Monday, 7 April 2014

Full Health Medical selected to be part of national Health Innovation Hub

Following on from a successful National Healthcare Conference, more good news for Full Health Medical

Full Health Medical are very pleased to announce the exciting news that we have been selected to be part of the national Health Innovation Hub (HIH) for 2014. The HIH is a Government driven collaboration between the Irish health system and commercial enterprises which will lead to the commercialisation of new healthcare technologies emerging from within the health system and/or firms. The HIH will enable Full Health Medical to further develop its services to the healthcare sector both nationally and internationally. Paul McCarthy, CEO of Full Health, explained “We are delighted. It has always been part of our vision to help create a joined-up healthcare system. Working with wider healthcare sector stakeholders, as represented by the HIH, will help to make this vision a reality”.

Full Health Medical is a preventative health management and reporting solution that improves how medical test results are communicated to patients. The company was founded by Paul McCarthy and his wife Dr. Ann Shortt who has worked as an Emergency Medicine Doctor in Australia, the UK and presently in Ireland. Dr. Shortt explained “The majority of the serious illness that we see in A&E could be prevented if people had the tools and clear communication to understand their own health. In medicine, one of the biggest challenges is the time it takes to provide clear communication to the patient and not the need for another piece of expensive diagnostic equipment.

The Full Health technology has the ability to automatically interpret numerical medical tests. Powered by sophisticated algorithms, this interpretation is achieved by combining medical test results with the patient’s responses to their personal, family history and lifestyle questionnaires. The output from this integrated process is an easy-to-read report for the patient – that can be quickly approved by doctors. These reports provide self-management techniques, which promote behaviour change. As a person’s health is now explained to them in real terms, they can tackle potential issues with diet and lifestyle changes rather than waiting until medication is needed. The technology in Full Health has been developed by a team of medical specialists, consultants and technologists.

There is also a major population health management component to Full Health as all of the data is collected in a uniform way. It’s clearly working, as 70,000 test results have been provided to date. Although most people using Full Health receive it through employee-based health programs, Full Health now want this extended as a standard for every person in the state and across the world.

For more information contact, Paul McCarthy (paul@fullhealthmedical.com) Telephone +353 (0) 87 947 1255 - Website: www.fullhealthmedical.com

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Full Health Medical raises €500 for Children’s Hospital at Ireland’s Largest Healthcare Conference


The Full Health Medical Team receiving the National Healthcare Conference Health Award 2014. 

Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 was unforgettable. Full Health Medical demonstrated their preventative health platform at the National Healthcare Conference. The response, uptake and feedback were amazing.
Full Health Medical are very proud to announce that we successfully raised €500 in aid of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. At the National Healthcare Conference, we showcased our online preventative health platform and conference delegates experienced how it facilitates clearer communication. Our medical technology platform was demonstrated by way of a free health-check. Invited delegates could opt to pay for additional blood tests, with all monies collected going to the Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. In just over three hours, 25 delegates came through the streamlined process, with the majority receiving a personalised easy-to-read report sent directly to their smartphones, just hours later.
Award Winners
On another positive note, Full Health Medical were announced as joint-winners of ‘The National Healthcare Conference Health Award 2014’, which recognises innovation in health technology. Seven other companies pitched for the award at the conference, which focused on developing innovations to improve patient care. 
Dr Ann Shortt of Full Health Medical receiving the National Healthcare Conference Health Award

A Huge Thank You
Finally, we’d like to thank Investnet, Biomnis, Hermitage Medical Clinic and all the staff at the Convention Centre Dublin for making this initiative the success that it was. Full Health Medical would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to all participating delegates who donated. Thank you all for helping us do a world of good.
For more information about what Full Health Medical can do for you, email Paul at paul@fullhealthmedical.com or visit our website www.fullhealthmedical.com

Thursday, 27 March 2014

Experience Next-Generation Healthcare at the National Healthcare Conference


Full Health Medical to showcase their online medical technology by offering free health checks at the Convention Centre Dublin on 2nd April, 2014

Paper. Paper. Paper.
The dreaded paper-trail can slow down and impede the preventative health process, frustrating medical professionals. It can make administration a nightmare. Full Health Medical has a solution. They have taken the entire process online, transforming it into a simple and streamlined experience.

Full Health Medical have unveiled their newest health initiative that will showcase how their online preventative health platform facilitates clearer patient communication and streamlines the preventative health experience for all. Their technology will be demonstrated by way of a free health-check at the National Health Conference. On the day, attendees will receive a personalised health report, which is accessible on any mobile device. All proceeds will go towards Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

This initiative coincides with the exciting news that Full Health Medical have been shortlisted for the national Health Innovation Hub (HIH).  The HIH is a Government driven collaboration between the Irish health system and commercial enterprises which will lead to the commercialisation of new healthcare technologies emerging from within the health system and/or firms.

The Full Health technology has the ability to automatically interpret numerical medical tests. Powered by sophisticated algorithms, this interpretation is achieved by combining medical test results with the patient’s responses to their personal, family history and lifestyle questionnaires. The output from this integrated process is an easy-to-read report for the patient – that can be quickly approved by doctors. These reports provide self-management techniques, which promote behaviour change. The technology in Full Health has been developed by a team of medical specialists, consultants and technologists.

There is also a major population health management component to Full Health as all of the data is collected in a uniform way. It’s clearly working, as 70,000 test results have been provided to date. Although the most people using Full Health receive it through employee-based health programs, Full Health now want this extended as a standard for every person in the state and across the world.


For more information on the National Health Conference, log on to www.nationalhealthcare.ie

Contact paul@fullhealthmedical.com for an online demonstration today of the Full Health Platform.

Saturday, 21 September 2013

Use World Health Organisation standards when it comes to Health Screening and Wellness Programme Design.



Fantastic advances are being made in Health IT, Electronic Health Records and Mobile Health. This is not only to the benefit of patients in a medical setting, but also to the benefit of employees and the wider community to becoming empowered to be healthier. The ability to interpret medical data and convey it visually and accurately to the range of everyday devices such as smart phones, tablets and desktops is truly revolutionary in terms of communication. It is also a far more effective and efficient way of utilising medical professionals and drastically reducing overall costs.

The range of diagnostic tests coupled with medical advances in equipment at our disposal can make it difficult to decide on what the priorities should be for the population either in the local community or in the workforce when it comes to preventative health. The good news is that preventative health screening is guided by a series of basic principles that are now nearly 50 years old but are equally valid today. Use these to help you make decisions on the design of any wellness programme.

In 1968 the Wilson-Jungner criteria for appraising the validity of screening programmes was published by the World Health Organisation. The criteria set a series of basic rules to ensure that health screening and the test applied under the banner of health screening are necessary and beneficial for the individual.

1.    The condition being tested for should be an important health problem.
2.    There should be a treatment for the condition.
3.    Facilities for diagnosis and treatment should be available.
4.    There should be a latent stage of the disease.
5.    There should be a test or examination for the condition.
6.    The test should be acceptable to the population.
7.    The natural history of the disease should be adequately understood.
8.    There should be an agreed policy on whom to treat.
9.    The total cost of finding a case should be economically balanced in relation to medical expenditure as a whole.
10. Case-finding should be a continuous process, not just a "once and for all" project.

World Health Organisation 1968

At Full Health, we use these principles to guide us to do the right thing by the end user we serve.  This helps us to design health screening and wellness programmes that are genuinely beneficial to both employees in the workplace and patients and end consumers in the community.

Furthermore, the aggregated anonymised data helps underpin that value. A tool such as Full Health that gives a consistency in approach regardless of the intermediary provider who delivers the service ensures that there is a clear return on investment for employers and wider commissioning groups versus just a box ticked and no clear return.

Download the Full Health Corporate Brochure




Friday, 2 August 2013

Health Screening Software - Ten Key Questions to Consider


Health screening is a process with some unique challenges and software plays an increasingly important role. The evolution and choice of systems that can support screening is wide ranging from practice management to occupational health to bespoke software. Providers are increasingly investing in technology to grow and make their businesses more competitive.

Henry Ford "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." 
Innovate to Deliver Real Competitive Advantage
Talking to a leading provider last week, I asked them if they had a working system for efficiently organising and running their entire process from participant self service to administration to decision support for the doctor through to online reports. The reply came that they had just made a very substantial investment in a new bespoke system which they were very excited about. I enquired further as to what this new system does and discovered that although it improved their administration and accounting, it was of no real extra benefit to the end customer they were serving
Are customers not looking for much more quantifiable benefits nowadays versus more of the same?


When reviewing or considering an investment in health screening software you should ask these 10 questions:

Will the Health Screening System:
  1. Automate the entire workflow?
  2. Enable online medical history, lifestyle questionnaires and information relevant to tests to be completed by participant?
  3. Provide instant analysis for the full battery of measurements and laboratory results and questionnaire data?
  4. Integrate fully with laboratories?
  5. Increase doctor productivity dramatically with engaging reports using the most up-to-date medical guidelines and content?
  6. Produce instant anonymous population reports?
  7. Provide a secure patient portal & report download?
  8. Enable scheduling and appointment booking for multiple locations?
  9. Give you financial control and ability for participants to pay online? 
  10. Continue to evolve and deliver value to you, your customers and empower end user participants to better health?


Today, you should look for a system that combines the best in prevention and is also leading the way in the new age of digital health.

* Paul Mc Carthy is CEO and Founder of Full Health and would love to hear your views.

paul@fullhealthmedical.com


@paulmcarthy1




Friday, 26 July 2013

Health Surveillance Screening or Health and Wellbeing Screening-Why Not Both?

Many companies already engage in statutory health surveillance screening which is based on the risks in the workplace. Is there an opportunity for companies to upgrade these programmes to become an organisational wide health and wellbeing programme?

Health Surveillance Screening
Occupational health is concerned with the relationship between health and work. Health problems often impact on work and conversely work can impact on health.
The law requires employers to provide a safe place of work for their employees. They must identify workplace hazards and manage health risks that arise. Companies are also required by law to provide 'reasonable accommodation' for employees with illnesses or disabilities.

Health surveillance also frequently includes health screening of employees on an annual basis to ensure that the working environment is not having a negative impact on employee health. Typical health surveillance screenings include audiometry (hearing check) and spirometry (lung function check) and often blood tests too.

Health and Wellbeing Screening
Health and Wellbeing screening aims to promote health awareness and proactive risk management by identifying employee health risks and tailoring lifestyle recommendations accordingly. These health screenings offer the opportunity to identify previously undiagnosed illnesses and to address them before they become serious.

Health and wellbeing screening is primarily used as an employee benefit either as a stand-alone measure or as part of a wellness programme. Wellness programmes are usually tailored to suit the requirements of each individual company and include measures such as fitness programmes, dietary advice and mental wellbeing awareness.
A health and wellbeing screening can contain a combination of tests. A typical basic test profile could consist of Height, Weight & BMI, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Fasting Glucose or extend to a more advanced profile including Kidney Function Test, Liver Function Test, Full Blood Count, Thyroid Function, Urinalysis, Resting ECG & Advice on Cancer Awareness.

Why Not Both?
Health surveillance screening and health and wellness screening require a similar amount of administrative resources and planning and consume the same amount of employee time. So is there an opportunity for HR to effectively upgrade existing screening programmes to offer a real employee benefit?

We think so and innovation in health screening software can now provide the self service tools and automation to minimise costly process issues. This means that the substantial effort and resources invested in health surveillance in the workplace can be communicated to each employee in an engaging way so that is also seen as a company benefit. Ultimately, this can empower your employees to better health and productivity.

Paul Mc Carthy is the CEO and Founder of Full Health Medical.
email: paul@fullhealthmedical.com