Bringing Hospital to the Home

When I decided to move from the IT industry and venture to the Medical/Healthcare Industry, I would have never expected self-transformation. Every day with every experience, it has been more inviting, drawing me into the abyss of the world of Healthcare, Medicine and Science.

Today's lesson was learned at my company sponsored Conference at the Hilton - the theme of the day was held with a lot of passion from the attendees - Bringing the Hospital to the Home. The truth of the matter is, with Science and Technology entering into our homes on a daily basis - impressive plasma TVs with set top boxes, top of the range coffee makers- it is no different to new products and services patients can access to self medicate in the comforts of their own home.

Having self medicated at home with pills & herbs for centuries - the concept is not new. What this step draws further is a range of hospital services that can be set up at home.
eg. intraveneously treated with antibiotics at home, recovering patients on monitored drugs coupled with Nurse and Doctor visits - but admitted and discharged by the hosptial.

If there is a clearer WIN-WIN situation, this would have to be it.
Studies have proven less errors made with self-medication, home environment speeds up recovery time; and to top it off - the luxury to sleep in your own bed and to have access to your own daily throne.


While for the hospitals - customer care is identified with patients recovering faster, hospital beds are efficiently used for the less abled and of course - the co$t $avings to the hospital, so $ can be used on more innovative programs.

These are exciting times ahead - it's Me! Me! Me! First!
..Healthcare programs designed - looking from the patient's journey perspective - just like a corporate company - Customer focused, always Customer First.

This Hospital In The Home (HITH) concept is gaining speed with some Area Health Services already in the forefront -
Absolutely watch this space, as the stakeholder heavyweights (Govt, Healthfunds, Hospitals) re-design the system and create the support structure (GPs, Pharmacists, Nurses etc) to put the patient first.
The fact of the matter is, this blog is only skimming the very surface of the issue and concept - as I'm still learning, naive, intrigued - but the cogs of the wheel for this is in motion developing a structure changing the face of the Hospital.

Whilst there is always a lobby for more beds in hospitals -
one really needs ask the intent..
More infrastructure or Effective system?
with this concept in its way - more beds in hospitals may be a request in the past..

No doubt will the Hippocratic Oath entrenched in Doctors and Nurses where the intent is improving the Health of Patient will lead the way..
~~ ..to keep the good of the patient as the highest priority... ~~

eBay eXperience - Demand and Supply at Play

After more than 10 years after my first Economics Lesson, I finally see before my eyes how the theory of Laissez Faire works (demand and supply at play) on a product of mine.
The medium = eBay.

Having never sold anything in an auction before; the eBay experience has to be one of life's lessons I would consider as education.

Item for sale: Large Size Bedroom wardrobe with 3 sections, 2 sections sliding, middle has a vanity mirror + light and chest of drawers below.

This item came with the house and instead of disposing the wardrobe, we decided maybe someone may want it and left it on eBay. Not knowing what the price should be we let the markets at play. Starting at 80 dollars.

So for a week my temporary obsession was:
* How many people looked at the post
* How many people tagged it to view it
* How many people asked questions
* How many bids came through
* The extent of how people bidded

Ok you got me, I am an acCOUNTant after all, and I love to count. Muah-ha-ha.

The more activity, the more I got interested as the story unfolds; while Ben was not fussed with these regular updates.

For three days, we had questions + visits went up to 200 + 8 people tagged it.
Our first bid came after 3 days. Then came another. And another at spaced intervals.
It was really fascinating to watch the psyche of bidders.

Then the 24 hours before time's up, there was nothing.
The calm before the storm.

TIC, TIC, TIC,
1 min before the auction ended, every refresh of the page, a different bid appeared. And then we have a winner.
Ben & I are winners too, we ended up with 60% over start price; > 400 visits; 11 separate bids; 10 tags - and watching market forces at play. Priceless :)
Final Score: Supply = 1; Demand = 7+

A Piece of the Earth

It is exactly 3 months today, we unintentionally bought and claimed a piece of the earth as our own. Life is so transient, but yet this old school of thought of having your own home is still popular.

Renting v Home Ownership - is a debate of Logic v Control.

LOGIC - lifestyle is more transient, world's smaller, constant job movement. Renting reduces the hassles of purchasing (if you can value your hourly rate * hours spent to look for a home, what would that be?), paying tax to the govt, emotional attachments.

CONTROL - wanting to mould and transform and yours to keep. There are so many things in the world we cannot control, but having your own home to do what you wish, I would say is one of life's indulgences.

For myself, I like the concept of knowing I have a permanent home. I live on both logic & control - as you can see for this issue, control has tipped the scales.
A home is my pride & joy that I can spend time beautifying it (knowing the money, time and effort spent, is ultimately to increase its aestheticity of something I own).

Being rooted to a place permanently and have/know your community surrounding you is something I yearn for unknowingly - or it could be just that I am just another animal on earth that needs a habitat. If not - I can only attribute to growing up on the move. For me, this would be move #15 - including the moves between countries.

While some find this everchanging scene envious, and thrive on constant changes; then there is me - like a cat, am contented with a place + have a piece of the earth that I can truly call home.

Passion In Life

Unlocking my passion in life seems to be a harder question to answer than I would have ever thought.

I'm currently 1 of 12 at work enrolled in a work mentoring program (at the guidance of my Director), working with a mentoring consultant - to unlock what drives me and how to best channel my strengths to grow the company.
One's strengths is a vehicle, but passion is the fuel.
Finding the passion will only set the stage of the journey I will take.

I have just completed my 2nd session with H (mentoring consultant) - I am starting to see what these sessions are about -
Truth be told - in my first session, on the surface I was curious but it is my nature that deep down I was a cynic. Session 1 was about who I am, the way H sees it - personal goals comes first and then professional goals - ultimately for your professional life to excel, these two goal posts need to be aligned. Bleck... it was ho hum, airy fairy blah blah.

Only after Session 2, I can totally see where we are heading and how effective this was going to be. As the session continues with H, we are going to tap into finding what really drives me to do what I do. His observation - my capabilities or professionalism isn't the issue for me to do a good job of it - which means I'm not in it to simply to get a job done- I need to find meaning in what I do - as he calls it a vocation.

That was Session2 - it was a deep and profounding session.
I haven't stopped replaying the session in my mind and connecting the dots and answering the pocket of holes of Who Am I? What drives me? Why do I see life as a journey? Why is 99.5% never good enough for me? Why do I see everything in grey and not black/white? And if I ended up with lemons in life, why is my intial instinct to make lemonade from the lemons?

Life has become a series of errands and chores;
we all need to take a moment to realise what are we are trying to achieve, what is my passion in life, and always a resounding voice to ask....
What type of footprint you would like to leave in the world...

Live N Blog Begins

LIVE and BLOG.
It has been too long since I last blogged and shared my life with my friends and family.
Today is the day I realised I missed writing about my life and experiences and today is the day I want to do something about it.

Life In Europe seemed a long time ago, experiences are not as exotic and scenery does not vividly pass me by before my skin can fully absorb the air.
Life in Sydney, Julia's life is still a journey and I endeavour to relish my experiences as I return to share them.
As long as I live, I shall blog.

Long Live LIVE N BLOG