Archive for 2008
Annual eHealth Survey
July 15, 2008
Geonetric has opened its annual survey on eHealth. It is a worthwhile and quick survey which may give you some perspective on your own ehealth initiatives. The results will help you compare yourself with other healthcare organizations. Their blog post on the survey promotes it from the perspective of potentially creating a business case for more resources for web development. Geonetric is a web development, ehealth and strategy firm which understands the healthcare market. Check out another recent post on best practices on some new hospital websites they have designed.
There are free webinars as well.
You can order last year’s results are here.
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CDC meets Web 2.0
July 11, 2008
The CDC now has two unique tools from the Web 2.0 World. eCards as health reminders is the first. Looks like they are adding new ones all the time but have a good variety in the archive. Everything from travel tips to the Olympics and fireworks safety.
They also have widgets and gadgets – currently there are two Google gadgets – flu updates and flu activity maps. CDC + Google = public health web.
How effective will these tools be? Unclear right now unless they take off through viral emails and links. Ha, Ha!
Share this:Big Think
July 9, 2008
Just stumbled across this new beta site which encourages video postings of Big Ideas. For instance, a new post by Dr. Sebeti from Harvard discusses the future of Genomics. There are topics from faith to science, or Meta to Physical. There is a topic area on the Internet, of course, which includes one by Esther Dyson on “Is Investment in Web 2.0 Slowing?”
This is worth exploring and listening, seeing. A refreshing menu to actually stimulate new thinking and encourage discussion around new ideas. Think Big, Big Think.
eHealth Blogs
July 9, 2008
I discovered that one of the referrers to my blog is also one of my favorite journals, the Journal of Medical Information Technology. They have a feed page which pulls in posts from several eHealth and Health IT blogs including mine.
Share this:Adoption of Online Consumer Tools
July 9, 2008
There is a new report from the California HealthCare Foundation titled, “Helping Patients Plug in:Lessons on the Adoption of online Consumer Tools.” The report is based on research with several healthcare organizations in different settings and regions. This timely evaluation of PHRs and other tools showing how the consumer demand for these tools is high while availability is low, such as, for online access to one’s medical records. They also note that even “safety net populations” have access to the Internet and are interested in these tools. They point out gaps in information, for instance information exchange between physicians to facilitate diagnosis and treatment and missed opportunities in community health centers to make computers and emailing physicians available. This may be an opportunity for more federal funding. Even when PHRs and other tools are available, adoption is low. In some areas, offering free support for these tools has helped but the report notes that there are still policy and technological challenges to overcome.
Just a note about terminology. This article uses the acronym PCHIT, or patient-center healthcare information technology and not the term eHealth which continues to be popular in Europe but no longer in the U.S. Some use Health 2.0 as the current term for eHealth with a focus on Web 2.0 technology.
Share this:Today’s Healthcare CIO – C. Martin Harris, MD, MBA
July 2, 2008
Dr. Harris is on the cover of Health Management Technology, the July Issue. The article is an interview on being a CIO in a health care organization. Who better to explain the role that someone leading a key organization into the future of EMRs, PHRs (including a Google Health partnership), eResearch, and online consults. Certainly a leader and an innovator.
Share this:Shameless Self Promotion
July 2, 2008
Once in a while you have to promote yourself. Well, in this case HIMSS has done it for me. I am pleased to receive the Spirit of HIMSS Award. Nice article about me appears today in their HIMSS Weekly Insider.
Not often does one get such acknowledgment for volunteer work but HIMSS finds ways to do this on a regular basis as they are dependent on many devoted volunteers to make the organization a success. I am pleased to be part of that process. I am in good company for this award.
Share this:Web 2.0 in Health Care – slides available
July 1, 2008
I recently presented a webinar on this topic. Since slides from a previous version of this presentation were already on SlideShare, I decided to add the new one there as well.
- Emerging Trends and Opportunities for Health Care Organizations to Leverage Web 2.0
- Previous: Web 2.0: Beyond Open Source in Health Care
If you search on Health 2.0, you find some interesting stuff including a review of Google Health by Matthew Holt and some presentations by Gunther Eysenbach.
Share this:Healthcare 100
July 1, 2008
Looks like I am still listed in the Healthcare 100 blogs but not in the first 100, but number 200. Interesting mix at the top: Bad Medicine, Medgadget, WSJ Health blog, Kevin MD and the Healthcare blog. Worth reviewing the list from time to time to see what rises to the top. If I had time, I would work on the algorithm.
Share this:More Than a Reminder to take your Pills
June 27, 2008
From the Boston xconomy is a story about a start up which does more than remind people to take their medication. Non-adherence with medication is a real problem. InnovationRx first does a 20 minute interview to determine the best strategy to get past the roadblocks to medication compliance. They use text messages and emails to encourage adherence and send reminders. The cost is $7.99 per month, or $96 per year and may be something that health plans will be willing to pay for.
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