My Google Reader accidentally picked up an intriguing abstract that examined a research study of resources that medical students use in solving diagnostic cases.The abstract was picked up because it contained the word “exercise” that is one of my PubMed filter queries. Although we often think that most diagnostic decision-making occurs from learned information stored in physician’s brains, information resources can ...
Posts tagged Health IT
Artificial intelligence and capturing quality information into your EHR
by Janet DillioneAre we ready to deliberate on how artificial intelligence will be used in healthcare? While the future role of innovation as part of healthcare is certain, it’s critical that we first focus on achieving what is possible and absolutely necessary today.There’s been tremendous attention on IBM’s work with Nuance to bring Watson (supercomputer) to healthcare, and rightfully so, it’s a fascinating application of technology. However, ...
How an EMR can be shockingly inconvenient for prescription refills
Let me start by confessing I’m something of a gadget freak. I was an early Palm Pilot adoptor, loved the iPod from the get-go, and need to avoid CNET, Engadget, Gizmodo, and David Pogue’s columns for the New York Times when deadlines loom.Not surprisingly, I embraced the shift to electronic medical records (EMRs) enthusiastically. While I acknowledge that sometimes EMRs ...
Why some EMR programmers think physicians are stupid
Every major industry is now computerized with one glaring exception; health care delivery. Thirty years after Steve Jobs began selling personal computers out of his garage, far less than 50% of physician practices and hospitals have converted to any form of electronic medical record.The vast majority of medical documentation is still done via paper and writing utensil just as it ...
EHR and the solo primary care physician
Recently, I went to see a doctor about an EHR. Dr. Greene (not his real name) is a typical solo primary care physician in a typical small town in the typical middle of nowhere. Four hours from the closest airport and miles and miles of winding roads, cow pastures and corn ...
Why the return on investment in an EHR is poor
I had a déjà vu experience recently when I visited a medical practice that was like so many others I've been to before.This practice just wasn't getting their investment back from their EHR.The practice had been live on the EHR for about five months and was functioning effectively without pulling charts for patient visits. The clinical staff was comfortable with the ...
How a patient support tool works to help patients and doctors
When you go to see the doctor, how do they know (a) if you are due for any preventive health screenings like mammography or (b) if you have a chronic condition, if it is being monitored and managed?And actually, not just if it is being monitored or managed, but are you able to achieve your life goals with good health? And what about ...
How your EHR can help with physician recruiting
by John RossheimWhat’s the latest tool for recruiting the best clinicians to your hospital? Is it the professional pride of being associated with an organization that provides the best care in the region? Is it showing respect for the growing number of clinicians who seek to work hard but protect their personal lives from excessive intrusions in the form of frequent on-call duty or mandatory ...
How Microsoft Kinect can help in radiology to view a CT or MRI
Radiology has transformed into a core subject of medicine, since imaging procedures are getting more and more crucial to clinical decisions. Whether these developments, be it over-diagnosing or unnecessary radiation on the one hand or a more detailed and enhanced way of diagnostics on the other, are ...
How to convince doctors to embrace electronic medical records
Doctors are now incentivized to convert antiquated paper charts to electronic medical records.Despite a few doctors who love their EMR, most readers here at KevinMD.com are skeptical, as the difficulties in transitioning, along with questionable benefits, have been well chronicled.Recently, the Washington ...
Supportive physicians and management to implement an EHR
From Medicare/Medicaid incentives to EHR industry ads, it is hard to cut through the hype and determine if your practice is even ready to try to select and implement an EHR.Implementing an EHR is a transformational exercise for any practice that requires redesigning every aspect of charting, clinical workflow and interaction with patients. However, in too many cases, practices approach EHR ...
Danger of multiple emergency room visits to different hospitals
If you are one of the more than 100 million Americans who visit emergency rooms (ER) at least once a year, you’re not alone.Americans, insured and not, make ample use of hospital emergency rooms. One out of every five visited an ER at least once in 2007, the latest year for which the National Center for Health Statistics ...
What will prevent the iPad from dominating health care IT?
iMedicalApps reviewed some recent news articles regarding business/enterprise adoption of the iPad as a legitimate alternative to Windows machines in the workplace, taking it as a sign that healthcare IT is poised to adopt it, too: "All in all, these developments bode well for the adoption of the iPhone and iPad as a mainstream, IT-blessed mobile ...
Signs that your practice is ready for EMR
My current practice is getting ready to go live on Electronic Medical Records (EMR), but it’s taken us over a year to get here. When I first started this job, we were supposed to go live with EMR in two months. After I’d had a chance to speak with everyone, I just knew the timing wasn’t right for the EMR. We would need to be able to run, and at ...
5 ways I use my iPad at pediatric point of care
I love experimenting with different ways to use technology within my pediatric practice. The iPad has been an amazing device to adapt and use with my families.Here are 5 different ways I use the iPad with my patients at the point-of-care.
- Referring. I have entered my favorite subspecialty providers into Contacts; including their name, address, phone number, and website URL. I list providers by specialty with “pediatric” preceding each listing in ...
EMR, a patient’s perspective
My oncologist's office implemented a new EMR system when I was in the middle of chemo. Once the nurses learned the system, I saw no difference in the care I got from them.Not quite so with the doctor. My experience with him changed dramatically.Before EMR I would enter the exam room and sit on a chair, play Angry Birds on my iPhone and wait. My doctor would walk in, make ...
How the mobile internet can transform healthcare
Our colleague Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet & American Life Project has done much research about trends in mobile, particularly about health.In contrast, Meeker focuses on overall big trends. She sees aspects I’ve never noticed, like what-all constitutes mobile: when I hear the term, I think handheld phones (iPhone, Droid, Blackberry), but she makes the case that mobile web access (and other wireless) is much more than phones.As we ...
Welcome our new (doctor) computer overlords
In February, IBM supercomputer Watson won Jeopardy! against its two human opponents, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.Watson’s victory rests on its power in speech recognition and the ability to understand colloquial human language used in game shows like Jeopardy!. The most interesting development of this story is that after Watson’s celebrated win on national television, IBM will partner with Nuance Communications to explore how Watson could help with medical diagnosis ...
How to hire an IT director for your medical practice
About 8 years ago or so, our practice decided to move from paper records to electronic records. The decision was helped along by the fact that we were literally running out of space for our paper charts. I had been looking at electronic medical records systems (EMRs) for years prior to this but could not justify the cost to my partners – apart from the “gee-whiz” factor – until we ...
Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, or the Nook for medical students
The e-reader battles are clearly heating up, with the Apple iPad, the aggressive marketing of the Kindle
