The EHR Marketplace Is Looking Grim

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.

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Surprise! The Public Doesn’t Care About Healthcare.

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.

What’s going on at Atlas?

If you’re a patient, or a friend, welcome. If you’re a fellow doctor, or a participant in a related medical field, welcome too. We’ve made all kinds of friends in our short time since launching Atlas. 

First, to our valued patients, and friends: You’ve supported us since we launched. You’ve been one of what are now 1,000+ patients who call Atlas home. You’re not the only reason Atlas exists, you are every reason Atlas exists. We are grateful that you’ve allowed us to provide unencumbered, honest-to-goodness healthcare. Thank you.

Atlas in Wichita is always going to be the birthplace of what we’re trying to do. Our first patients are the cornerstones of our goals. You proved that concierge medicine can work. But we want to make a bigger dent in the universe.

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It’s Business Time (Interview)

Critical Financial recently talked to Dr. Josh about the simple math behind his concierge medicine practice.

He pulled back the curtains on Oz so to speak. But instead of a frail old man, there’s some great insight into why government policy won’t fix anything (because the doctors have to provide the care) and why the current system looks about as silly as buying auto insurance that covers gas, flat tires and oil changes.

Check out the full interview here. Josh was delighted to air a few of his frustrations. We hope you’re as relieved to know you’re not the only one who’s feeling like primary care is looking a bit ridiculous these days.

Skeletons in the EMR Closet (Links)

Here’s a weekly round-up of articles pertaining the headache that is the state of EMR.

Most pain apps lack physician input
This quick read brings up a scary fact: over 30% of medical apps aren’t made with any input from doctors. While altruistic in nature, this just proves that not everything on the market is created equal.

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This Week in Concierge Medicine

Here are five thought-provoking posts on concierge medicine circulating the Web this week. Follow the links to read the complete articles.

Concierge Medicine Can Ease Escalating EHR Requirements
Wayne Lipton addresses growing concerns over new EMR guidelines and highlights some advantages of the concierge business model.

New Doctor in Town Offers Alternative to Traditional Fee Model: Concierge Medicine for the Masses
Dr. Samir Qamar see Las Vegas as the perfect market for concierge medicine. His model is slightly different than AtlasMD’s, with a subscription and a $10 fee per visit. However, he’s made it very attractive for employers who typically don’t offer insurance, like the billion-dollar service industry.

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Concierge Medicine Is Too Important To Be Taken Seriously

We’ve all got our favorite websites to laugh at. But I had to share this article about concierge medicine from Business Expansion Partners. It’s not funny enough to be a spoof, but it’s so wrong that I had to address it.

Here’s a list of counter points to their insulting blog post. Read more

Healthcare And Fashion Collide In This Colorful Infographic

Here’s a well-designed visualization of how we’ll be wearing technology in coming years. You’ll find some healthcare monitors towards the bottom—bras that measure heart rates and wristbands that track sleep cycles.

Take it at face value. Voucher Codes created the infographic but does not guarantee complete information accuracy. Still, it’s fun to look at.

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Tech Win for EMR Demonstrates Concierge Medicine’s Advantages Yet Again

There’s some good news for EMR software. Box, a cloud storage and information-sharing platform used in many different industries, released a statement on Thursday, saying that they acquired an “ecosystem” of app companies and are actively expanding their healthcare offerings.

One of Box’s efforts is to create a downloadable Personal Health Record that aggregates multiple inputs. Basically they want consumers to carry around a digital medical file to take to different specialists. A few of the new companies they acquired focus on text transmission, so its presumed they want to help doctors text information more effectively, too—X-rays, notes, files and the like.

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Just Another Day at the Concierge Medical Office

I feel like you might be tired of hearing another concierge medical success story. But then again, there’s still plenty of opposition to the model. Which brings up a post about how a concierge doctor saved a woman’s life. (Original link no longer available.)

The post from The DO, a blog for osteopathic physicians, features two doctors who successfully transitioned to the model.

One of the men, Dr. Schneiderman, a Monterey, California-based concierge medical doctor, was ready to leave his home state to practice medicine elsewhere. He was frustrated that he didn’t have actual time to spend with his patients. He tried everything. Working for the prison system, working for the Veterans Affairs system, and none of it made a difference.

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