Barracuda Consulting, LLC

Written By: Kelly Buckman By now, it should be clear to all of us that cutting-edge technological advances are key to the future of healthcare in the 21st century. In fact, it’s rare to receive medical care these days without some aspect of technology affecting us, from electronic health records (EHR’s) to wearable monitors to Virtual Reality diagnostics. It comes as little surprise then that the healthcare industry is blazing new trails when it comes to using technology to enhance, and even save, lives. One such example is the use of 3D printing, a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. Once primarily associated with graphic design and manufacturing, 3D printing is being used today to create a variety of medical devices, including instrumentation (e.g., guides to assist with proper surgical placement of a device), implants (e.g., cranial plates or hip joints), dental restorations such as crowns, hearing aids, prescription eyeglasses, and external pr...

Written By: Jacquelyn Annete García Vadnais Even though Sri Lanka was not on the radar for real estate investors previously, it has become more popular due to the country’s incredible beauty and government incentive to attract foreign direct investment. With new legislation that is targeting the ease for foreign citizens to acquire property, it is no wonder that Sri Lanka is absolutely a locale to keep one’s eye on. This is particularly true for Colombo, the country’s growing capital city that is attracting more multinational business daily. In order to adequately consider Colombo, Sri Lanka as a viable real estate investment opportunity, consider the information below. A Brief History of Sri Lanka The first traces of humans in Sri Lanka can be traced from the year 543 BC. Many religious legends originate in Sri Lanka to include Adam’s Peak, which is believed to be where Adam first set foot on earth when he was banished from heaven and that Lord Buddha put his footprint on Sri Pa...

Written By: Jacquelyn Annete García Vadnais A Brief History of Georgia Historically speaking, Georgia has always been in a unique position in the world due to its location of being in the middle of major empires and powerful countries throughout history . Georgia has been the subject of conflict between Turkey, Persia, and Russia prior to the 19th century. Georgia was then annexed by Russia in the 19th century and became a part of the Soviet Union. Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union until it eventually became an independent state in 1991. Additionally, Georgia has a long history of religious harmony between the majority Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination and the Muslim community, which comprises the second largest religious community of Georgia. This along with the peaceful co-existence of several other religious minority groups, adds much to the history, culture, architecture of the nation. Finally, due to Georgia’s diverse history, it has a sensational mixture of cui...

Written By: Kelly Buckman Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past decade, chances are that you’ve heard of the “Cloud” and may even understand the value of Cloud technology for storing large amounts of data for businesses and other types of organizations. What you may not know is how healthcare is benefiting from advances in cloud technology, and in particular, software as a service. A common delivery model for many business applications, Software as a service, also known as SaaS, is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. * Typically accessed using a thin client via a web browser, some common examples of SaaS include Office 365, Google Apps, Citrix GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx, and Netflix. With SaaS, vendors develop, monitor and maintain the application. Data is stored off-site and users access software over the internet. And since SaaS vendors develop and troubleshoot any issues that may aris...

Written By: Jacquelyn Annete García Vadnais A growing middle class and rising levels of urbanisation have supported rapid real estate growth in Indonesia, and there remains substantial room for expansion in the coming years. In recent years especially, there has been a great deal of real estate investment activity occurring in Indonesia. The reasons for this are myriad. In order to learn more about the growing real estate investment opportunity in Jakarta, consider the information below. Pro-growth political agenda In the years since 2014, the Indonesian government has increasingly shifted its real estate policies towards attracting new investment and increasing property borrowing and purchasing, thus supporting a gradual turnaround in the sector. The government also moved to encourage foreign investment in the real estate sector with a 2015 decision allowing foreigners to “own” luxury apartments under a right-of-use scheme. Foreigners are not permitted to own property in ...

Written By: Kelly Buckman In an era when healthcare is increasingly driven by technology as a means of automating processes and sharing information, what does the future look like for hospitals? It may not be what you think. Case in point is Mercy Virtual Care Center in Chesterfield, MO. At first sight it looks like any other hospital, with doctors and nurses checking vital signs, talking with patients, and creating treatment plans. But unlike hospitals that most of us are used to, there is one thing missing: patients. At Mercy, doctors and nurses treat patients from carrels with monitors showing patients in remote rooms. From here, they can see graphs with bloodwork and images of internal organs and limbs, and scan lists of issues that computer apps have determined they should look out for. Called a “virtual hospital” Mercy is on the cutting edge of healthcare technology. Unlike a traditional hospital, a virtual hospital has no need for rooms, as providers care for patients ...

Written By: Kelly Buckman It’s a scenario that is far too common these days. A well-meaning physician prescribes pain killers for a patient who has suffered an injury, with the expectation that the patient will only take the drug until their pain starts to subside. Too often, however, they continue to take the medication after the injury heals, and as a result, become addicted. When the patient can no longer obtain the prescription drug, the results may be catastrophic as in many cases, they turn to heroin or other opioid use, often fatally overdosing. In fact, arguably the worst addiction crisis in American history, opioid addiction has reached epidemic proportions over the past several years, as healthcare providers struggle to adapt practices to reduce the chances of a patient becoming dependent on these drugs. In 2016 alone, there were more than 42,000 overdose deaths from addiction to legal painkillers and illegal drugs like heroin, according to Centers for Disease Control and...