Sounds reasonable, until you look at the Silicon Valley experience. Silicon Valley grew like a weed precisely because employees could…
Morning Headlines 6/15/16
Why I Disagree with the Snake Oil Analogy
BIDMC CIO John Halamka, MD takes issue with the “snake oil” analogy AMA CEO James Madara, MD used to describe EHRs during a speech at the AMA Annual Meeting. Halamka acknowledges that current EHRs do not share data, engage patients, or enable population health effectively, but says “There is no snake oil. We created the digital foundation that is a prerequisite for the next generation of tools.”
Sonoma West Medical Center chief nursing officer sues hospital, Dan Smith, after dismissal
The former CNO at Sonoma West Medical Center (CA) files a wrongful termination suit after being fired for voicing concerns that the home-grown EHR designed and implemented by a hospital board members’ startup company was unsafe.
Teladoc Secures Major Victory in Patent Dispute with American Well
A Massachusetts federal court judge dismisses a patent infringement suit filed by American Well against telehealth competitor Teladoc, concluding that American Well’s patent is invalid because major elements are “too abstract” to be patentable.
Patient wishes are tough to see in electronic health records
A Minneapolis newspaper discusses the difficulty providers have finding advance directives within EHRs, citing a recent study that found “less than one-third of ER doctors feel very confident they could locate information in the electronic record.”
I understand why some might think that the industry is full of snake oil salesmen. Take for instance: Athena… have you seen their latest ads? Their tone-deaf campaign fails to acknowledge the challenges of the industry and makes it seem like if you don’t chose Athena, you must be dumb. Athena is out of touch, insensitive to the needs of providers and full of hubris. But dang: they dropped the mic after that last commercial!