Posted by: AtlasMD

September 24, 2013

Crickets in the EMR audience…

Zackary Berger is a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He contributed a new post to the Kevin MD blog (yes, we’re fans of Kevin, too!) because his institution recently switched from a home-grown EMR to EPIC, which as you know has been reputed to be an EPIC failure. Supposedly we’re reaching the “nexus” of electronic records and communication, a future where scientists and physicians and patients can give meaningful information and get meaningful insight in return.

Fact is, we think this future might remain for the time being just that, the future. That’s why we’re starting small, focusing our EMR on patients and docs having a meaningful electronic interaction. In time, this might lead to more paths of communication, and more meaning to be derived from digital data. The metaphor we use is this: imagine someone in a time predating the wheel, planning a system of stone roads. For now, maybe we should get the wheel spinning, and then see where we can go with it.

This complex highway of data and boxes and buttons might be a little premature. When Berger read an article by a colleague of his who is researching the use of these new EMRs he noticed something. Patients are given “access codes” in order to tap into the extraordinary benefits of these EMR programs. But guess how many people are actually activating them?

Only 20%. Hmmm, is that even a good number? Berger is wondering the same thing. We’re thinking it’s more like crickets in response to the big sell that is EPIC EMR, perhaps indicative of the disengaging reality of today’s EMRs.

READ ZACKARY BERGER’S NEW BLOG POST ON KEVIN MD

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 23, 2013

SUMMARY: Walgreens to Shift Health Plan for 160,000 Workers

Timothy W. Martin and Christopher Weaver published an article on The Wall Street Journal about an announcement that Walgreen Co. is making a sweeping policy change in light of approaching federal healthcare reform. “On Wednesday, the drugstore giant disclosed a plan to provide payments to eligible employees for the subsidized purchase of insurance starting in 2014. The plan will affect roughly 160,000 employees, and will require them to shop for coverage on a private health-insurance marketplace.”

So why the sudden change in policy?
Aside from rising healthcare costs (the complex causes were speedily explained by John Green in his Vlog Brothers video), the company cited “compliance-related expenses associated with the new law” as a reason for the switch.

Is this a trend?
 Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 19, 2013

An Ex-Google Health Product Manager Talks About What’s Next in Health Data

Missy-Krasner-Smiling-Small-3.1.2012AMissy Krasner was brought on to Google Health in April of 2006 — a time she calls “pre-social, pre-quantified-self and pre-internet-of-things.” Google was trying to create a central repository for consumers to collect and store their health records, and they wanted to make the APIs available for developers so they could integrate this data into their own applications. She might have been too early in the game, because Google Health rolled up shop. But Krasner is now entrepreneur-in-residence at Morgenthaler Ventures and a startup mentor. She has a lot to say about health data and its potential benefits.

Krasner says newer PHRs are getting business if they have amazing (user interfaces) — if they’re beautiful, if they have companion user apps, and they’re social. Companies don’t just say “we want to structure your data; now we want to connect you with other people who have your same illness, if you’re comfortable with that.” Leave it someone at the top of the tech industry to remind us that big companies are expecting more from technology (in opposition of that stagnant acceptance of archaic EMR still bogging down countless docs).

SEE WHAT’S NEXT IN PHR ACCORDING TO MISSY KRASNER

We’re not scaled at the level of Google, but we are on board with this type of agile thinking. That’s why we’re working to integrate FitBit into our Atlas.md EMR software. This will be the first PHR that our EMR communicates with. From there we’ll continue to iterate our software to communicate with other PHR over time, specifically ones that patients find helpful and trust using. The goal here is to facilitate healthier decisions for patients and help doctors understand what their patients habits are, and what can be done to improve their health.

Photo of Missy Krasner courtesy of Morgenthaler.com

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 18, 2013

A Day In The Life Of A Click-Happy EMR

We almost titled this post, A Day In The Morning…, because in Dr. Fred N. Pelzman’s case, he has to click through 50 meaningless fields and CTRL + ALT + DEL things, before he’s even gotten his morning coffee. Then there were the 12 arbitrary nutrition prompts that were finally whittled down to one semi-helpful question. Of course, skipping this portion required additional clicks. And don’t forget the auto-scheduling of colonoscopies ten years down the road, regardless of the fact that some patients needed a screening one, two, or five years later instead. But Pelzman describes his daily EMR experience as useful, like mashing clay in a pot with a stick and plotting patient data in cuneiform and then translating it back to English with pen and paper. Ouch. Seriously, doctor, we feel for you. We prefer our mornings meaningful, and useful, not meaningfully useless.

READ ABOUT DR. PELZMAN’S EMR EXPERIENCE ON KEVIN MD

And we agree completely. Patient care has nothing to do with how many times we click on something, how many different boxes we hastily fill out. But the way most EMR are designed nowadays, you’d think otherwise.

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 17, 2013

Who’d Have Thought Colonoscopies Could Explain it All

We’re glad that John Green directed us to this New York Times article from June. A story of Deirdre Yapalater’s colonoscopy illustrates many of the market failures driving up healthcare costs in America. The publication was kind enough to create an interactive map that lets you compare the average cost of a colonoscopy across the country, too. Very cool.

“… Ms. Yapalater recalled, she did not ask her doctors about the cost of her colonoscopy because it was covered by insurance and because ‘if a doctor says you need it, you don’t ask.’ In many other countries, price lists of common procedures are publicly available in every clinic and office. Here, it can be nearly impossible to find out.”

Yet again, we see the rebellious nature of our direct care model. Given, we aren’t performing colonoscopies here at Atlas MD, we ARE ADVOCATES FOR OUR PATIENTS, and will get in the trenches and negotiate fair prices. It’s in patients’ interest, and our interest, part of the beauty of the free market. But there’s more the article considers…

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 17, 2013

John Green Breaks Down The Inefficiency Of American Healthcare Spending

UPWORTHY linked us to a fantastic video from John Green, astronomically prolific writer and thinker, who explains why healthcare is SO EXPENSIVE IN AMERICA. It’s seven-minutes long but he covers EVERYTHING. Did he mention the red tape? Of course he did. And he also mentioned a fundamental reason for Americans overpaying for EVERYTHING healthcare-related. It’s rooted our inability to negotiate the prices we pay. One thing he didn’t mention? Direct care. And to his point, we are a David up against a Goliath system. But before we turn to the government to negotiate for us, let’s consider the alternatives, doctors like us who can use our power to help patients get the care they need at a price they can afford.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Who is Hank? Hank is John’s brother. They have amassed over 300 million views on their vlog brothers YouTube channel where they take turns explaining things to each other.

Click through for some helpful links John Green provided along with the original video… Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 16, 2013

Quality Trumps Quantity in Healthcare

tobyWe came across an article on LinkedIn discussing a new breakthrough. It’s not “scientifically” proven, more of a hypothesis really. Toby Cosgrove, CEO and President at Cleveland Clinic, says, “It’s the dawning realization that healthcare is not about how many patients you can see, how many tests and procedures you can order, or how much you can charge for these things.” Sounds like Atlas MD.

READ HIS BLOG POST ON LINKEDIN

SIDE NOTE: He ends with a strange promotion of Obamacare, which we do have our own questions about. And we’re equally surprised he didn’t mention direct care in his post. We’re earning profits offering unlimited doctors appointments and free telemedicine of sorts (Tweeting personal advice, making simple diagnoses via texting, Skyping with patients, etc.), and we’re doing it at prices far lower than insurance-based services. Couple that with our work to negotiate prescriptions for pennies on the dollar and steep discounts on MRIs and other procedures and it’s clear we are a quality-focused operation.

Photo of Toby Cosgrove courtesy of my.clevelandclinic.org

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 16, 2013

Telemedicine Bill Would Allow Docs To Practice Across State Lines

Medicare providers would be able to treat patients electronically across state lines without having to obtain multiple state medical licenses, according to new legislation proposed in the House this week. Cheers to ANY POLITICIAN WORKING TOWARDS LIMITING BUREAUCRACY.

Okay, so we’ve said red tape is never the way to go with primary care. But we do have to consider rural residents and people who might not have reasonable access to a direct care physician. In certain cases, especially with older patients on Medicare it might make more sense for them to see a physician across a state line, and do so using telemedicine.

For now, this seems like a promising development. Although, again so ironic, that NEW legislation is needed to correct a system bogged down by multiple state licensing. Again, we’re skeptical of a looming federal government controlling our entire healthcare insurance system. But, on the other hand, requiring doctors to get different licenses to see patients in different states gets silly, too. And, as is the case now, can prevent people from getting the quality care they deserve.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE ON FIERCE HEALTH IT

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 15, 2013

LISTEN: Atlas MD Podcast, Ep. 8

LISTEN: Atlas MD Podcast, Ep. 8

Tune in to the next installment of our podcast. We’re excited to announce the beta launch of our Atlas.md EMR. New users have signed up this week and we’re already receiving positive feedback. Thank you, everyone who’s adopting it.

A question we’re frequently asked is, how long does it take to transition to Atlas.md EMR? Well, no time at all really. It’s as easy as signing up for a Gmail or Facebook account. If you’ve done the former then you know it’s a matter of filling in a few fields, agreeing to the terms of service, and then jumping right in and clicking around.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 8 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST HERE

Drs. Josh and Doug answer more questions and concerns that have been brought up — How does Atlas.md simplify patient record keeping? Will I ever really use my EMR away from the office? Am I at risk for HIPAA violations? Is this EMR a smart investment? Is it safe to tweet a doctor? (Hint: Yes. If the NSA is concerned about a sore throat, that’s just sad.) Give it a listen. And keep those emails coming. We’re here to help.

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 10, 2013

BBC Reports “Doctor Slang” is a Dying Art

Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Doctors have been keeping their sanity amidst the pressures of a considerably serious line of work — by creating a secret language of funny acronyms. However, with the advent of EMR, acronym usage has waned. We’re going to plead the Fifth as to whether or not Atlas MD uses cryptic codes to label our patients, and whether or not Atlas.md, our direct care EMR, will render them obsolete.

That said, a panel of “PhDs” (pretentious hardly doctors) — wait, excuse us, that was a slip — a panel of “ethicists” worked to compile existing abbreviations. Yes, some were particularly offensive, like GROLIES (Guardian Reader Of Low Intelligence in Ethnic Skirt). For the most part, doctor slang was more offensive to colleagues, though. The report indicates that in general, doctors’ notes have been kinder to patients in recent years. Also of note were variations, in England specifically, indicative of regional dialect.

READ ALL ABOUT DOCTOR SLANG ON THE BBC