The Federales’ Open Data Policy and the Medicare Hospital Chargemaster Data Dump
So just about everyone is pretty pumped about So just about everyone is pretty pumped about the White House announcement of its new open data policy.Todd Park gives us the…
Using Business Intelligence and Analytics for Radiology Billing
It seems like data is everywhere you look. Businesses rely on marketing data, customer demographics, accounting numbers, and in-depth analytics to make daily decisions. It seems like data is everywhere…
What If the Health Care Cost Crisis Solves Itself?
Conventional wisdom is that cutting Medicare rates shifts the burden to the private sector, but an intriguing article in Health Affairs reaches a counterintuitive conclusion: Conventional wisdom is that cutting Medicare…
Alarm Fatigue Plagues Hospitals. Again. Still.
On April 8, 2013, the Joint Commission published a Sentinel Event Alert on medical device alarm safety in hospitals. Once again, alarm hazards tops the ECRI Institute’s 2013 Top 10 Health…
Why Today’s Cancer Experts Love Educated Patients
Time is limited, and time is money, right? Doctors never seem to have enough time. As our population ages, there are more people in need of care and with spiraling…
Electronic Health Records: Still Not Good Enough (Part 2)
As a physician and one of the more visible members of our health industry team at Microsoft, I frequently find myself as the first point of contact for people who…
“Social Media Residency”: Essential for Tomorrow’s Physicians
Should doctors undergo a formal social media training program? The answer from Mayo Clinic is “yes.” Should doctors undergo a formal social media training program? The answer from Mayo Clinic…
Medicare Essential Plan Worth Considering
A proposed “Medicare Essential” plan that bundles all parts of Medicare services – hospital, clinician, prescription drug, and commonly purchased supplemental coverage – could save the system $180 billion over…
Governor Christie Gets the Lap-Band: Our Concerns
The governor of New Jersey had a Lap-Band installed in February and has already lost 40 pounds - which is a little over 10 pounds a month. He had the…
Person-Centered HealthCare: How mHealth Technologies Are Benefiting Patients
It used to be that a patient visiting the doctor’s office might come away with a drug prescription, care instructions for how and when to take their meds, and a…
