Archive for 2007
EHRs Fix Everything?
May 12, 2007
The Healthcare IT Guy pointed to this very interesting article from Family Practice Management, EHRs Fix Everything and Nine Other Myths. Points like, software needs to work the way we work and software will eliminate errors question typical selling points for EHRs. It is well known that making absolute statements or even inflated statements about software is par for the course but rarely proven out. For instance, software can cause other unintended consequences and reduce efficiency. However, planning, training and implementation can make significant strides toward reducing these problems and more closely approach the hoped for outcomes of EHRs. Everyone in healthcare IT should read this article just to keep us humble about what we can accomplish.
Share this:
Verizon Employees Get PHR
May 11, 2007
Offered through WebMD, Verizon employees (not customers) will be offered a PHR called Verizon HealthZone PHR. With 900,000 employees, it creates a large user pool. However, it will be initially offered to only 40,000, still a sizable pilot group. It will be interesting to watch home many actually adopt it since it is employer-based. “Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg announced the Electronic Personal Health Records tool during a roundtable discussion on the
shift toward a value-driven care system.”
“The Electronic Personal Health Records program is voluntary and works this way: After an employee enrolls, health care information is imported and managed from various sources — physicians, nurses, hospitals, pharmacies, labs, as well as information entered by the employee, including family history.” Additional, it works independent of the employee health plan. One has to wonder if it will be tied to consumer-directed healthcare and to what extent it will be wireless-enabled.
Share this:More on Medical Banking Project
May 10, 2007
In the Tennessean.com, more details are discussed about combining the banking industry to enable personal health records. The article notes that “Banks know security” but also “Some privacy advocates, however, are concerned that banks could share that information with affiliates and other third parties, creating a nightmare scenario.” Dr. Deborah Peel of Patient Privacy Rights is quoted along these lines, but also notes that her group supports a proposed bill which would allow medical banking but with two significant security features: the patient would decide who could see it and the information could not be sold without their permission.
If these controls are put in place and enforced, it could a viable solution.
Share this:Two Perspectives on Consumer Directed Healthcare
May 9, 2007
Dr. Bill Crounse of Microsoft writes about If Wal-Mart did Healthcare to compliment his recent post on If Disney did. He draws a scenario of no insurance coverage for medical costs under $5000 – “healthcare would behave like other industries were it not for the perverse effects of traditional insurance programs on the supply side of the business.”
On the other side is e-Care Management quoting a study that shows that those with chronic conditions do worse on CDHP, not surprising, since skipping appointments or medication to save money could easily result in a hospitalization.
No simple answers here – healthcare may act like a business and may need to change incentives, but incentives should move toward the best outcomes, not just market forces.
Share this:Telephone vs. Web Interaction in Improving Health Outcomes
May 8, 2007
Government Health IT blog points to an article in the Journal of Managed Care which concluded that: “diabetic patients were much more likely to adhere to suggested testing procedures when someone got on the phone and prodded them compared to people who didn’t get this kind of contact.” He concludes: “The challenge for the crop of new Web 2.0 technologies is not in carving out new ways of providing healthcare, at least not yet. It’s finding a way to be relevant in the current hierarchy of healthcare delivery.” Fortunately, there are some studies from groups like CHESS at the University of Wisconsin showing similar results for web interactions.
Share this:Medical Wikis – a followup
May 5, 2007
Some helpful comments on yesterday’s post point to additional Wiki initiatives and discussion:
- WHO adopts Wikipedia approach for key update – a update of the ICD codes will utilize a wiki
- The British Medical Journal article from last year on Web 2.0 has a wealth of Rapid Responses which link to many more emerging Web 2.0 resources including Wikisurgery.com and JournalReview.org
Medical Wikis reviewed in AMA News
May 4, 2007
AskDrWiki and other medical wikis are discussed in AMA News this week. Generally positive, the article cautions, “As more medical wikis launch, experts say the creators will need to break away from the traditional wiki model to ensure that the information accessed is accurate. That is what many medical wikis are doing, which makes adding content slower but allows time for fact-checking.”
On a related note, I recently came across this hospital CEO blog from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, titled Running a Hospital which provides a unique, day-to-day perspective on just that.
Share this:Kaiser Survey on Health Records
May 3, 2007
According to a study released today at a Kaiser Healthcare Summit in DC, while most of the survey respondents stated that their provider uses electronic records, and that they are more efficient, the were slightly more trusting of papers records by 47 to 42%. 46% had visited a health information website, and were slightly more interested in these type of sites as opposed to insuror websites. 51% said they would prefer a doctor who uses an EMR all other qualifications being equal. 73% thought that the benefits of EMRs outweighed the risks.
Overall, these results are encouraging, but they still show a low level of familiarity with EMRs.
Share this:eVisits on CBS News
May 2, 2007
Dr. Kellerman of the American Academy of Family Physicians was on CBS TV this morning discussing the pros and cons of evisits. In the video he discusses doing this in the context of an existing relationship with a physician and not with someone who you do not know and does not know you. He sees value in the future prospects for evisits but cautioned that they not be used for urgent or emergent uses. It is helpful for this information to reach the general public as it will inevitably come in the near future perhaps as a feature of teathered PHRs.
Share this:Quicken Health offered to Cigna Members
May 1, 2007
The San Jose Business Journal reports that Cigna will offer their members Quicken Health from Intuit at no charge. Similar to the personal finance version of Quicken, it allows the member to download claims information and organize medical expenses. Quicken already has their Medical Expense Manager in version 2.0 but the website indicates that Quicken Health is coming soon. Oriented toward Health Savings Account customers, the product will also allow downloading and organizing of medical records. Will this mean some kind of connection to the major EHR/PHR vendors? Quicken Health will also be offered by United Healthcare and others.
Share this: