A well-worn axiom says that “hope is not a plan.” Indeed, hope alone is such a hands-up abdication of planning that editor Thomas Mowle was inspired to use the phrase as the title of his 2007 book of essays on the war in Iraq, which says something.Still, if we play with syntax and add a few words, we can say that every successful plan should offer a measure of hope—hope for success, an improved reality, greater opportunity.With the twin American scourges of homelessness and addiction, hope
Read More
Public Health
Why The Opioid Epidemic Makes EHRs Essential To Public Health
When public health is threatened by an outbreak of SARS or Zika or avian influenza, widely disseminated information becomes a crucial tool used to curtail the spread of disease.But transmittable diseases are not the lone threats to public health. Other metaphorically pathogenic events—the current opioid epidemic, for example—are more effectively managed by making sure doctors have complete information when evaluating patients and, especially, writing prescriptions.Even if you know what the
Read More
How Predictive Analytics Can Combat the Zika Virus
Editor's Note: Damian Mingle is a data scientist with Nashville-based health analytics firm WPC Healthcare and has significant experience mapping the West Nile virus for communities struggling to contain the mosquito population that carries it.
The World Health organization recently declared a public health emergency in connection with the Zika virus outbreak. No locally transmitted Zika virus cases have been reported in the continental United States, though a recently diagnosed Virginia
Read More
20 Promising Canadian Digital Health Companies to Watch
“A company’s odds of success are better the closer they can get to their market,” argues Stephen Hurwitz, a thought leader in the Canadian venture capital industry, recognizing that the proximity to a VC-tech hub can help the success rate of Canadian startups.
A socialized healthcare system, Canada’s market is fragmented by province and type of care – most primary and emergency care is free for residents whereas specialty care, prescription drugs, long-term and in-home care amongst others,
Read More
MU Stage 3 Proposed Rule: 5 Toughest Measures for Physicians
61 percent of physicians feel the federal government has not done a fair job with the MU stage 3 proposed rule, according to a recent survey conducted by QuantiaMD and exclusively designed by Healthcare Informatics editors. For the survey, QuantiaMD, a Waltham, Mass.-based social network for physicians asked physicians in its network about proposed Meaningful Use Stage 3 rules to support the path to nationwide interoperability.
In response to an open answered question on what
Read More
For Hospitals on the Edge, Health IT is the Tipping Point
“No aspect of health IT entails as much uncertainty as the magnitude of its potential benefits.”
Read More
