April 29th, 2010 by Felasfa Wodajo, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
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Check out John Halamka’s post on some of the excellent work one of the workgroups convened by the feds is doing. Here’s the complete quote:
Imagine if every EHR could send data to every other EHR using a simple addressing mechanism like email, a consistent REST implementation or a well described SOAP WSDL. Interoperability would follow rapidly because novel packages of data will be sent to support real business needs without any barriers of how to get the data from endpoint to endpoint.
The “addressing” part of the NHIN (Nationwide Health Information Network) Direct specifications is almost complete. The “implementation” workgroup is part of the fast moving NHIN Direct project which is developing lightweight standards for machine-to-machine communication of medical information. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at a few thoughts from a tumor surgeon*
April 29th, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, Research
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I’ve written about several sites that let users track parameters related to their health management.
Here’s another example, SeizureTracker.com, that tracks seizure activity, appointments, and medication schedules through a simple calendar interface. You can download printable seizure logs or receive customized reports which include graphs comparing seizure activity and medication dosages. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
April 29th, 2010 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
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To be blunt up front –- SBM is not apologetic about the pharmaceutical industry. We get zero funding from any company, and have no ties of any kind to “big pharma.” In today’s world I have to spend time making that clear, because despite the reality critics are free to assume and falsely claim that our message is coming straight from the bowels of hell (a.k.a. the pharmaceutical industry).
We promote science-based medicine and criticize pharmaceutical companies along with everyone else when they place other concerns ahead of scientific validity, or promote bad science, for whatever reason.
It has become fashionable, however, to not only criticize the pharmaceutical industry but to demonize them –- and the term “big pharma” has come to represent this demonization. Cynicism is a cheap imitation of skepticism –- it is the assumption of the worst, without careful thought or any hint of fairness. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
April 28th, 2010 by StaceyButterfield in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
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I [recently] attended a fascinating session offering advice to international medical graduates (IMGs) on how to fit in and succeed in U.S. medical practice. Here’s a slightly-silly example of the kind of cultural differences that can cause confusion for IMGs:
Speaker Vijay Rajput, FACP, started to make a point using the good-old analogy of Lake Wobegon. Then he paused and asked how many attendees knew about Lake Wobegon. Only two raised their hands.
“That’s the problem right there,” he said, only half-jokingly. “You need to be listening to NPR!”
Clearly it takes a lot to become an American and a doctor at the same time.
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
April 28th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Opinion, Research
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Patient satisfaction, as I wrote about previously, is being increasingly focused upon.
Doctors are often pressed for time, and appear rushed — which can potentially lead to unhappy patients.
I saw this small study showing that the simple act of sitting down while talking to patients can have a profound effect. Many doctors I know already do this, but now there’s some data to support sitting. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
