IF YOU REMEMBER LIFE BEFORE CELL PHONES, YOU PROBABLY
WONDER, HOW WE EVER LIVED WITHOUT THEM?
BUT THESE DAYS SMART PHONES ARE PLAYING AN EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
ROLE IN OUR LIVES THAN JUST CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS AND
FAMILY. GET THIS.
52 PERCENT OF US HAVE DOWNLOADED HEALTH APPS, HEALTH APPS!
ON TO OUR SMART
PHONES. NOT ONLY THAT, 59 PERCENT OF US
USE THE INTERNET TO FIND HEALTH INFORMATION.
AND I'M ONE OF THOSE. WHY?
BECAUSE IT'S EMPOWERING. HERE TO TELL US MORE IN DR.
FRANCISCO VELAZQUEZ FROM PAML. GOOD MORNING DOCTOR.
GOOD MORNING OLGA, HOW ARE YOU? I'M DOING GREAT.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. MY PLEASURE.
YOU KNOW, I SEE IT HAPPENING AND I KNOW YOU SEE IT TOO.
PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY QUESTION WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THEIR
BODIES, THEIR CHILDREN, THEY SEE A DIAGNOSIS, THEY LOOK IT UP.
THEY LEARN MORE. FOR ME, IT'S JUST BEEN MORE
EMPOWERING TO LEARN AND KNOW MORE.
DO YOU AGREE? ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS WE'VE BECOME SMARTER CONSUMERS.
AND TECHNOLOGY HAS ENABLED THAT. AS YOU MENTIONED WE HAVE THE
INTERNET SO 89 PERCENT OF ALL ADULTS SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR
HEALTH CARE INFORMATION. WE ALL HAVE A SMART PHONE IN OUR
POCKET. 80 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION OF
THE WORLD HAS ONE. WOW.
AND WE HAVE OVER 3,000 APPS WHERE IT WILL ALLOW US TO TRACK
ALMOST ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF ABOUT HEALTH.
AND WE ARE USING IT THAT WAY. TWO THIRDS OF AMERICANS,
ROUGHLY, OF ADULTS ARE ACTUALLY USING THEIR SMART PHONES TO
TRACK A HEALTH RELATED ITEM. SUCH AS BLOOD PRESSURE, WEIGHT,
NUTRITION, EXERCISE, ETCETERA. SUCH TECHNOLOGY HAS ENABLED US
TO BE BETTER CONSUMERS. AND ACTUALLY ENABLED US TO ASK
MORE QUESTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO SEEING OUR DOCTOR WHICH I THINK
HAS CREATED EVEN A BETTER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
PHYSICIAN AND THE PATIENT. NOW, TALK TO ME ABOUT PAML.
P-A-M-L. WHAT'S THAT?
SO, PAML. IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS A
PATHOLOGY ASSOCIATES MEDICAL LABORATORIES.
OKAY. WE'RE A HEALTH CARE SOLUTIONS
COMPANY WITH A FOCUS IN DIAGNOSTICS WHICH BASICALLY
MEANS MOST OF WHAT WE DO IS TESTING.
TESTING FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, CANCER, WOMEN'S HEALTH,
WELLNESS. BUT WE HAVE OTHER ASPECTS OF
ORGANIZATIONS SO WE HAVE A FULL PROGRAM FOR WELLNESS.
AND WE ALSO HAVE A PRODUCT PORTFOLIO FOR CONSUMERS.
IT'S A GOCINCH, IF YOU WANT TO GO AND LOOK IT UP.
THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO ORDER THEIR OWN TESTING IN THE STATES
IN WHICH THAT IS LEGAL. REALLY?
SO, IF I WANTED, FOR EXAMPLE, I'LL BE PERSONAL HERE, I'M VERY
TRANSPARENT. I'LL DO BLOOD WORK EVERY 6
MONTHS BECAUSE YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS WORRY ABOUT MY HEALTH AND
MAYBE BECAUSE I'M A MOM. IF I WANTED TO GET A CBC, SOME
LAB WORK, I COULD ACTUALLY DO THAT ON MY OWN, WITHOUT SEEING
MY PHYSICIAN BECAUSE NORMALLY I HAVE TO GO SEE HIM AND GET A
PRESCRIPTION. SO, THIS WHERE THE DISCLAIMER
COMES IN. OKAY.
IN 34 STATES, IT IS LEGAL FOR A CONSUMER TO ORDER THEIR OWN
LABORATORY WORK. REALLY?
SO, THERE ARE 11 STATES IN WHICH THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS.
AND THEN THE REST OF THEM, YOU REALLY CAN'T.
BUT IT'S FAIRLY SIMPLE. YOU GO TO ONE OF THE APPROVED
FACILITIES, LIKE OURS, YOU GET ONLINE AND YOU ORDER
SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR.
NOW I CAN TELL YOU BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCE, THAT THE MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE ORDER WELLNESS PANELS. BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.
MEN, A LITTLE BIT OLDER, WHEN THEY PUSH ABOUT 60, START
THINKING ABOUT THEIR MORTALITY I GUESS.
OR START THINKING WHAT'S GOING ON.
ONE OR THE OTHER BUT WE WON'T GET INTO THAT.
BUT WOMEN BETWEEN 18 AND 44 IS WHAT WE SEE THE MOST.
AND FOR WOMEN, THE SECOND MOST COMMON TEST IS THYROID FUNCTION
WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT. SO, IF I WANTED TO CHECK MY
PLATELETS WHICH ARE SOMETIMES LOW, I COULD DO THAT.
OR MY CHOLESTEROL LEVEL. THAT'S ONE TEST I COULD
ACTUALLY. YOU COULD CHOLESTEROL.
WE HAVE A FULL CARDIO PROFILE. A LOT OF PEOPLE DO IT BECAUSE
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IS STILL THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE IN THIS
COUNTRY. YES IT IS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO CHECK THEIR THYROID.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO JUST GET A GENERAL ASSESSMENT.
I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS, EXECUTIVES, THAT SAY YOU KNOW, I
GO IN BETWEEN VISITS. JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M DOING
WHAT MY DOCTOR TOLD ME TO DO. AND PEACE OF MIND, AT THE END OF
THE DAY. STAY RIGHT THERE DOCTOR, BECAUSE
I HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS. THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING.
I'M TELLING YOU EVERY SIX MONTHS I CHECK MY PLATELETS, WHITE
BLOOD CELL COUNT, RED BLOOD CELL COUNT, AND CHOLESTEROL.
SO STAY TUNED BECAUSE THE BALANCING ACT WILL HAVE MUCH
MORE ON THIS TOPIC. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
(MUSIC)
WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! I'M HERE ONCE AGAIN WITH DR.
FRANCISCO VELAZQUEZ FROM PAML. DOCTOR, BEFORE THE BREAK WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT ORDERING YOUR OWN LAB WORK.
YOUR OWN BLOOD TESTS. WALK ME THROUGH EXACTLY HOW I DO
IT'S ACTUALLY FAIRLY SIMPLE. OKAY.
YOU CAN GO TO ONE OF THE PLACES LIKE OURS WHICH IS
GOCINCH.COM OH BECAUSE IT'S A CINCH.
IT'S A CINCH FOR TIME MATTERS. I LIKE THAT.
SO, YOU CAN GO IN AND IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT TO LOOK FOR, YOU
CAN ENTER YOUR GENDER AND AGE AND IT WILL TELL YOU THE MOST
COMMON USED TESTED FOR PEOPLE OF THAT GENDER AND THAT AGE.
YOU KNOW, MEN, WOMEN, OF A PARTICULAR AGE.
OR IF YOU WANT SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC LIKE MOST PEOPLE ORDER
WELLNESS PANELS. OKAY.
OR THYROID FUNCTION IF THEY ARE WOMEN OR CHOLESTEROL IF THEY ARE
MEN. YOU CAN GO SPECIFICALLY AND
ORDER THAT. IT WILL TELL YOU WHERE TO GO AND
GET IT COLLECTED. THE MOST CONVENIENT PLACE, WHERE
EVER THAT MAY BE. AND THAT ORDER GETS TRANSMITTED
DIRECTLY. YOU CAN PAY ONLINE.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN PAY AT A COLLECTION STATION.
THEN THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS THE INFORMATION WILL GET BACK
TO YOU DIRECTLY. OH REALLY?
DOESN'T GO TO MY DOCTOR? UNLESS YOU WANT US TO SEND IT.
UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO. IT COMES DIRECTLY TO YOU.
IT COMES DIRECTLY TO YOU. AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT ON THE
WEBSITE, WE HAVE A VERY VERY GOOD EXPLANATION OF HOW
LABORATORY TESTS WORK. HOW LABORATORY TESTS ARE DONE
AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? SO, IT GIVES YOU A LOT OF
INFORMATION THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE
A DECISION WHETHER THAT'S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO SHARE WITH
YOUR PHYSICIAN OR NOT. ALTHOUGH WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU
ALWAYS SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER.
AND JUST TO CLARIFY AGAIN, THE INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THIS.
THIS IS OUT OF POCKET? THESE ARE ALL OUT OF POCKET
BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ORDERED BY A PHYSICIAN.
BUT THEY SEEM TO BE WORTH IT. I DON'T THINK IT'S THAT PRICEY
EITHER. WELL, THERE'S A RANGE.
FROM A SINGLE TEST TO MULTIPLE TESTS AVERAGING $25 AND $200.
WHICH IS FAIRLY COST EFFECTIVE COMPARED TO THE TRADITIONAL
COSTS OF HEALTH CARE. AND IF SOMEBODY IS WONDERING OUT
THERE. OKAY, SO WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF
THIS WHEN I CAN GO TO MY DOCTOR AND DO IT.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THIS DOESN'T
TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR DOCTOR. SO, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
TOTALLY. BUT IT'S VERY USEFUL TO REALLY
MONITOR YOURSELF IN BETWEEN DOCTOR'S VISITS.
OR IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHERE YOU ARE WITH PARTICULAR PARAMETERS
LIKE I'VE TOLD YOU, WE'VE FOUND PEOPLE WHOSE CHOLESTEROL WAS
HIGH AND DIDN'T KNOW IT OR WHOSE THYROID HORMONES WERE LOW AND
THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT. OR THEY HAD SOME OTHER ANOMALY
AND WE TYPICALLY CALL THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND REFER THEM TO
THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS. BUT IT'S GOOD INFORMATION FOR
WELLNESS AND OCCASIONALLY IT MAY BE MORE HELPFUL THAN JUST
WELLNESS. IT MAY DIRECT YOU TO PURSUE SOME
ACTION WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN. THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.
THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW. WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
AND AGAIN TO CLARIFY. NEVER TO REPLACE YOUR PHYSICIAN.
THAT'S CORRECT. THAT RELATIONSHIP HAS TO ALWAYS
COME FIRST. THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT
RELATIONSHIP. NOW, I CAN TELL YOU A LOT OF MY
FRIENDS WHO ARE EXECUTIVES AND DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME, USE
THEIR SELF TESTING IN BETWEEN DOCTOR'S VISITS JUST TO MAKE
SURE THAT EXACTLY.
THEY ARE FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT WERE GIVEN TO
BY THEIR PHYSICIANS AT THEIR ANNUAL VISIT.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, I LIKE I ALWAYS TELL ME CHILDREN.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. AND THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE
BETTER OFF YOU ARE. WELL, MOST PHYSICIANS WILL TELL
YOU THAT A KNOWLEDGEABLE PATIENT, MORE IMPORTANTLY AN
ENGAGED PATIENT IS ACTUALLY THE BEST PATIENT TO HAVE.
YOU ARE VERY ENGAGING THIS MORNING.
WELL THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I KNOW YOU ARE COMING BACK TO SPEAK WITH JULIE ABOUT HEART
DISEASE AND HOW WE CAN FIND OUT MORE ALSO THROUGH YOUR COMPANY.
WE'LL BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT LATER.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. AND I'LL DEFINITELY STAY TUNED
FOR THAT. DOCTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME. MY PLEASURE.
THANK YOU. REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
AND IF YOU LIKE MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN GO TO THE
WEBSITE, WHICH IS GOCINCH.COM
IT'S A CINCH! OR YOU CAN ALSO LOG ON TO OUR
WEBSITE. WE HAVE A LINK RIGHT THERE FOR
YOU. THEBALANCINGACT.COM
THAT'S THEBALANCINGACT.COM