The rolling adoption and then abandonment of car software by car manufacturers, eventually led to a different tech idea. They…
Monday Morning Update 10/27/25
Top News
Humana and Providence launch a scalable data exchange collaboration that will use HL7 FHIR standards and modern APIs to reduce administrative burden, enhance interoperability, and support value-based care.
The payer-provider collaboration’s first deliverable, which provides member attribution for Humana’s Medicare Advantage members, goes live this month.
Reader Comments
From SkepticalMD: “Re: using the Doctor title. Let’s be honest, the Doctor title outside of medicine is mostly a vanity project. Patients don’t care about your dissertation on 18th-century poetry or leadership theory, they just want someone who can diagnose their chest pain. Using Doctor in a clinical setting when you’re not a physician confuses patients, inflates egos, and cheapens a title that should mean something. Sign your name with your non-medical degree or have it embroidered on your lab coat if you must , but don’t use it to play doctor.”
From Data Diva: “Re: AI tools. Hospitals don’t need them as much as they need fewer executives who pretend to understand them. Every ‘AI strategy’ announcement sounds like a board trying to cosplay as tech bros while nurses drown in administrivia. How about automating leadership bloat before automating bedside care?”
HIStalk Announcements and Requests
Most poll respondents use some form of social media, most commonly the platforms above. You could probably infer the median age of respondents by their heavy use of Facebook and near-zero involvement with TikTok and Snapchat. For me personally, I’m most often on YouTube (commercial-free with an invaluable Premium subscription) and Reddit, but when I’m doing HIStalk work it’s probably LinkedIn to grab someone’s credentials and headshot. I’ve mostly abandoned X and its cesspool of toxicity and ignorance, which are way worse on Facebook but at least easily avoidable.
New poll to your right or here, extending my previous rant: should holders of non-medical doctorates introduce themselves to patients as “Dr. Smith?” Thinking beyond that question, since patients call hospital people whatever name they are given, should those doctorate holders instead refer to themselves as “Mr. Smith” or “John?” (I’ve never heard a hospital employee, other than nurses of a certain age, use courtesy titles). We have some weird title conventions in the US – addressing cooks with no specific education or certification as “Chef,” calling the airline employee who flies the plane “Captain” as though they were in the military, and rent-a-cops who title themselves “Officer” despite being associated with no office.
Sponsored Events and Resources
None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre to have your resource listed.
Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock
CVS Health will close 16 Oak Street Health Centers, 7% of the company’s senior care locations, due to high medical costs in the Medicare and Medicare Advantage market. CVS paid $10.6 billion in cash to buy Oak Street Health in May 2023.
Sales
- Heritage Medical Associates will implement Epic via an Epic Community Connect agreement with Vanderbilt Health.
Sponsor Updates
- Wolters Kluwer Health team members volunteer with the Chicago Park District.
- Altera Digital Health publishes a new client story titled “Leading the way: Reducing police callouts and prioritizing patient safety at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.”
- Judi Health releases a new episode of “The Astonishing Healthcare Podcast” titled “Balancing Technology and a Human Touch in Member Service, with Lisa Ellerhorst and Sonia Pettis.”
- Black Book Research offers an analysis of provider plans for TEFCA onboarding in 2026.
- TrustCommerce, a Sphere company, Chief Product Officer John Welch joins PAX Technology’s Steering Committee’s Technology & Innovation group.
- Waystar will exhibit at the NJ/Metro Philadelphia HFMA Annual Institute October 28-31 in Atlantic City.
- WellSky will exhibit at the 2025 AMRPA Fall Educational Conference & Expo through October 29 in Philadelphia.
Blog Posts
- How do you use AI in patient billing support? (Inbox Health)
- Why MSSP ACOs Should Partner with an Experienced Quality Reporting Vendor (MRO)
- How identity-first security strengthens healthcare cyber defense (Nordic)
- From Burden to Breakthrough: How Real-Time Intelligence Is Reshaping the Care Experience (Surescripts)
- The Pragmatic Promise of AI in Healthcare Operations (Symplr)
- Shared Risk, Without the Nightmares (VisiQuate)
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Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
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Hey @skepticalmd. Your post is written like a true physician. Expecting the world to change so you don’t have to. I’m pretty sure your diploma says “Doctor of Medicine.” Mine says, “Doctor of Nursing”. Others’ say “Doctor of Pharmacy” or “Doctor of Physical Therapy.“ The point is we are all doctors in that it is an academic level attained. How about we just focus on our role so we don’t confuse the patients? “Hi, my name is X and I’ll be your Y today…” (And for the record, I don’t introduce myself as doctor in the clinical setting)
Mocking people who got doctorates to teach and do research as seeking vanity titles compared to MDs is especially laughable considering its etymology from teaching. Physicians became doctors to gain the same respect professors commanded with the title.
When discussing medicine it should be reserved for medical practitioners or those with relevant expertise related to their doctorate. But getting snooty about the title outside that context is ignorant at best. Good luck to the skeptical doc practicing without any advances by people with mere Ph.Ds.
@skepticalmd: Well done in managing to offend a large number of people who worked every bit as hard as you did to earn their degrees. Why did you feel the need to tear down others? Are you so insecure? Ours is not a better than/less than relationship; we merely differ in our fields of study. I do not call myself Dr. in clinical settings, because my focus is on care of the patient, and it CAN be confusing. I myself cannot offer medical advice. And I allow my students to call me by my first name, as it promotes better learning. However, we Ph.Ds and DNs and PharmDs (and all the rest) deserve the same respect from you and from others as you do. It costs you nothing.