Comments on: Today’s First-Generation Decision Support Systems: Not Yet Able to Turn Doctors Into Sheep

By: Burt Finkelstein

Burt Finkelstein — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:23:50 +0000

Sorry, it was not meant to be a commercial; although I joined them from the big corporate world because I believe in what they have. I’ll give you a rant on the whole hospital IT world if you want one day.

Burt

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 22:57:44 +0000

It would have been nice if Burt had mentioned that he is an employee of VisualMED Clinical Soluions. A little too friendly….

see http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070809/0288786.html

By: Burt Finkelstein

Burt Finkelstein — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:32:58 +0000

Obviously, Ross hasn’t seen the VisualMED Clinical Solution in operation. Too bad that only a handful of insightful hospitals have had CPOE with decision support that works for the physician, nurse and pharmacist…….

Burt

By: HISJunkie

HISJunkie — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:29:38 +0000

Did he really say,?
‘Hospitals usually buy CPOE and DSS because they’ve failed to control physician behavior’ ??

WOW!
How naive can you be? Hospitals (administration) do not and CANNOT control physician behavior (unless the docs are hospital employees a la military or some private hospitals) . Maybe they can influence 25% of it – (see the book ‘Prospective Rate Setting, William Dowling, Aspen, 1977). Per Dowling the administrator’s main role is to have the resources there when needed. As someone who has been in hospital administration I strongly agree.

In summary Dowling says – if you want to control the costs of health care (and to my mind the use of IT tools) all you have to do is: TELL THE PHYSICIAN HOW TO PRACTICE MEDICINE!

and, in order to do that all you need is an MD degree….

Fact is the practice of medicine is at best 50% science, 50% art… and computerizing art (via clinical rules) is yet to be done. A friend of mine once said; they don’t call it the ‘practice’ of medicine for nothing. Someday with enough practice they may get it right!