Clinical content refers to the various checklists, documents, and forms that address an area of medicine when using an EHR. For example, a pediatric practice would be interested in documentation tools for a newborn visit. Not all EHRs have clinical…
Clinical content refers to the various checklists, documents, and forms that address an area of medicine when using an EHR. For example, a pediatric practice would be interested in documentation tools for a newborn visit. Not all EHRs have clinical content for all areas of medicine. For example, some EHRs have clinical content for internal medicine, but lack the details needed for dermatology or cardiology.
Innovation in medical devices has been profound in recent years – cardiac devices are a good example. The combination of engineering advances to create small, strong and wear-resistant devices and computational advances with smaller and smaller semiconductors loaded with more…
Innovation in medical devices has been profound in recent years – cardiac devices are a good example. The combination of engineering advances to create small, strong and wear-resistant devices and computational advances with smaller and smaller semiconductors loaded with more and more information have led to truly amazing advances. With more and more people with more and more chronic illnesses, the need is great and the opportunities for innovators is …
The conundrum continued behind conference doors at the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) conference in Tampa about the efficacy of mobile phone usage to improve patient health. Lively discussions followed about the ROI for chronic disease management through mobile health and…
The conundrum continued behind conference doors at the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) conference in Tampa about the efficacy of mobile phone usage to improve patient health.
Lively discussions followed about the ROI for chronic disease management through mobile health and outcomes for remote patient monitoring focusing on whether telemedicine is excluded from meaningful use and reasons why telehealth should be a key component in Accountable Care Organizations (ACO).
I was asked recently to predict the practice of medicine in 20 years. After stating that any such prediction is massively speculative, I indulged because it is massively fun. I am persuaded by Clayton Christensen’s arguments in The Innovator’s Prescription…
I was asked recently to predict the practice of medicine in 20 years. After stating that any such prediction is massively speculative, I indulged because it is massively fun.
I am persuaded by Clayton Christensen’s arguments in The Innovator’s Prescription that healthcare will go the way of other massively disrupted industries, wherein healthcare will follow the arc of decentralization.
Using the music industry as an example, the arc begins …
As a nurse, I spend a lot of time with other nurses. When they ask me to explain why I think the iPad is great, I respond with the following metaphor: imagine that you are a nurse who has been…
As a nurse, I spend a lot of time with other nurses. When they ask me to explain why I think the iPad is great, I respond with the following metaphor: imagine that you are a nurse who has been asked to design a new hospital from scratch. You are free to question every prior assumption, to throw out old ideas that no longer fit, to redesign everything according …
Ok, imagine this. You take a video of your little girl's soccer practice with your iPhone. Within moments it's posted on YouTube for the grandparents to see. Minutes later search engines called spiders begin to crawl across the data set…
Ok, imagine this.
You take a video of your little girl’s soccer practice with your iPhone. Within moments it’s posted on YouTube for the grandparents to see.
Minutes later search engines called spiders begin to crawl across the data set of images on your upload. Face recognition technology identifies a face on the video and, with some assistance from the geo-tagging of the built in GPS metadata that accompanied the upload, …
A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Health IT holds the promise of improving the efficiency of a physician’s practice, but physicians can easily become overwhelmed by the broad range of products and the multiple, varying…
Health IT holds the promise of improving the efficiency of a physician’s practice, but physicians can easily become overwhelmed by the broad range of products and the multiple, varying federal incentive and penalty programs currently underway. The American Medical Association (AMA) continues to be in close contact with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), advocating for changes to the …
From helping you wake up rested to getting couch potatoes ready for a 5K, there really is an app for everything. But when it comes to health apps, many don’t get the job done. Companies are often in such a…
From helping you wake up rested to getting couch potatoes ready for a 5K, there really is an app for everything.
But when it comes to health apps, many don’t get the job done.
Companies are often in such a hurry to sell their app that they don’t conduct a study to see if users will adopt real, lasting change. And, app stores don’t have medical reviewers who make sure health …
Which will improve a person’s health more? Running around the block for 20 minutes or sitting at a computer entering their cholesterol and blood pressure readings? The answer is one reason why Google’s decision to end its electronic personal health…
Which will improve a person’s health more? Running around the block for 20 minutes or sitting at a computer entering their cholesterol and blood pressure readings?
I interviewed about 150 medical leaders just a few years ago for my book The Future of Medicine – Megatrends in Healthcare. Not one mentioned wireless devices as a coming megatrend. How fast the world changes! Nowadays everyone has a…
I interviewed about 150 medical leaders just a few years ago for my book The Future of Medicine – Megatrends in Healthcare. Not one mentioned wireless devices as a coming megatrend. How fast the world changes! Nowadays everyone has a cell phone and we rarely stop to think that just two decades ago almost no one had them. We have a laptop or tablet computer that can access information from the web …
There seems to be an inverse relationship between the amount of spin one hears about "the next big thing" and reality. First it was EMRs and virtual e-visits, then social media, and now patient portals seem poised to be next…
There seems to be an inverse relationship between the amount of spin one hears about “the next big thing” and reality. First it was EMRs and virtual e-visits, then social media, and now patient portals seem poised to be next big thing. The drumbeat of vendors and pundits is unmistakable: physician that don’t adapt will be toast. It can all sound pretty convincing until you ask to see the evidence. …
The variety of new technology coming into the market can sometime make one’s head spin. Physicians are especially vulnerable to the call of the latest, greatest gadget. The Apple iPad certainly fits the bill when it comes to the consumer…
The variety of new technology coming into the market can sometime make one’s head spin. Physicians are especially vulnerable to the call of the latest, greatest gadget. The Apple iPad certainly fits the bill when it comes to the consumer – entertainment, apps, great design. But can that translate to the environment of the medical practice? A lot of experts seem to think so, although none of them are actually …
Joe Frisch is a staff scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. Dr. Frisch writes: "I wonder when we will start seeing really addictive games banned? I don't know what makes games addictive though. Angry birds is…
Joe Frisch is a staff scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. Dr. Frisch writes: “I wonder when we will start seeing really addictive games banned? I don’t know what makes games addictive though. Angry birds is a mystery to me – there is no ongoing story line, you don’t really gain any abilities as the game …
The iPad has been a mind-blowing success, and we’ve been regularly covering the excitement about the potential it offers to doctors and hospitals. However, it’s important to continue innovating, and I propose that a 7 or 8 inch iPad Mini…
The iPad has been a mind-blowing success, and we’ve been regularly covering the excitement about the potential it offers to doctors and hospitals.
However, it’s important to continue innovating, and I propose that a 7 or 8 inch iPad Mini (Or Nano, if you prefer) would be the next logical step for Apple, as it offers an ideal blend of screen real estate and portability that both the iPhone and …
Much has been made of the downside of the increasing use of EMR systems by physicians. But I am not going to dwell on those pervasive complaints concerning the cost and complexity of setting up the systems. Nor shall I…
Much has been made of the downside of the increasing use of EMR systems by physicians. But I am not going to dwell on those pervasive complaints concerning the cost and complexity of setting up the systems. Nor shall I rehash the well known issue of what I call “doc blocking” … wherein a computer (or other entity) stands between the patient and physician, slowing the exchange of information to however many words can be typed per …
I commented on a blog post recently that cited a recent study called "Secure web messaging between patients and doctors: Not well received." I was pleased to see that other professionals who left comments had the same reaction I did…
I commented on a blog post recently that cited a recent study called “Secure web messaging between patients and doctors: Not well received.” I was pleased to see that other professionals who left comments had the same reaction I did to the study: it is simply not accurate. I have 4,900 patients and five other physicians in our practice who can attest that secure messaging, when used the …
It’s time that we rethink the doctor's office encounter. It’s inefficient for doctor and patient, and doesn't optimize care for those that need it most. Everyone is treated the same, even though not every illness or medical need has the…
It’s time that we rethink the doctor’s office encounter. It’s inefficient for doctor and patient, and doesn’t optimize care for those that need it most. Everyone is treated the same, even though not every illness or medical need has the same urgency.
To get to see a doctor I have to make an appointment days or even weeks in advance. I have to drive over to the complex, find parking or …
In a meeting with senior management at Harvard Medical School, one of our leaders asked, "What is our cloud strategy?" My answer to this is simple. The public cloud (defined as the rapid provisioning and de-provisioning of CPU cycles, software…
In a meeting with senior management at Harvard Medical School, one of our leaders asked, “What is our cloud strategy?”
My answer to this is simple. The public cloud (defined as the rapid provisioning and de-provisioning of CPU cycles, software licenses, and storage) is good for many things, such as web hosting or non-critical applications that do not contain patient or confidential information.
American health care information technology is undergoing two enormous leaps. First, it is moving onto Web-based and mobile platforms – which are less expensive and facilitate information exchange – and away from client-server enterprise-centric technologies, which are more expensive and…
First, it is moving onto Web-based and mobile platforms – which are less expensive and facilitate information exchange – and away from client-server enterprise-centric technologies, which are more expensive and have limited interoperability. In addition, more EHR development activity is headed into the cloud, driven by large consumer-based firms with the technological depth to take it there. Both these trends …
The interaction of humans and technology will always be unpredictable. A few months ago this thought was driven home to me in a rather malodorous manner. I have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and use a CPAP machine every night to…
The interaction of humans and technology will always be unpredictable. A few months ago this thought was driven home to me in a rather malodorous manner.
I have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and use a CPAP machine every night to sleep comfortably. With OSA your airway collapses when you fall asleep. A CPAP machine is a small technological marvel, quietly delivering heated, humidified air under gentle pressure through a …
Joe Frisch is a staff scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. Dr. Frisch writes: “I wonder when we will start seeing really addictive games banned? I don’t know what makes games addictive though. Angry birds is a mystery to me – there is no ongoing story line, you don’t really gain any abilities as the game …
