Comments on: Readers Write 10/12/09 http://histalk2.com/2009/10/12/readers-write-101209/ Healthcare IT News and Opinion Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:14:23 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Bob Schumacher http://histalk2.com/2009/10/12/readers-write-101209/comment-page-1/#comment-6137 Bob Schumacher Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:40:52 +0000 http://histalk2.com/2009/10/12/readers-write-101209/#comment-6137 Lyle, Interesting stuff. Seems to me like most of these PHPs are still laying the pipes and pouring foundation. What will really spring most of these companies is when the PHRs become the hub of the home medical ecosystem. (Apologies for the mixing of my metaphors!) Most personal computing to be successful needs to be embedded and integrate seemlessly. What is important is the information, how it changes, and how it can affect my behavior. Right now PHRs are only at the stage of getting people to collect information - and even that isnt smart. My blood pressure cuff does not complete the cell in my PHR, I do. My polar watch needs to seemlessly sync with my PHR as does my scale, my glucometer, etc. Maybe we need to find a way to increase the entertainment or marginal value; make updating PHR gain frequent flier miles or print coupons for yogurt. And who wants an electronic nag? We have enough things creating guilt. Until health data can have value and can be manipulated...PHRs will not gain traction. Lyle,
Interesting stuff. Seems to me like most of these PHPs are still laying the pipes and pouring foundation. What will really spring most of these companies is when the PHRs become the hub of the home medical ecosystem. (Apologies for the mixing of my metaphors!) Most personal computing to be successful needs to be embedded and integrate seemlessly.
What is important is the information, how it changes, and how it can affect my behavior. Right now PHRs are only at the stage of getting people to collect information – and even that isnt smart. My blood pressure cuff does not complete the cell in my PHR, I do. My polar watch needs to seemlessly sync with my PHR as does my scale, my glucometer, etc. Maybe we need to find a way to increase the entertainment or marginal value; make updating PHR gain frequent flier miles or print coupons for yogurt.

And who wants an electronic nag? We have enough things creating guilt.

Until health data can have value and can be manipulated…PHRs will not gain traction.

]]> By: Jordanna Joaquina http://histalk2.com/2009/10/12/readers-write-101209/comment-page-1/#comment-6131 Jordanna Joaquina Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:26:19 +0000 http://histalk2.com/2009/10/12/readers-write-101209/#comment-6131 Thanks for the kind mention in your article. We very much enjoyed being a part of the Health2.0 conference and sharing the stage with such innovative companies! AccessDNA.com is dedicated to helping people access reliable information about genetic conditions, tests, topics and testing providers (both online and offline). Thanks Again! Jordanna P.S. We finally started our blog (http://blog.accessdna.com/)! Thanks for the kind mention in your article. We very much enjoyed being a part of the Health2.0 conference and sharing the stage with such innovative companies!

AccessDNA.com is dedicated to helping people access reliable information about genetic conditions, tests, topics and testing providers (both online and offline).

Thanks Again! Jordanna
P.S. We finally started our blog (http://blog.accessdna.com/)!

]]> By: Scott Kozicki http://histalk2.com/2009/10/12/readers-write-101209/comment-page-1/#comment-6123 Scott Kozicki Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:24:08 +0000 http://histalk2.com/2009/10/12/readers-write-101209/#comment-6123 Agreed about Keas. Dr. Lyle, you and I spoke about this. Motivation is personalized for the individual, but one thing that tends to cut across all boundaries is $$$. If you can assign a value to a particular behavior modification, that helps to break the inertia. Then the actual result becomes the incentive. For example, if I pay you $5 a day for 20 years to not smoke, I know I'm going to get a positive ROI, since $36,500< the minimum $50,000+ if you get lung cancer, emphysema, or COPD. After you've quit for awhile, the motivation is living an active healthy life without smoking and all the benefits that go along with it, not the $5. There are tools out there that allow you to not only calculate your risks based upon real biometric values (not predictive models based upon claims data) and also assign financial values to those risks. That way I can estimate what it is worth to me (for purely ROI calculations, not altruistic or beneficial reasons) to incite your behavior change. Meanwhile, we're still arguing about Death Panels and health care on Twitter. Agreed about Keas. Dr. Lyle, you and I spoke about this. Motivation is personalized for the individual, but one thing that tends to cut across all boundaries is $$$. If you can assign a value to a particular behavior modification, that helps to break the inertia. Then the actual result becomes the incentive. For example, if I pay you $5 a day for 20 years to not smoke, I know I’m going to get a positive ROI, since $36,500< the minimum $50,000+ if you get lung cancer, emphysema, or COPD. After you've quit for awhile, the motivation is living an active healthy life without smoking and all the benefits that go along with it, not the $5.

There are tools out there that allow you to not only calculate your risks based upon real biometric values (not predictive models based upon claims data) and also assign financial values to those risks. That way I can estimate what it is worth to me (for purely ROI calculations, not altruistic or beneficial reasons) to incite your behavior change. Meanwhile, we're still arguing about Death Panels and health care on Twitter.

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