Tech

How telemedicine intersects with AI, social media, and precision medicine

Tech
September 6, 2019

Telemedicine will eventually become a more prominent part of our clinical practice, with the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media and networks, and integration with precision medicine in electronic health records. As clinicians and scientists, we should be thinking about where and how these four innovative strategies intersect, so that we can continue to not only contribute to the conversation and direction of these strategies, but also lead …

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Can entrepreneurial geriatrics fight ageism in health care?

Tech
September 3, 2019

Ageism in health care abounds. Older adults are often overtreated or undertreated for various conditions. The presence of things like fatigue, chronic pain, arthritis, and even cognitive impairment are often accepted as “normal” parts of aging — by physicians and patients alike — despite the fact that many are preventable.

According to a recent opinion piece by NBC News, “We medicalize the natural process of …

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Adopting the DoorDash model to health delivery

Tech
August 21, 2019

I was reading an article in The New York Times entitled, “The Rise of the Virtual Restaurant.” More and more people, particularly in urban settings, are using apps like Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash to bring fresh, warm food directly to their doorsteps.  Mr. Lopez, the virtual restaurant owner featured in the article, had no chairs, no tables, and no menus.  His virtual restaurant was actually four restaurants in one that were …

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5 ways to lessen the physician burden in the product evaluation process

Tech
August 15, 2019

Keeping tabs on the sheer volume of medical drugs and devices on the market is nearly impossible – the FDA approved a record 105 novel medical devices and 59 new drugs in 2018 alone. At the same, hospitals and physicians face ever-growing pressure to cut costs while improving quality. Many physicians make patient treatment decisions based on their own expertise and/or limited review of the readily accessible information, the processes …

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The limitations of artificial intelligence in cardiology

Tech
August 11, 2019

Artificial intelligence (#AI) seems to be all the rage these days, as it should be, given its potential to revolutionize medicine in many ways. #AI is actually already an integral part of many of our lives on Google, Amazon, Facebook, and other sites. Siri and Alexa use #AI too, so we can’t easily escape it. Why would we want to?

Of course, one concern about the algorithms is that they often …

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When an EHR is hacked by Russians

Tech
August 10, 2019

Hippocrates didn’t have a server.

In 2012 our practice invested $300,000 into building computer infrastructure and the purchase of a brand-spanking-new electronic health record, commonly referred to as an EHR. The mandate for this purchase was brought forth from the federal government with the intent to improve overall health care communication.

Since this expenditure, terms like image server, ethernet, firewall, hyperlink, backup server, IP address, fax queue, cache server, LAN, domain server, …

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How have EMRs changed the doctor-patient relationship?

Tech
August 5, 2019

I have penned several posts on the pitfalls of the electronic medical record (EMR) system that we physicians must use.  Indeed, I challenge you to find a doctor who extols the EMR platform without qualification.  Sure, there are tremendous advantages, and the ease of use has improved substantially since it first came onto the scene.  But, keep in mind that these systems were not devised and implemented because physicians demanded them.  To the contrary, …

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5 steps to fix our EMR disaster

Tech
August 1, 2019

The EMR has become a focal point in the physician burnout discussion. Although I believe EMRs are a necessary evil, current iterations of them are just not good. Each click on a mouse is a prick on the many good souls that figuratively bleed until they are physically and mentally burned out. Scribes are not a solution either. That is just a workaround. EMRs are one of many things that …

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When physicians focus more on screens than patients

Tech
July 29, 2019

As Wei Wei Lee sat with her doctor to discuss starting a family, she felt a “distance” between them. The physician was busy on the computer and focused on the screen.

“It just didn’t feel very personal,” Lee said. “I didn’t feel heard.”

It seemed as though keeping a record of the conversation was more important to the doctor than making a connection with Lee.

It wasn’t the experience she wanted, but she …

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A medical student reviews Eric Topol’s Deep Medicine

Tech
July 28, 2019

Following on the heels of The Creative Destruction of Medicine and The Patient Will See You Now, Dr. Eric Topol has published his newest book, Deep Medicine, earlier this year. While the first two books highlight how technological disruption will first digitize and then democratize medicine, his newest is about deep learning, and how artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to ultimately deepen the patient-physician bond. It …

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How technology ruined, and can save, the doctor-patient relationship

Tech
July 16, 2019

Each year, Medical Economics surveys physician readers to find out what irks them most. Topping the latest list: insurance paperwork, followed closely by electronic health records (EHRs).

The reason is the same for both. Insurers and EHRs get between doctors and their patients.

When it comes to medicine’s computer problem, the obstacle is literal. Doctors sit behind a screen, focused on the EHR and not the patient. …

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Patients: Take back your health information. Here’s how.

Tech
July 16, 2019

Have you ever wondered why your personal health information essentially belongs to your health care provider or institution? I mean: why do they keep your information under lock and key, and you have to sign a release to get it? After all, it’s your blood that they just pulled out and tested, it’s your body they just shot up with X-rays or operated on — and you paid for these …

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How can data analytics to improve the care and outcomes of cancer patients?

Tech
July 11, 2019

I want to share some thoughts about artificial intelligence, or as I prefer to call it “data analytics.” Fundamentally: How can we capture the capability of analytics to improve the care and outcomes of cancer patients? And more importantly: How can we harness this technology to help bring back the human touch in cancer care?

Admittedly that’s a large focus covering lots of opportunities. Speak to one expert, and you will …

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Technology is corrupting the culture of medicine

Tech
July 2, 2019

To help then-candidate Bill Clinton remain focused on the No. 1 voter issue ahead of the 1992 presidential elections, political strategist James Carville coined an unforgettable mantra, which he posted inside Clinton campaign headquarters.

It read, “The economy, stupid.”

The quote became famous both for its edginess and wisdom, reminding us to separate the big picture from everything else.

In health care, it can be hard to define the “big picture” issue when …

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Electronic health records cannot replace a doctor who knows you

Tech
July 1, 2019

The introduction of electronic health records (EHRs) was accompanied by a great deal of fanfare. Such systems, which replace old paper-based charts in doctor’s offices and hospitals, were designed to make patient data more accurate, safer and more accessible. It was also claimed that they would make it easier for doctors and other health professionals to monitor medical care and ensure that guidelines were followed. The federal government was so …

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Smart beds and sleep apps: Don’t sleep on their data collection practices

Tech
June 10, 2019

Your bed could be watching you.

OK, so not with a camera.

But if you have any of a variety of “smart beds,” mattress pads or sleep apps, it knows when you go to sleep. It knows when you toss and turn. It may even be able to tell when you’re having sex.

Sleep Number, one company that makes beds that can track heart rate, respiration and movement, said it collects more than …

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Would you trust Alexa with your patient data?

Tech
June 6, 2019

Amazon has opened a new health care frontier: Now Alexa can be used to transmit patient data. Using this new feature — which Amazon labeled as a “skill” — a company named Livongo will allow diabetes patients — which it calls “members” — to use the device to “query their last blood sugar reading, blood sugar measurement trends, and receive insights and Health Nudges that are personalized to …

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How non-video telehealth can be a cure for overprescribing antibiotics

Tech
May 15, 2019

When Dr. Fleming found penicillin mold in his Petri dishes in 1928, he had no idea of the impact he — and it — would have on global health. Penicillin and the antibiotic revolution that it triggered have saved countless lives and change world history.

Less than a century later, though, antibiotics occupy a space between savior and sinner. This complicated reputation is mostly due to how …

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Electronic medical record interoperability is a total mess

Tech
May 14, 2019

Just the other day, while I was in the middle of seeing a morning schedule full of patients, I opened one patient’s chart and was thrilled to see a whole bunch of new icons in Chart Review in the electronic health record that I had never seen before.

These apparently indicate office visits and other health care encounters with outside providers.

Sometime during …

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