Reflecting on Our IT Progress

In a time of EHR naysayers, mean-spirited election year politics, and press misinterpretation (ONC and CMS do not intend to relax patient engagement provisions), it's important that we all send a unified message about our progress on the national priorities we've developed by consensus.1.   Query-based exchange - every country in the world that I've advised (Japan, China, New Zealand, Scotland/UK, Norway, Sweden, Canada,  and Singapore)...[Readmore]

The Next Phase of State HIE Planning

With the Golden Spike on October 16, Massachusetts began a new era of healthcare information exchange.   Now that we have momentum and the perfect storm for innovation with alignment of government, industry, academia, stakeholders, and funding,  we want to rapidly advance to the next phase.Last week, while I was in China, a group from Massachusetts visited CMS in Baltimore to present the Phase 2 plans.   Here is the powerpoint they...[Readmore]

On the Road in China

Last week I spent 5 days in Shanghai and Hangzhou as part of an American delegation advising Chinese government and private sector leaders about healthcare reform.We met with the Mayor of Shanghai, the Health Minister of Shanghai, many hospital presidents, and several public health officials.The themes we highlighted included:*Quality must be measured, not assumed, and this should be enabled by the universal adoption of electronic health records*Data...[Readmore]

In Shanghai this Week

This week I'm in Shanghai and surrounding cities working on EHR implementation and health information exchange issues.There will be a few days without blog posts this week due to my travels, but I will detail all the lessons learned when I return.Aligning quality, safety, and efficiency with technology and politics pose the same challenges all over the world but the scale of China makes implementation particularly interesting.   And now off...[Readmore]

Cool Technology of the Week

Not exactly a cool technology, but a cool product of nature.   I was walking in the apple orchard at dawn this morning and found a Giant Puffball mushroom - Calvatia GiganteaAs a mycologist, I generally get calls about humans eating mushrooms.   With this one, I'm more concerned about mushrooms eating humans!Fungi that's bigger than a car tire.   That's cool!recomended product suport by amazon...[Readmore]

Building Unity Farm - the Barn

To me, the barn is the centerpiece of any farm.    The tools, the hay/food, animal stalls, season specific items, and heavy equipment are all protected from the elements in the barn.In New England, barns are a classic barn red or white, having sliding access doors, and ventilation such as a cupola.    Ours is red with black accents.At Unity Farm, our barn is about 40x40 feet in size, has two post and beam stories, and three access...[Readmore]

The October HIT Standards Committee meeting

The October HIT Standards Committee reviewed the FDA Universal Device Identifer NPRM, the transition of the NwHIN to a public/private partnership, and an update from ONC on S&I Framework/related programs. Jamie Ferguson presented a very thoughtful list of recommendations to the FDA, including the notion that all healthcare devices, including consumer devices, should have a universal device identifier that can be used as metadata when exchanging...[Readmore]

The Golden Spike Part 2

Today we made history in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.   At 11:35am Governor Deval and his physician sent the Governor's healthcare record from Massachusetts General Hospital to Baystate Medical Center.   It arrived and was integrated into Baystate's Cerner medical record.The Massachusetts HIE is now open for business.Immediately following the Governor's record, institutions throughout the Commonwealth sent their own transactions.The...[Readmore]

The Golden Spike Part 1

Tomorrow at 11am, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will drive the Golden Spike into the Statewide Healthcare Information Exchange, the MassHIway, by sending a record between an Eastern Massachusetts hospital and a Western Massachusetts hospital.We'll then commence transactions that demonstrate:ACO to ACO transmission - two large healthcare systems breaking down silos and exchanging lifetime summary records for care coordinationProvider to Registry...[Readmore]

Cool Technology of the Week

Last week I joined several industry experts to discuss the future of Big Data, Analytics, and Healthcare IT in general with a moderator from Intel.Here's a preview clip on You Tube.If you'd like to register to view the entire discussion, which will be broadcast on October 23, just click here.What else is cool this week?.As many of my readers know, I cycle between meetings on a foldable bike.The only challenge is that it's pricy and prone to theft.What...[Readmore]

Building Unity Farm - the Economics

My wife Kathy and I ran a winery from 1986-1993 while I was in medical school and graduate school.   We grew, harvested, and crushed all Rhone varietals.   At the time Kathy raised Chow Chows and we named them after grape varietals, explaining that their purple tongues came from sampling the products of the vineyard.   After 7 years in the wine business, we discovered that you can make a small fortune running a vineyard, as long as...[Readmore]

Why Meaningful Use Stage 2 is So Important

Last week my mother fell and broke her hip.She was taken to a very good local hospital and received excellent orthopedic care.The hospital used certified EHR technology and did their best to reconcile her medications.They used data sources such as historical prescribing records, previous hospitalization records, and calls to a few of her physicians who are not affiliated with the hospital (her primary caregiver is in downtown Los Angeles where she...[Readmore]

A Time for Boundless Energy and Optimism

2012 has been a challenging year for me. On the personal side, my wife had cancer.   Together we moved two households, relocated her studio, and closed her gallery.    This week my mother broke her hip in Los Angeles and I'm writing from her hospital room as we finalize her discharge and home care plan before I fly back to Boston.On the business side, the IT community around me has worked hard on Meaningful Use Stage 2, the Massachusetts...[Readmore]