May 29, 2013
Xavier E. Martinez wrote about Why EHR Adoption Rates Vary Across Certain Specialties. A recent joint study from CareCloud and QuantiaMD shows that 82% of cardiologists have adopted EHR software, the most of any specialty. Overall, the article isn’t fully fleshed out. However, it raises an interesting question: Do heart doctors use EHR more widely because of their immersion in technology?
Martinez thinks so.
May 29, 2013
The stats are in. Looks like some doctors are doing a day’s worth of paperwork every week. There’s something clearly wrong with that picture. In the spirit of things not working in healthcare, here’s a well-designed infographic on where profits are headed for our industry as a whole.
May 24, 2013
David Shaywitz wanted to get a flu shot for his child. So he used an app to find a location. The situation went awry and he wrote about it for Forbes. He was misdirected to a location that could not vaccinate his children, and then got the “we’ll transfer you to so-and-so” runaround at his own doctor’s office, culminating in multiple visits and “you’ve-got-to-be-kidding”-length waits.
Through his unfortunate experience he made three brilliant observations:
May 22, 2013
First things first, The Atlantic published a Health article online recently. It’s a doozy, and after reading it, we did wonder, did it need to be this long?
However, it addresses a poignant issue: Drug companies are motivated by malleable policies that end up creating more incentive for hair regrowth drugs than ones fighting global diseases that are “Biblically”-severe i.e. malaria, Dengue fever and others.
May 22, 2013
Here’s a quick rundown of factors contributing to EPIC’s EHR software failure. (Previous link no longer available.)
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FEATURES
Microsoft Word has approximately 1,200 features/functions (this is rough estimate), most of which are ignored by common users. The problem with EHR software, though, is that the market is filled with hoodwinking, one-size-fits-all “solutions” all gimmicking for doctor’s dollars. MS Word has a core base of users (the entire professional, semi-professional and college-educated world) who are familiar with core procedures and who can adapt to new features with each version. EHR/EMR software DOES NOT HAVE THIS ADVANTAGE. Asking people to sift through tens of thousands of buttons and features to “figure out” how to do something is an exercise in futility. Yet it actually happens on the marketplace.
May 20, 2013
Check out this May 8 article by The New York Times. They present government data suggesting that hospitals are charging upwards of 400% of actual costs for non-optional procedures.
It’s a complex issue but the worrisome fact is that competing hospitals are charging wildly different rates for similar procedures based on whether a patient is using Medicare, private insurance or isn’t insured. The worst news is that hospitals might be charging the highest rates to uninsured people to cover their bottom line.
Here’s where hospitals are taking a hit:
May 17, 2013
MDVIP charges $1,500/year retainer, which comes to $125/month, a reasonable fee. However, the program operates within Medicare and traditional insurance payment. We sent out an email to find out more about what the retainer actually covers besides “all-access.” Mostly we’re curious if there are any benefits to the program that don’t entail insurance.
May 16, 2013
The Atlantic posted a great article about Medicare and a private concierge medicine company providing exceptional preventative care. Give it a read.
The story covers Dr. Dougher, who works with HealthCare Partner as a primary physician in Los Angeles, California. But this is no ordinary doctor handling 1,500 patients, seeing 30-40 a day in a jam-packed office. No, Dougher sees six to eight patients per day, doing house calls for those too elderly to leave their homes.
May 14, 2013
Sad news in the EHR field. A recent report from American Medical News covers a class action lawsuit filed against AllScripts Healthcare Solutions (AHS).
AHS’ product, MyWay, an EHR software program, was discontinued in late 2012. As a result, another company who provides medical supplies is also suing the company, because the licenses they acquired for $5 million are now defunct.
May 14, 2013
That’s the conclusion that Gienna Shaw (@Gienna on Twitter) makes in her article on FierceHealthcare.com. She cites an interesting catch-22: Healthcare providers need to market their business to succeed but people don’t want to be marketed to by healthcare providers.
It’s a funny society we live in—people accept Fanta girls behaving in ludicrously sexual ways (seriously, how often do women in colorful outfits just start dancing, wait… This happens at sports games, which primarily sell food nutritionists cringe at)—or they’d rather see ginormous beer bottles and fast food hamburgers.