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Telephone Support Cut Hospitalization

In a world dominated by technology-assisted social networking such as Facebook and Twitter, old-fashioned communication can be surprisingly effective. People with complicated medical conditions such as heart failure, diabetes and asthma were offered telephone support. Nurses, pharmacists, dietitians and respiratory therapists served as the health coaches. People who got enhanced support were less likely to be hospitalized and had lower overall health care costs than those in the usual care group. The investigators concluded, “A targeted telephone care-management program was successful in reducing medical costs and hospitalizations.”
[New England Journal of Medicine, Sept. 23, 2010]

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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