On October 4 Apple’s CEO said: “Over 80% of the top hospitals in the US are now testing, or piloting, the iPad.” This statement is a little misleading. Firstly, he said “testing or piloting.” What is the number of hospitals that are actually buying and deploying iPads to use with their core clinical applications? I […]
Forget The Enterprise, Miss The Boat
I hate desktop software. Every new application is a potential conflict with mission critical software. Then you have the effort of installing and updating. It is a terrible model for the enterprise. Wherever possible I am looking for Software as a Service (SaaS) option. Adobe has a potentially great service in their CreatePDF SaaS offering (once they add […]
Learning From Google
Two Standards Forward, One Step Back
I am all for standards. The more we define and codify the practice of medicine, the better and more interoperable our EHRs become. But a standard, for the sake of a standard, takes us backwards. I believe the writers of the Final Rule that defined Meaningful Use of an EHR took us backwards when they […]
Seek Productivity Apps, And Ye Shall Find
I think that part of being a productive employee in the 21st century is finding online services and mobile apps to meet you needs that are not met by the IT department’s standard offerings. Since Internet service and a modern browser are typically standard offerings, this opens up a whole world of offerings. Browsing simplespark.com gives you a […]
Where Meaningful Use Should Go Back One Setting
So this is the second in a series of rants regarding some of the more silly aspects of the Meaningful Use Stage 1 Final Rule. Let’s visit core objective 7 for hospitals (pg 257 Fed Reg): (7)(i) Objective. Record and chart changes in the following vital signs: (A) Height. (B) Weight. (C) Blood pressure. (D) […]
Meaningful Use and Missed Opportunities
I am writing this post, with the intent of writing a series of rants about the Meaningful Use objectives. Let’s start with quality measures. I believe this is a huge missed opportunity because we will accomplish them using the same tired back-end abstracting approach we have always used. I believe the quality measures will fail […]
Breaking Down the Post Go-Live Live Huddle
Affinity Medical Group’s EHR pilot went live on GE Centricity EMR whis week. It has been a well run project throughout and I had the honor of joining our bright, hard-working team for their end-of-day huddle. They did a few things that I really liked. This is not an exhaustive list. I would love to […]
EHR Certification is a Black Box
The EHR vendors have not been sharing HOW their products are being certified. Currently, it is a black box. This is VERY frustrating. Especially since hospitals and doctors are supposed to be using the EHRs as cerified. Often there are many ways for an EHR to accomplish a testing objective. The current certification just produces […]
The Next National Coordinator Must Get Real
It appears everyone was surprised by the announcement from ONC HIT Coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal that he will be departing his government post to return to academic life. By all accounts he is a great guy and I wish him all the best. I would suggest that when Dr. Blumenthal is replaced, the administration should appoint someone that has a more intimate knowledge of the reality of health care IT operations and what it really takes to achieve healthcare IT objectives.