appear to be a popular choice for a medical office as compared to a traditional mall. is is primarily due to the fact that strip malls allow patients to park close to the medi- cal office, making it more convenient, for el- derly patients in particular. 5. Setting up offices in malls or retail spaces is also becoming a popular option for healthcare companies because they can get good deals on rent and allowances. n Pediatric Office Drops 8 Families After Negative Facebook Comments By Erin Dietsche A s eight Florida families can attest, be care- ful about what you write on social media. It could cost you more than you think, NBC 2 reported. Approximately two weeks ago, one member of Sup- portive Moms of SWFL — a closed Facebook group with thousands of members — wrote a post highlight- ing the negative experience she'd had at Fort Myers, Fla.-based Island Coast Pediatrics. Sarah Rubio, an- other mom in the group, posted a comment about a similarly off-putting experience she'd had at Island Coast, where she's taken her kids for seven years. A week after that, she got a letter saying her children had been dropped from Island Coast. "We find it necessary to inform you that Island Coast Pediatrics is withdrawing further medical care for your family... This decision is final and will not be discussed further or reversed under any circumstances," the letter read, according to the report. Josefina Echeveste, Katie Gustafson and five others received similar letters. Ms. Echeveste added that she'd also posted positive comments about Island Coast pediatricians. "I would like other mothers to know what we're all going through because of what we posted," Ms. Ru- bio said, according to the report. "An honest review turned out to be a disaster." Currently, the American Academy of Pediatricians doesn't have any regulations that address situations like this, according to NBC 2. n Trends in Healthcare Wearables: What You Need to Know By Eric Oliver T he healthcare and technology markets are about to get more intertwined than ever, as wearable technology companies set their sights to the health industry to increase their market share. In the last few years, tech companies have targeted healthcare as a field for growth, according to a storyfrom Cisco Technologies. Here are five things to know: 1. The growth will be most prominent in two areas: condition-spe- cific wearables and tech aimed to increase productivity across the professional field. 2. Condition-specific tech will help alleviate symptoms. For example, ZetrOZ Systems developed the Sam Sport – a piece of ultrasound technology in the form of a patch, that provides targeted pain relief to muscles, and speeds up the healing process. The device snaps into a bandage like skin that's applied directly to the targeted area. 3. Chrono Therapeutics has also developed a patch-like device that delivers drugs through the skin. It's intended to supply a controlled dose of medicine over a period of time. The company will market its software to smokers, but is aiming to adapt it to help people af- flicted with Parkinson's and opioid addiction in the coming years. Chrono's product is currently in clinical trails, and is expected to be available in 2018. 4. Creating a device to increase productivity for medical profes- sionals is driving innovation. For example, iDent Imaging created a headset which allows dentists to better use oral scanning machines to making crowns. Before it, a dentist had to look away from the patient and the tooth he was graphing to ensure the device was being properly used. Now the image can be projected onto wear- able glasses, eliminating any mistakes. 5. Investors are noticing the potential for growth already. Augme- dix, a company that created a productivity increasing device for physicians, has already raised $40 million in funding. n