MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'infrastructure'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:12:22 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181753&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FI4ZJoHiyeGU%2F By Andrew J. CoulsonAdam Schaeffer has just blogged about the massive increase in public school facilities spending of the past two decades, and about President Obama’s likely call to throw even more money at the problem of decrepit schools (in his address on the economy, next week). Adam argues that money hasn’t fixed the problem, but it isn’t hard to imagine that a true believer in the status quo (paging Matt Damon…) might conclude that we simply haven’t increased facilities spending enough. I addressed this counterargument a few years ago, using federal government data on the condition of U.S. public schools and data from a survey of Arizona private schools. What I found is that public schools were four times more likely than AZ private schools to have a bu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181753 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:18:24 +0100 5181753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181970&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhi-tech-choose-your-own-adventure-coming-medical-school-near-you Though it was longer ago than I care to admit, I can remember checking out every copy of the Choose Your Own Adventure® series my local library had to offer. Whether it was “Prisoner of the Ant People” or “Zombie Penpal” (nope, I didn’t make those titles up!), those books allowed me to control my own destiny, choose my own fate – escape from the ant people or allow my long-distance pal to eat my brains for breakfast. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181970 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:02:32 +0100 5181970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159314&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Femergency-room-balancing-act There seems to be an undercurrent of debate going on with regard to emergency room wait times. I’ve come across a number of articles and blogs lately having to do with the growing trend of hospitals advertising the wait times of their ERs to the surrounding community. Healthcare IT is helping many to go mobile with these timely messages. Patients in need of emergency care can text their zip code to 4ER411 and receive a list of area hospitals and their ER wait times from Miami-based ER Texting. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159314 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:02:16 +0100 5159314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130865&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fpartners-health-care-acquiring-neighborhood-health-plan-800-pound-gorilla-and-fig-leaf Partners Health Care (the dominant provider network in Greater Boston) and Neighborhood Health Plan (a local mostly-Medicaid HMO) just announced that the former intends to acquire the latter, and maintain it as a separate operating entity.  No money will change hands between the parties, but an unspecified amount of money will be given by Partners as grants to community health centers where NHP members receive much of their health care services. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130865 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:19:17 +0100 5130865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118761&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealthcare-different I'm often asked why healthcare has been slow to automate its processes compared to other industries such as the airlines, shipping/logistics, or the financial services industry. Many clinicians say that healthcare is different. I'm going to be a bit controversial in this post and agree that healthcare has unique challenges that make it more difficult to automate than other industries. Here's an inventory of the issues: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118761 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:00:16 +0100 5118761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107667&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F2-ways-hospital-new-construction-provides-long-term-growth-strategies At a medical office conference I attended, influential hospital executives stated that investing their capital in infrastructure needs and health information technology (IT) took priority over building new or renovating existing hospital ancillary facilities. However, the many advantages to  new facility construction support hospital growth strategies and has the potential to help the long term viability of any health system. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107667 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:24:12 +0100 5107667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050827&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F4-ways-digital-hospital-signage-improves-hospital-experience Hospital signage benefits are most easily seen through the enhanced navigation experience provided for patients, but benefits also come with a multitude of other factors. From bolstering brand identity to reducing administration costs, hospital signage is a growing industry with a continuous supply of new and sophisticated tools that spread hospital communication. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050827 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:10:12 +0100 5050827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062330&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F15%2Fehr-readiness-questions%2F In my interest of highlighting more EHR bloggers, I found this post by Ron Sterling on EHR Outlook quite interesting. In his post, Ron highlights a number of questions a clinic should ask itself to know if it’s ready for an EHR implementation. Here are the questions he lists: * Does your EHR effort have physician support? * Are you prepared to address ongoing problems? * Is your budget practical? * Does your EHR support your current workflow and operations? * Will your existing computer Infrastructure support an EHR? * Have you gotten your paper records ready? Check out the original post for Ron’s thoughts on each question and why that question is important. I think it’s a pretty good list to consider. I especially like the second question that addresses whether you&#8217... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062330 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:14:37 +0100 5062330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975993&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fgoogle-health-too-early-market Few are surprised by this NY Times headline – Google to End Health Records Service After It Fails to Attract Users. Rumors and expectations of this announcement have been in the market for several months now. Reality has struck. Google Health evaporates. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975993 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:29:15 +0100 4975993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921395&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWH-VnhnyEKE%2F By Roger PilonAt POLITICO this morning we find a long opinion piece by Matt Stoller, “Public Pays Price for Privatization,” summarized as “The real infrastructure trend in America today is privatizing what is left.” If that weren’t enough to give you the flavor of the piece, the bio line tells us that “Stoller worked on the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and Federal Reserve transparency issues as a staffer for Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.). He is currently a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute.” Say no more – except, there’s more to say. Stoller notes, among much else, that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback “just turned over arts funding to the private sector, making Kansas the only state without a publicly funded arts agency.” Don’t reel in horror; the cited Los Angeles Times ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921395 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:35:59 +0100 4921395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911619&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fharmonizing-provider-directory-standards Two weeks ago, I wrote about a strawman for embracing internet-based standards to support the provider directory services needed by health information exchanges. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911619 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:49:07 +0100 4911619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902525&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Frip-and-replace-atlanta-thrasher-fans-feel-providers-pain I’ve never given much thought to the similarities between the National Hockey League and the painful process I’ve heard referred to in the healthcare IT world as “rip and replace,” whereby a healthcare facility completely rips out an entire IT system for any number of reasons to replace it – usually - with a more modern, efficient and cost-effective product. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902525 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:17:25 +0100 4902525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902527&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhit-lessons-learned-scotland My trip to Scotland provided a remarkable opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences. Scotland has nearly 100% adoption of electronic health records among general practioners and is making good progress in hospitals with innovative built/bought inpatient systems. As in most countries, health information exchange is still evolving, but novel databases supporting disease management at the community level and an emergency care summary exchange are already live. Here's what I learned while in Scotland: No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902527 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:33:08 +0100 4902527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841670&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ffork-it No, I'm not swearing. At least not now. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841670 Wed, 18 May 2011 13:05:42 +0100 4841670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841673&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fshould-we-abandon-cloud It's been a bad month for the cloud. First there was the major Amazon EC2 (Elastic Cloud) outage April 21-22 that brought down many business and websites. Some of the data was unrecoverable and transactions were lost. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841673 Mon, 16 May 2011 13:40:07 +0100 4841673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399512&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWtG_pnnH5gU%2F By David BoazThe national debt has just passed $14 trillion. It’s approaching the so-called “debt limit” of $14.3 trillion, and members of Congress face a vote on raising the limit that doesn’t limit. President Obama will no doubt stress his commitment to reducing deficits in his speech tonight, but it’s unlikely that he will propose any actual budget cuts or any serious entitlement reforms. And we’re told that he will propose new spending on infrastructure, education, and research in the face of trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see. We’ve become so used to these stunning, incomprehensible, unfathomable levels of deficits and debt — and to the once-rare concept of trillions of dollars — that we forget how new all this debt... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399512 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:07:05 +0100 4399512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4314090&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealthcare-information-services-provider-business-model I've written previously about Healthcare Information Exchange Sustainability and the need for Healthcare Information Services Providers (HISPs) to serve as gateways connecting individual EHRs. How should HISPs be funded and how can we encourage HISP vendors to connect every little guy in the country? We've started to think about this in Massachusetts. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4314090 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:19:25 +0100 4314090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245394&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealthcare-it-implications-healthcare-reform I'm often asked how Healthcare Reform will impact IT planning and implementation over the next few years. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245394 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:14:38 +0100 4245394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151758&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_CauIySDjZU%2F By Caleb O. BrownVice President Joe Biden believes that human progress depends almost entirely on government vision and government incentive. Donald J. Boudreaux, Cato Institute adjunct scholar and George Mason University economics professor, details why Biden is wrong both generally and in the specific case he touts: Produced by Caleb O. Brown. Shot and edited by Evan Banks. VIDEO: Joe Biden’s Weak Case for Government Meddling is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151758 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:58:39 +0100 4151758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133660&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FynV-4GeOFbY%2F By Chris EdwardsIn coming months, new Republican members of Congress will be looking for ways to cut the budget deficit and also to increase economic growth. One way to do both is to privatize government assets, such as the U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak, and the air traffic control system. Privatization can reduce deficits from the one-time gain of an asset sale and from the elimination of annual taxpayer subsidies. Privatization can spur economic growth by moving resources from moribund government agencies to the higher-productivity and more innovative private sector. A new report by a trade magazine specializing in privatization confirms that the United States lags many nations on innovative infrastructure financing. Public Works Financing has been tallying data on “public-private partne... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133660 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:11:47 +0100 4133660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4055698&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUOY8BYYyXwM%2F By Tad DeHavenThe President is continuing his push for the federal government to go deeper into debt in order to fund infrastructure projects. While nobody disputes that the country has infrastructure needs, the precarious nature of federal and state finances indicate that policymakers need to starting thinking outside the box. Specifically, policymakers should be looking to make it easier for the private sector to fund and operate infrastructure projects. As my colleagues Chris Edwards and Peter Van Doren have explained, the main problem with government infrastructure spending is the lack of efficiency: More roads and transit capacity may or may not make sense depending on whether the benefits exceed the costs. One sure way to find out is to have private provision and user charges. If use... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4055698 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:43:58 +0100 4055698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976489&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVjjlsGiLkwQ%2F By Tad DeHavenWisconsin has become a battleground over the Obama administration’s plan to create a national system of high-speed rail. Of the $8 billion in HSR grants awarded to the states in the stimulus bill, $810 million of it went toward a high-speed route between Milwaukee and Madison. Ironically, this Wisconsin “high-speed” route would only achieve speeds of 79 mph initially and 110 mph by 2016. As a Cato essay on high-speed rail points out, HSR aficionados don’t even consider 110 mph to be true high-speed. In fact, passenger trains were being run at speeds of 110 mph or more back in the 1930s. And those “high-speed” trains didn’t prevent the decline of passenger trains after World War II. The Cato essay also notes that the 85-mile line between Milwaukee and Madison “... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976489 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:58:12 +0100 3976489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954228&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_xVwx6kegIc%2F By Mark A. CalabriaLike President Bush before him, Obama has a knack for taking the worst ideas of his opponents and making them his own.  It is truly bipartisanship in the worst of ways (think Sarbanes-Oxley, the TARP or No Child Left Behind).  The newest example is the President’s proposed “infrastructure bank.”  A bill along those lines was introduced a few years ago by then Senator Hagel, although the idea is far from new. First, let’s get out of the way the myth that we have been “under-funding” intrastructure.  Take the largest, and usually most popular, piece:  transportation.  Over the last decade, transportation spending at all levels of government has increased over 70 percent.  One can debate if that money has been spent wisely, but the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954228 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:03:26 +0100 3954228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946436&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8wHrhHm0tF4%2F By Tad DeHavenThat’s the question I ask today over at Downsizing Government. President Obama wants to take the country $50 billion deeper into debt in order to finance more public infrastructure projects. I argue that policymakers should instead give the private sector a chance to satisfy our transportation needs. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946436 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:50:55 +0100 3946436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3848863&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fov2y8AWML_c%2F By Neal McCluskey…but I can’t because of Obama! That takeoff of the lyrics from the famous folksong “Oh Shenandoah” are the impromptu creation of my wife, who this weekend was as appalled as I was when we packed the kids into the car, headed into the Shenandoah National Park, and were greeted by closed overlook after closed overlook accompanied by the sign pictured to the right.  Apparently, one project funded by the so-called “stimulus” includes simultaneously renovating — or at least cordoning off — every overlook north of the park’s Thornton Gap entrance without posting any clear warning that that’s the case as visitors decide whether to head north or south. Even more upsetting was being subjected to pure propaganda in t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3848863 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:35:32 +0100 3848863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526767&cid=t_169276_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FmhrlqFIvGRk%2Fwater_water_everywhere_but_not.php Everyone has heard by now that there is a catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm not an oil expert, so I won't discuss this much here. There is a lot of information already in the media. I am quite familiar with drinking water issues, however, and over the weekend we received news of another catastrophic leak, this one affecting the Boston Metropolitan area. Several million people there are now under a "boil water" order because a section of steel pipe bringing water from its main surface supplies tens of miles to the west of Boston and surrounding communities blew out and the main water supply had to be shut down. The Reveres have family in the area so we were concerned (for the record, our water is not involved). Tthe whole story is a cautionary tale. Provision of piped water ... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526767 Sun, 02 May 2010 20:48:43 +0100 3526767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3508203&cid=t_169276_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FXgsGK6JjezU%2Fsecurity_theater_are_they_sati.php Once, long ago, I used to be in a radiology department in a famous hospital. I liked radiology quite a bit and even before becoming a doctor I worked in them. Later I did research on the kinds of errors radiologists make when they read x-rays. One of the errors that was extremely well known even 40 plus years ago (although that didn't prevent it from being made with dismaying consistency up to and including today) was something called "satisfaction of search error." In essence, it meant that once one abnormality was found on an x-ray, there was an increased chance of missing a second, unrelated one. Radiologists have known about this for a long time, but apparently people in other fields haven't. It's not just medicine. It is plausible to think that any task involving searching through a ... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3508203 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:09:14 +0100 3508203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283515&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fy93MnVvdGE0%2F By Tad DeHavenThe same federal agency that brought us monumental failures like public housing wants to play a bigger role in fostering so-called regional “smart growth.” HUD secretary Shaun Donovan recently traveled to Portland, Oregon to announce the Obama administration’s new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities. This new bureaucracy will distribute $140 million in grants for regional “smart growth” planning: With OSHC’s grant programs, HUD will provide funding to a wide variety of multi-jurisdictional and multi-sector partnerships and consortia, from Metropolitan Planning Organizations and State governments, to non-profit and philanthropic organizations. These grants will be designed to encourage regions to build their capacity to integrate economic development, lan... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283515 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:50:35 +0100 3283515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3279993&cid=t_169276_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FQ9-YRfXUqJc%2Fnorth_carolina_to_get_new_stat.php Congratulations, North Carolina. You are getting brand new $52 million facility for your State Public Health Laboratory and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, each in separate wings of a 220,000 square foot facility in Raleigh. Sounds great. But if you work there you might want to shower at home and bring bottled water. And better check your benefits. Because the company that got the contract is non other than Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), until recently a Halliburton subsidiary and notorious Iraq contractor under investigation for shoddy electrical work resulting in the electrocution deaths of 18 US soldiers while showering (the company's defense? it wasn't required to follow US electrical codes in Iraq); and exposing workers in a water injection plant to carcinogenic agents. Oh, and the... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3279993 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:54:32 +0100 3279993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089258&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqtmC5-2_hEE%2F By Tad DeHavenIt’s not uncommon to hear the claim made that the “stimulus” would have had a greater economic impact had the money been focused on infrastructure. But proponents of public “investment” in infrastructure seem to forget that the government allocates capital on the basis of politics rather than economics. Government is naturally inefficient because it is immune to the market signals that guide private actors who stand to lose their own money should an investment not pan out. A perfect example is federal spending on airport infrastructure. The USA Today’s Thomas Frank has been doing good work looking at how the Federal Aviation Administration distributes funds to the nation’s airports. In his latest piece, Frank analyzed FAA records obtained under the Freedom of In... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089258 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:56:37 +0100 3089258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3082417&cid=t_169276_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F2frWDjtgtno%2Fpublic_health_flunking_the_tes.php We complain when there isn't enough swine flu vaccine and we complain when our health departments don't count all the cases. It's probably good so many people are out of work and can't eat in restaurants, because they aren't getting inspected because all available staff are trying to deal with the flu pandemic: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3082417 Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:55:00 +0100 3082417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056737&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2009%2F11%2F30%2Fhit-projects-you-can-implement-today%2F Many people are sitting their on the proverbial fence waiting to see what’s going to happen with the HITECH act and meaningful use before they actually go and implement an EMR. Now, I’m not going to let those people off the hook from evaluating and selecting an EMR. That should be done anyway. However, lately I’ve been thinking that many of these clinics shouldn’t be waiting to implement technology in their offices. Sure, EMR is a game changer and a major change for any office and has tremendous upside (regardless of stimulus money). However, for those of you in the wait for HITECH act money camp, there are still a number of IT projects that you can implement today that will benefit you once you actually implement an EMR. Here’s just a few of them: Fax Server ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056737 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:17:17 +0100 3056737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927290&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJFugYms2TSU%2F Some people have labored under the impression that “net neutrality” regulation was about the government stepping in to ensure that large corporations would not control the Internet. Now that the issue is truly joined, it is clear (as exhibited in this Wall Street Journal story) that the debate is about one set of corporate interests battling another set of corporate interests about the Internet, each seeking to protect or strengthen its business model. The FCC is surfing the debate pursuing a greater role for itself, meaning more budget and power. Tim Lee’s paper, The Durable Internet, dispels the idea that owners of Internet infrastructure can actually control the Internet. The preferred approach to “net neutrality” is to let Internet users decide what they w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927290 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:27:51 +0100 2927290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923238&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoSkodqtmGXU%2F In an effort to achieve “network neutrality” online, the FCC is starting to write new regulations for Internet providers.  Reuters reports: U.S. communications regulators voted unanimously Thursday to support an open Internet rule that would prevent telecom network operators from barring or blocking content based on the revenue it generates. The proposed rule now goes to the public for comment until Jan. 14, after which the Federal Communications Commissions will review the feedback and possibly seek more comment. A final rule is not expected until the spring of next year. Cato Director of Information Policy Studies Jim Harper appeared on Fox News this week to discuss the FCC decision. “This is governmental tinkering with a market place that is working really well and gr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923238 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:33:03 +0100 2923238 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511555&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2009%2F06%2Fibm-chief-health-officer-janet-marchibroda-on-smarter-healthcare.html Janet Marchibroda is the chief health care officer of IBM "As President Obama and Congress take on what the president in his American Medical Association speech called the "ticking time bomb" of health care costs, they need to know that they can't succeed without harnessing the massive data generated by modern medicine. Getting the best information into the hands of doctors and patients, while protecting patient privacy, is not just a desire but an overriding need if we are to get a handle on spiraling costs and also improve care. "(read the rest @ There Can Be No Health Care Reform Without An Information Revolution - Forbes.com) (Source: HealthNex) HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511555 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:32:00 +0100 2511555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2463458&cid=t_169276_180_f&fid=38610&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.productivity501.com%2Fpaperless-infrastructure%2F521%2F Businesses have much to gain by moving to paperless communication with their customers. Just think how much money credit card companies could save if even 5% of their customers switched to paperless communication. The problem is that most companies seem to get the whole idea of “paperless” wrong. Their solution for people who want to be paperless is that they will send you an email notifying you that you have a statement. Then you can log into their website and download the statement as a PDF. This is about equivalent to having a mailman who knocks on your door to tell you there is a letter for you at the post-office. This reflects a type of arrogance (or stupidity) that is typical of today’s big businesses. It works just fine for customers who don’t do business wi... Productivity501 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2463458 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:00:26 +0100 2463458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441915&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2009%2F05%2Fsmarter-planet-widgets-analytics-healthcare-cities-energy.html In addition to the Smarter Healthcare widget seen here in the right column, we've developed other widgets on key Smarter Planet topics that you are welcome to add to your site, page, or blog, or share with your contacts and network.  Simply copy and paste the embedding code that works for your site. We've also made these widgets available as Facebook applications.  Please feel free to put these to work and enable our community to function as a social media catalyst.Smarter Healthcare Widget http://apps.facebook.com/smarterhealthcare/ http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/smarter-healthcare Smarter Energy Widget http://apps.facebook.com/smarterenergy/ http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/smarter-energy  Smarter Cities Widget http://apps.facebook.com/smarte... HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441915 Thu, 28 May 2009 18:36:20 +0100 2441915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405069&cid=t_169276_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E5%2FNVj0BTM8JPc%2F6416552.html Here's a link to a piece I wrote that was in this weekend's Houston Chronicle. Although it is more from a public health perspective than a bioethics one, there's an aspect to disaster planning that I think should be of interest to us--which is the burden that falls to women because of the absolute lack of public health infra-structure. Who do you think has to take off of work when a school is closed or a family member is sick? How would any of us care for ourselves, our families, and our pets if we could not leave the house?Although any infra-structure can be overwhelmed given a sufficient burden, we in the United States start in the postion: we have nothing to be overwhelmed. (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405069 Tue, 12 May 2009 00:11:35 +0100 2405069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2182444&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2009%2F02%2Fhealth-record-banking-advances.html (reblogging this interesting update on health record banking, the idea of all patient data flowing to an account they, not doctors, control)Channel:Source: Patty Enrado, NHINWatch.comDate: February 2, 2009E-mail to a FriendSometime during the next two months, through grants totaling $1.7 million, the Washington State Health Care Authority, or WSHCA (pdf), will launch three consumer-controlled health record bank pilots in the communities of Bellingham, Spokane and Cashmere.WSHCA’s efforts are part of a movement toward implementing health record banking, or HRB, systems, said William Yasnoff, MD, PhD, managing partner of NHII Advisors and founder of the Health Record Banking Alliance. (Source: HealthNex) HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2182444 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:41:14 +0100 2182444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1258103&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2008%2F02%2Fibm-opens-new-3.html Massive congrats to my colleagues Gina Jesberg, Pranab Sharma and their teams on the upcoming launch of IBM's "vHealth" island in Second Life. What they've built is an innovative 3D environment to help people experience how healthcare is being revolutionized by enabling health information to be deeply networked and easily exchanged. To visit the island in Second Life, simply search on "IBM Healthcare." The island was also developed with an innovative HUD, or heads-up display, to help visitors navigate their experience. Electronic healthcare is also about evolving toward a system more focused on patients, not technology. To that end the IBM Virtual Healthcare user experience begins with the patient in the home, where a visitor can create a facsimile of their Pe... HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1258103 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:42:57 +0100 1258103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1223636&cid=t_169276_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F02%2F12%2Frealising-britains-potential-future-strategic-challenges-for-britain%2F Realising Britain’s Potential: Future Strategic Challenges for Britain (Executive Summary) from the Cabinet Office identifies four major challenges to be faced by Britian: The importance of early years learning and childcare in helping those from poorer homes and in improving later performance. Continued investment in physical infrastructure (roads and rail). Demands on public services and housing, especially in the South East, from a rising population, including continuing net migration into Britain. Increasing life expectancy, with a rise of a half within a decade of those aged over 85, and a two-fifths increase by 2022 in the demand for informal care from family, friends and community members. The report suggests a mix of the public and private sector providers will be req... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1223636 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:34:29 +0100 1223636 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=797014&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2007%2F08%2Fthe-question-of.html   healthcare    Originally uploaded by nashih One of the most difficult discussions Americans can have with each other about U.S. healthcare is around the question of "quality." How good (or bad) is the typical care that a typical American gets? When some people hear that the U.S. ranked 37th in the World Health Organization's ranking of national healthcare systems, they often balk...."America has some of the best hospitals, doctors, and healthcare innovation in the world!", they usually respond. And they are right. But they've missed the deeper issue in the rankings, which gauge the overall, systemic quality of healthcare for entire national populations. The broad demographic reality of America healthcare (and the health of many Americans) often belie... HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=797014 Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:12:38 +0100 797014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=736245&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2007%2F07%2Fmy-summer-readi.html Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, Director, Center for Connected Health, Partners HealthCare System, Inc. In the last 12 years since I’ve been involved in the world of connected health, I’ve strived to read at least one important book each summer, while on holiday. In theory, this keeps one’s mind off of the Blackberry and enables transformative thinking in one’s approach to organizational leadership and strategy.  Of course it doesn’t always work that way.  Twelve years ago, Being Digital by Nicholas Negroponte fueled a real transformation in my thinking, and the following year Everett Rogers’ classic, The Diffusion of Innovations proved even more compelling.  Two years later, it was The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen. The year in between, the best I could co... HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=736245 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:00:00 +0100 736245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=463441&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2007%2F02%2Fweb_seminar_rep.html Dates:  31 Jan 2007  - 30 Apr 2007 Location: Web seminar Type: Online Event Register for event "Healthcare 2015: Win-win or lose-lose?" is IBM's new point of view on the healthcare industry. It highlights the need for healthcare systems to transform the financing and delivery of healthcare, the accountability of consumers and other key stakeholders, and improve quality and access in order to help nations remain competitive in a global economy. (Source: HealthNex) HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=463441 Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:34:56 +0100 463441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=463443&cid=t_169276_113_f&fid=34623&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthnex.typepad.com%2Fweb_log%2F2007%2F02%2Fmyspace_for_hea.html Greater IBM is a social networking program for current and former IBMers. IBM is deeply involved in the development of the infrastructure for eHealth and electronic health data exchange. And healthcare is one of the frontiers that we hope Greater IBM can advance as a collaboration network, as you can see from our homepage on ibm.com. Fortunately, one of my fellow healthcare bloggers, Matthew Holt, has been looking into the Web 2.0 implications for healthcare in this Health IT World article. However, I think there is an even more profound degree of innovation in healthcare the Web 2.0 trends portend. Imagine that all healthcare data can be securely, and anonymously, shared electronically among researchers, doctors and patients. (IBM recently demoed its prototype for the National Healthc... HealthNex blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=463443 Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:57:52 +0100 463443