Dr. Donald Voltz discusses how infectious diseases such as Ebola, enterovirus D68, and flu is pushing EHRs into the job of a central communications hub.
The recent spate of infectious diseases identified in the US-whether Ebola, enterovirus D68 or just the beginning of the plain old flu season, healthcare has become increasing complex. It involves more players in terms of patients, providers, administration, insurance , governmental bodies and now CDC screeners at airports. This leaves
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Health IT & Digital Health-Opinion | Op-Eds | Guest Columns | Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
The Critical Role of Health IT in the Ebola Outbreak
A recent article by Atul Gawande in The New Yorker describes the level of preparedness at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, as it encountered the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the U.S. The emergency department was as prepared as anyplace, and had rehearsed the scenarios, and reviewed the CDC checklist for Ebola preparedness. They had asked about fever in people who had traveled from the region of West Africa beset by Ebola, per the protocol. In fact, the triage nurse in the
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mHealth: The Most Underutilized Force in Patient Engagement?
When was the last time you touched your cell phone? Did you just look at it sitting next to you or feel for it in your pocket? Maybe you're already reading this article right now on your phone.
The latest craze over the release of the iPhone 6 has just proven again how much people love their phones. Hundreds of people waited in lines for hours or even slept overnight trying to be one of the first to get their hands on Apple's latest design. More than 10 million phones were sold over the debut
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Are Health Wearables Evangelists Fools?
Have the skeptics won?
Late last month, TechnologyAdvice released an interesting study looking at whether most people want to use health wearables such as fitness trackers and other tools for health purposes.
Here are the top-line results of this study:
- 75 percent of U.S. adults do not track their weight, diet, or exercise using a health tracking apps or devices
- 43.7 percent had no specific reason for not tracking their fitness
- 27.2 percent won't use these devices
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Why My Digital Health Startup Failed
Jeff Novich provides a rare and honest introspective look into why his digital health startup Patient Communicator, a patient portal CRM for doctors ultimately failed.
Editors’ Note: This article was originally published in January 2013 and has been republished with permission by the author.
My father is a primary care doctor. In 2009 he asked me to help build a product that would enable his patients to access him online rather than through the phone. Patient Communicator was basically a
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EHR Design and Dissatisfaction: EHRs Should Create Time for Patients
Dr. Edmund Billings shares his insights on the growing trend of dissatisfaction with EHR design.
As reported last year at HIMSS and by many online news and opinion sources since, physician dissatisfaction with EHRs is growing. Indeed, while this article does not focus on the broader picture, general physician career dissatisfaction is disconcertingly high.
The breakneck push for more and better EHR use as a component of regular medical care is a significant part of that malaise, but it is
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Value-Based Health Care is Antithetic to Patient-Centered Care
Value-based health care is antithetic to patient-centered care. Value-based health care is also diametrically opposed to excellence, transparency and competitive markets. And value-based health care is a shrewdly selected and disingenuously applied misnomer. Value-based pricing is not a health-care innovation. Value-based pricing is why a plastic cup filled with tepid beer costs $8 at the ballpark, why a pack of gum costs $2.50 at the airport and why an Under Armour pair of socks costs $15.
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Health IT Interoperability: The 21st Century’s Golden Fleece
Frank Speidel, MD shares his insights on how a defined IT architecture is a essential solution to achieving health IT interoperability.
Jason, mythic hero prior to the Greek Dark Ages, was tasked to find the Golden Fleece before he could claim his throne. For this quest, Jason recruited other Greek heroes, Hercules, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, to name a few of the Argonauts.
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Is Apple Poised to Disrupt Connected Health with HealthKit?
Dr. Donald Voltz shares his insights on how Apple is poised to disrupt connected health with HealthKit and the Apple Watch changing the way patients engage with healthcare.
This week, many are talking about the announcement of a new iPhone 6 and the excitement about the payment system to protect our identity and finance. I think the bigger announcement pertains to the Apple Watch and the underlying platform targeting personal health and wellness management, HealthKit. Although HealthKit
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The Apple Watch & Digital Health: 3 Must-Ask Questions
So, the much-anticipated Apple Watch has arrived.
The tech world is still digesting Apple's big announcement. Some believe Apple's watch is the Second Coming. Others are disappointed that it does not look cooler. Left-handed people are up in arms that the device is not designed to be worn on the right hand.
My opinion: plenty of people will buy the Apple Watch and it will dramatically improve over time. Apple's great at getting people to desire its devices (remember what they said about
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